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Hi.. again. I was pulling into my driveway and i lost steering, the steering wheel moved but the wheels did not... i don't know a whole lot but i do know that's not good at all. I investigated and found that whatever component is bolted to the frame rail on the drivers side that controls the steering is no longer bolted....all 3 of the bolts completely sheared off flush. Probably due to corrosion. When i move the steering wheel it moves that entire assembly, so its safe to say it needs replaced as it has 3 bolts stuck in it. My first thought was to just attempt to sell it but i love this damn gas guzzler. I hope my explanation is clear enough, how hard is the job to replace it? I don't have money for a mechanic so id have to do it myself.
Is the frame rusted or torn? Usually the bolts wallow out the holes and the metal is pulled and torn or deformed.
IF it's not torn or rusted or deformed, simply put the box back in place, replace the bolts and move on. It is unlikely that the bolts sheared without some damage to the frame or other components, so inspect carefully.
IF it is distressed in anyway, it needs to be straightened, welded up and reinforced.
Pictures from multiple angles will help.
This is not exactly an every day "thing", but it is not unheard of, or perhaps even uncommon. All brands, all models can have this issue, some more than others.
Is the frame rusted or torn? Usually the bolts wallow out the holes and the metal is pulled and torn or deformed.
IF it's not torn or rusted or deformed, simply put the box back in place, replace the bolts and move on. It is unlikely that the bolts sheared without some damage to the frame or other components, so inspect carefully.
IF it is distressed in anyway, it needs to be straightened, welded up and reinforced.
Pictures from multiple angles will help.
This is not exactly an every day "thing", but it is not unheard of, or perhaps even uncommon. All brands, all models can have this issue, some more than others.
Do not be tempted by shortcuts or half measures.
If you have to park it for a while, so be it.
Im unsure how to reply to specific parts of your reply so ill quote you with quotes.
"Is the frame rusted or torn? Usually the bolts wallow out the holes and the metal is pulled and torn or deformed." The frame rail seems perfectly fine with a bunch of surface rust, no integrity issues that i see.
"IF it's not torn or rusted or deformed, simply put the box back in place, replace the bolts and move on. It is unlikely that the bolts sheared without some damage to the frame or other components, so inspect carefully." You make it seem simple! haha, but no theres no putting the bolts back, they are sheered flush at the component, there is no way to get the broken bolts out without removing the component. There seems to be some sort of shaft going to the top of it and its definitely very tight in the ways of getting to it. Ill go take a few pics and you can give me your best judgement.
Not the best pictures, i had to get on the ground and my phone is wonky with pictures but yea, it would have to be removed to be repaired.
you can see the end of the bolt sticking out but not the front! Not good haha this is really the only bolt i MIGHT be able to work out but even then... thats a stretch
This pic shows what might look like a crack but its just a flake, its solid
Having assisted replacing an entire steering box on a very good condition 2003 E-250 extended body I can tell you this typically is NOT an easy task with a fair bit of experience and some heavy duty tools. Those would be a large gear puller and a torch along with typical selection of wrenches and impact sockets.
As 85e150 suggests this is probably NOT a job for a DIY. I would fully agree the areas of the frame where the steering box attaches needs expert and careful inspection to gauge why the bolts sheared off this way. There is also significant rust showing which also needs to be inspected and possibly repaired.
Thanks for your input, the repair procedure is pretty straight forward compared to other things on the van, although this thread is no longer needed for me as i bit the bullet and sold it to someone who needed it a lot more than i did. His van which happened to be the same model as mine got stolen along with his tools. I gave him a very good deal and have no regrets on the sale.
It's actually still sitting out front! He plans on repairing it this weekend. He knows his way around them pretty well apparently, the repair doesn't seem to difficult either. So I told his that was alright. By god do I miss it already though!
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