I upgraded my sons steering box to a red head and his pump to a siginaw from wild horses 4x4 and the truck steered effortless and was tight for about six months

The steering is now very loose again (6” play)

power steering fluid is full, no breaks in belts, no obvious breaks in the linkage or sorbet steering components

any ideas on what happened?

 

Do you still have the rag joint in there? That would be my first check. If that seems fine, have your son turn the steering wheel while you watch the tires and or steering linkage for movement/play. It sounds like something came loose, just gotta find which part is the culprit.

 

thanks

rag joint looks good

pit it on jack stands and turned the wheels back and forth and everything looks good

thats why I’m stumped

i wonder if something happened in the box itself

 

If something happened inside the box, the steering wheel will turn and the tire will not. That could also be something loose in the linkage. Since you have it on jack stands, i'd give the tires a good tug and push, that will single out the linkage.

 

Just an idea, look it before the jack stands

 

It's a Dent I think, maybe it's blue and white, I'm guessing '73-'79 years. Maybe it's 4x4. If 4wd, it is either "inverted Y" (junk if on a '76 or '77 4wd ...just MHO) or "T type" steering ('78-'79 setup pittman arm, drag link, tie rods all ... is super on a '76 or '77).

Look closely at both ball joint ends of drag link for slightest play, check box mounting bolts too. On stands or not, with engine OFF and the keys in your pocket, parking brake set, in park if auto or first if manual ... have your son just rapidly rock the steering wheel left to right to left a few times while you are laying under the front feeling with your hand for play at joints, listen close too. He doesn't need to rock the steering wheel more than a couple or three inches, we are just looking for any detectable play here.

What I do is grasp the ball joint to include both parts connected with a clasping fashion at the same time in one hand thus wrapping my fingers tight around the joint ... but a finger bridging the two suspect parts works too, any play will be felt .. but one might get grease on the hand, palm ... or finger. Rubber gloves work here.

Also raise the hood and watch the rag joint, universal joint, any connections to shafts from steering collumn to steering box. I have a RedHead box, it's never acted loose.

 

I'm curious as to tire size and if there has been any lift or suspension and steering alterations to the truck other than the Redead power steering gear box (3 or 4 bolt ?) and the Saginaw power steering pump (what is the psi rating on pump ?).

 

WH Saginaw's are 1100 psi rated

 

Putting it on stands will not reveal any worn or loose parts. You need that stress of being on the ground.

 

Thanks all

some good ideas in here

 

so I spoke to red head technical support yesterday - my box is about 3 days from being out of warranty so good thing I called

they told me to drive the truck and see if it tracks straits - it does - in fact it tracks strait at 12 o’clock, 2 o’clock and 10 o’clock. What happens is when I go past 2 o’clock or 10 o’clock the truck sharply darts to the right or left (more pronounced on the right)

the technician told me most likely the steering shaft has slipped off of top dead center on the gears and is rolling over the gears as opposed to being in the center

i am supposed to call them back with the behavior of the truck on Monday, but I think they are going to tell me to make an adjustment on the box (based on what he said it sounds like the box adjustment screw is too tight, not too loose)

I’ll update this when I hear back next week

thanks for all the good advice

 

I would NOT put it up on jack stands. Free play is going to show when you have weight on the front wheels. I'd leave the engine off, and get under it with a flash light while someone is in it turning wheel from side to side. That will show you where the play is. Good luck.

 

Just trying to wrap my head around that one.

 

I just read and posted on another thread that might be an easy solution.

Check the steering wheel nut and the nut and lock washer on the pitman arm.

Take a gander at that other thread as well.

Hopefully it's not in your box.