Hard Steering
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Freshman User
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 49
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From: Huntington WV.
Hard Steering
I posted this in the 2004-2008 truck forum but figured it wouldn't hurt to post here either.
SO:
F150 2004 XLT Triton 5.4L 4Door 4WD, power steering, 291,000 miles.
The steering wheel is very hard to turn, (in spots... easy in spots)
It gets less difficult as the RPMs go up.
I've done a little research and the YouTube guru's say it's the steering shaft.
It looks easy enough to swap out but I have some questions:
I am of very limited funds, thanks to Covid-19 taking my job, and of poor health thanks to many years of self-abuse...
So the least expensive route is the one I like.
I've even thought about, maybe taking it off and cleaning it up with a pressure washer and lubing the knuckles up... just a shot.
If it would help a little and get me through the winter...
Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z7Z...ew?usp=sharing
SO:
F150 2004 XLT Triton 5.4L 4Door 4WD, power steering, 291,000 miles.
The steering wheel is very hard to turn, (in spots... easy in spots)
It gets less difficult as the RPMs go up.
I've done a little research and the YouTube guru's say it's the steering shaft.
It looks easy enough to swap out but I have some questions:
- Is there a chance that it is something else, and if so, what do I look for?
- Why am I finding price ranges from $30.00 to $300.00 in this piece?
I am of very limited funds, thanks to Covid-19 taking my job, and of poor health thanks to many years of self-abuse...
So the least expensive route is the one I like.
I've even thought about, maybe taking it off and cleaning it up with a pressure washer and lubing the knuckles up... just a shot.
If it would help a little and get me through the winter...
Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z7Z...ew?usp=sharing
FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 31,956
Likes: 2,406
From: Upstate NY
A guy I use to work with had a similar problem. He tried lubricating the joints every so often for awhile and that got him thru a little longer. In theory. I guess the joint could break under load, not a nice thing to happen. I had the rag joint fail once on a 70's truck, wakes you right up. I hope it goes well with your repair.
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Freshman User
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 49
Likes: 2
From: Huntington WV.
Thanks, Spurredon, and BPofMD.
I haven't tried anything yet.
I posted this is the 2004-2008 group, five people had five different answers... lol
So I think I'm going to just take the joint off and see how that feels. Maybe clean it up, and lube it up, if it feels stiff.
Might be a while... depending on my health and the weather.
I haven't tried anything yet.
I posted this is the 2004-2008 group, five people had five different answers... lol
So I think I'm going to just take the joint off and see how that feels. Maybe clean it up, and lube it up, if it feels stiff.
Might be a while... depending on my health and the weather.
Thread Starter
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Freshman User
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 49
Likes: 2
From: Huntington WV.
Well, today I took my truck to a friend's house and we were going to remove the shaft and see what kind of shape it was in.
I sprayed a good amount of B'laster 16-PB Penetrating Catalyst on the bolts of the shaft before I left for his house. (15 minutes away )
So, we like to never got the top bolt out, and neither of us could get in a position to get to the lower bolt...
But I noticed that the steering was much easier. So we sprayed it some more, then sprayed both knuckles with WD40.
Turning the wheel from one end to the other, over and over.
So without removing the shaft, the steering was greatly improved. I'm talking two-finger turning all the way around.
I checked the fluid while my buddy turned the wheel with the truck running, and I can see the fluid is flowing... (Turbulent) but it does look pretty bad.
I am going to flush it out here soon.
But for now, it's a huge improvement.
I hope this holds for a while... I really have no choice.
I sprayed a good amount of B'laster 16-PB Penetrating Catalyst on the bolts of the shaft before I left for his house. (15 minutes away )
So, we like to never got the top bolt out, and neither of us could get in a position to get to the lower bolt...
But I noticed that the steering was much easier. So we sprayed it some more, then sprayed both knuckles with WD40.
Turning the wheel from one end to the other, over and over.
So without removing the shaft, the steering was greatly improved. I'm talking two-finger turning all the way around.
I checked the fluid while my buddy turned the wheel with the truck running, and I can see the fluid is flowing... (Turbulent) but it does look pretty bad.
I am going to flush it out here soon.
But for now, it's a huge improvement.
I hope this holds for a while... I really have no choice.
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stever327
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