Ok, decided to fix the truck... So I have here a rebuilt steering box. Getting ready to read up a little in the service CD. The docs with the gearbox outline a PS flush procedure. Guess I probably should do that, huh?

Got a couple of questions if anyone can answer -

Do I need to get my hands on a Pitman arm puller? Possible to do this with out it?

Owners manual says Type F PS fluid - all I can find is fluid that claims its GM and Ford compatible? That good enough?

Should I be replacing the PS hoses too? As far as I know they are original... which makes them 13 years old...

Any hidden shims or tricks to it? Seems fairly straight forward...

 

Never replaced the box, sorry I can't help on that.

However, definetly replace and lines. Nothing wrong with that at all. All the O-rings as well.

Write down in your owner's manual what it says for the PS fluid specification, and make sure on the bottle it says meets Ford Specification so and so.

 

I got a rebuilt steering box and a set of PS hoses, and after eight hours, some sweating, some cussing, and a little bleeding, I got it done...

Biggest problem I had was getting the pitman arm off the old box.... The tool was just a hair too thick to get between the arm and the steering box. Tried a thinner cheapie tool which of course broke straight away.... Fixed the other tool with a grinder and got it in place...

But no way, no how was that arm busting loose... hit it with pentrating oil, cranked on the puller with an impact wrench... finally broke out the heat gun, got that thing screaming hot, cranked the air pressure up to like 140 psi, and let it rip... THAT finally got it.

After wrestling the new box and hoses into place, and torquing everything down to specs, I realized that I don't have a torque wrench that goes beyond 100 ft/lbs. The pitman arm nut is supposed to be between 170 & 228 ft/lbs. I ran it up real tight with my impact wrench... Think I should worry about it???

Steering feels pretty good - I'm pleased with the results. Except for one little thing... I think I might have gotten the input shaft and the steering linkage off by like one spline... so now the steering wheel is off center to the right ever so slightly when the truck is going straight.

Which just aggravates me... should I separate the linkage and try again? I think there is enough movement to do that without dropping the gear box... Or should that be adjusted in the front end?

 

Nice work on installing the steering box. Not an easy job, to be sure.

IMO, it's time to take it to an alignment shop.