Steering box question
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 356
Likes: 10
From: South East PA.
Steering box question
Hi,
I bought a new steering box for the truck and was curious if they come pre-centered? I know I could verify by using a wrench on the flats of the input shaft and most likely will, was just curios to know....
Dan
I bought a new steering box for the truck and was curious if they come pre-centered? I know I could verify by using a wrench on the flats of the input shaft and most likely will, was just curios to know....
Dan
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 3,910
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From: NW IA
There are some who will make adjustments later on down the road with a worn box, but we are not talking about that here so no need to muddy the thread
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 360
Likes: 2
From: Greenville, SC
Navistarnut - my apologies. the last thing I intended to do was provoke one of the guys that walks on water around here.
There's never been a steering gear thread at FTE that became a train wreck.
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 3,910
Likes: 18
From: NW IA
It is most manufacturers practice to sell a new or reman'd unit pre-centered. You can look at the large spline gaps on the sector shaft of the new unit. I believe there are 4. Two of them should line up longitudinally with the body of the gear; the other 2 should be perpendicular. You can also center your existing gear before removal and compare. Hope this helps!
Navistarnut - my apologies. the last thing I intended to do was provoke one of the guys that walks on water around here. There's never been a steering gear thread at FTE that became a train wreck.
Navistarnut - my apologies. the last thing I intended to do was provoke one of the guys that walks on water around here.
There's never been a steering gear thread at FTE that became a train wreck.I was merely reaffirming what you had said earlier about the habit of some to take a thread and then segway into another topic(I hardly walk in water, if anything I sink more than I float
)
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 356
Likes: 10
From: South East PA.
I bought it off the bay, company is GreatAutoParts and in the listing the "brand" if it is one is shown as "OE Quality Replacement" It is new not a reman. I'll take a look at the sector shaft later today and see if it aligned as mentioned....
Dan
Dan
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Tuned
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Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 356
Likes: 10
From: South East PA.
Thanks guys, Hope to be installing it within the next week or so, Carolina Rig I agree, the sector shaft really doesn't turn that far and the pitman arm is only going on one way, I let y'all know how well the box functions and how I made out with getting it in, thanks again.
Dan
Dan
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 356
Likes: 10
From: South East PA.
I got the steering box installed this afternoon, not a really difficult job , took me 3-1/2 hours including the test drive. I didn't take it far so the jury is still out as to whether or not it took care of the play in the steering. My initial impression is it did not help much, I'll know better tomorrow since I'll be out and about for quite awhile. I think the most difficult part was torquing the nut, I stuck the new pitman arm and nut on (had no interest in wasting my time with a puller) then put the unit in my vise with the pitman arm laying along the jaw and had at it. I have a torque wrench that goes to 600 ft lbs so 350 was not terrible, it's a bit better than four feet long so good leverage. I thought that getting it back in and getting the bolts started would be the hardest part not so, that went well. Anyway, I'll know more tomorrow.
Dan
Dan
Fleet Owner
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27,307
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From: Spanaway
Two other things to check when you have loose steering.
The Track Bar Bushing and The Track Bar Bll Joint. The way to test is start the engine and have someone rock
the wheel a good distance while you with a flash light look at the track bar on both ends. The top end that the bushing
in in will be on a bracket to the frame right below the steering gear. The other end goes to a ball joint that is on
the front axle. What your looking for is excessive slop.I have been told that over or under torquing the nut at the
frame end will shorten the life of the bushing. The other end is just you basic ball joint. You will find it on the axle housing.
The Track Bar Bushing and The Track Bar Bll Joint. The way to test is start the engine and have someone rock
the wheel a good distance while you with a flash light look at the track bar on both ends. The top end that the bushing
in in will be on a bracket to the frame right below the steering gear. The other end goes to a ball joint that is on
the front axle. What your looking for is excessive slop.I have been told that over or under torquing the nut at the
frame end will shorten the life of the bushing. The other end is just you basic ball joint. You will find it on the axle housing.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 356
Likes: 10
From: South East PA.
I replaced all the other parts already, ball joints all tie rod ends, track bar bushing and track bar ball joint, after all that their was still play in the steering, it was all in the steering box at that point, replaced that as mentioned above and still had some play. Yesterday I had my son turn the steering wheel back and forth while I crawled under to see what could be moving, their was movement at the track bar ball joint which is a new XRF, took my air wrench and tightened the nut on it really well seems to have taken most of the play out of it, still a little bit, not impressed with the design of this front end. Overall I'm happier with the steering than when I first bought it....
Dan
Dan
Fleet Owner
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 27,307
Likes: 549
From: Spanaway
If you used an impact wrench on the ball joints they will likely fail early. You can use one to take them
apart but torquing them down that tends to damage the ball and bearing surfaces. The same for the
track bar bushing.
apart but torquing them down that tends to damage the ball and bearing surfaces. The same for the
track bar bushing.