Help! Quick steering box question

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Feb 15, 2005 | 04:57 PM

jw8630

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Jun 2004

Posts: 14

Likes: 0

Help! Quick steering box question

While trying to isolate a clunk in my front end I noticed that the power steering gearbox output shaft has about 1/8" to 3/16" of end play. Is this normal??
Will tightening the the adjuster on top help if not?

Feb 15, 2005 | 06:41 PM

99f350sd

Lead Driver

Joined: May 2003

Posts: 9,303

Likes: 48

From: Lyndonville, Vermont

End play you mean in and out or side to side? In and out might be an adj. side to side I would think somethings wrong. Try adjusting it.

Feb 15, 2005 | 07:23 PM

jetjock16

Posting Guru

Joined: Oct 2002

Posts: 1,253

Likes: 0

From: Del Rio, Texas USA

tighten the hell out of the trac bar bolts on each end.. use like a 4ft breaker bar to get them REAL tight.. try that

Feb 16, 2005 | 12:30 PM

krewat

FTE Leadership Emeritus

Joined: Jul 2002

Posts: 42,561

Likes: 423

From: Long Island USA

Quote:

Originally Posted by jw8630

If you're really talking about "end play" - as in you can move the shaft itself in and out of the steering box by 1/8-3/16", then something is wrong - the preload/mesh (they call it "meshload" in the book) is way out, and your steering would be VERY sloppy. Is it? If so, you can adjust it with the adjuster on top, but if it's more than 1/8", that sounds like a lot and tightening the meshload might just make the gears bind because they are so worn.

If you're talking about side-to-side play, then the bearing is gone, and apparently, according to my '01 service manual, that bearing is NOT servicable. I don't think it's side-to-side otherwise the thing would be leaking fluid on the ground fast enough to notice.

Get back to us, it's dangerous messing with meshload on steering gears - they can bind when you don't want them to and not be able to steer - BE CAREFUL...

art k.

Feb 17, 2005 | 10:14 AM

jw8630

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Jun 2004

Posts: 14

Likes: 0

I tightened up the trac bar a bit, that seemed to help with the clunk. Thanks jetjock.

As far as the output shaft on the gearbox yes I am speaking of end play( shaft slides in and out). The steering does seem to be more sloppy than before, but not outrageous. About two months ago I slipped off the road and hit a ditch pretty hard. It bounced through but wrecked the bumper, oil cooler, a/c condenser, and fender. So I' m due for an alignment anyhow. I just never noticed any steering box with that kind of slop. I'll be checking family/friends trucks for comparison. I found it by snooping around with a short bar and prying up on the shaft a little bit looking for loose parts.

2004 F-350 4x4 6.0 18,000 mi

Last edited by jw8630; Feb 17, 2005 at 10:17 AM.

Feb 17, 2005 | 11:26 AM

krewat

FTE Leadership Emeritus

Joined: Jul 2002

Posts: 42,561

Likes: 423

From: Long Island USA

If you do it with your hand, does it move? There might be a spring-load on the adjuster, not sure... in that case, with a pry-bar you will see it move, but there's nothing wrong with it.

True test is have someone move the steering wheel back and forth and see if the shaft goes in and out - if it does, that's a lot of steering play. Do it with the engine running.

Feb 17, 2005 | 02:39 PM

jw8630

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Jun 2004

Posts: 14

Likes: 0

I can move it by hand with about 40 lbs of force. It acts the same with the engine running or not running. I havent focused on that particular piece while having someone turn the wheel lock to lock, but when I done that to examine the trac bar I didn't notice the pitman arm move up or down. It may be normal, I'm going to check a couple other trucks tonight to see. The only noise change I have is an increase in the level of the famous turbo moan/droan @ 1200-1800 rpm range. It's worse when cold, I just figgured the exhaust downpipe shifted a little on impact. Or, I have heard of some guys finding the p/s pump to be the culprit. If the p/s box is screwed up a little and has left debris in the system mabey the pump is the source of my increaced droan noise? Well anyhow thanks for the input. It's probaly fine and I'm just paranoid. You know I can usually find something wrong with what everybody else calls a perfect truck.