help, have a 71 f-250 which has about 3" of play in the steering wheel how do you fix this? the steering box also leaks ps fluid, can i rebuild the steering box? the motor is out right now and looks alot easier to do now, so thought i would ask how and where do i find the parts? i have a spare truck for parts but it has as much play as the one i'm fixing up! is there a adjustment i can make? have pics of truck and steering box in gallery its the green one with the motor out and painted the engine compartment silver

 

Are you certain that all your play is in the box and not in other components like the tie rod ends? If so, it sounds like you need to get another box. Excessive play like that can't just be adjusted out. Can't see too well in the pics, but it looks like you do have the Saginaw box which by year you should anyway. Just be aware of the different (and more more expensive) Bendix P/S box available on earlier trucks. I came across this info some time ago, don't know whether it's accurate or not but supposedly the Bendix box was the only P/S box available in '67, in '68 both the Bendix and Saginaw box were available and from '69-up the Saginaw box was the only one offered. Can someone confirm or refute this?

My point here anyhow is that you should stick to '69-'78 model years if looking for a good used box, which should still be cheaper than getting a rebuilt box.

 

have you checked the rag joint between the colum and box that should be the only loose spot, the boxes are preaty tight and when fail usually get to tight . and all i would recomend replaceing in the box would be the seals the box is timed and the rollers"ball bearings"that ride on worm gear are hard to get back in place corectly i've done some heavy duty boxes i mean 9400-9800 series international tractors the boxes are built the same but bigger and heavier .

 

Tiger Dan,
That's a Roughly very correct chronology on Steering gear box upgrade & transition.

I say that because what happened is as FOMoCo ran out of Bendix Boxes & FoMoCo High Output pumps that drove them, Assembly Plants started installing Saginaw style systems without anotating a specific S/N as a change over start point.

Therefore I doubt anybody actually knows, except to say Bendix systems went Extinct in '68 and Saginaws were on line in '69 [ Hey!. . . . poetry :-}]

As for excessive play in steering, It's usually a Center Link which has Tie Rod Ends, and Pitman Arm mounting position, or Rag Joint, as somebody has already mentioned, which causes it.

The adjustment that appears to be on the steering box is for adjusting the amount of drag in the worm gear to sector gear, contact patch, mesh rate, in inch pounds, IT IS NOT for tightening up a Strg Box with excess wear or play evident.

Generally the P/S boxes don't wear out like a manual box because they don't catch the beating a manual box does. About all the P/S Boxes do is eat their seals & "O" Rings and make a mess on garage floors, driveways, or lawns. . . . Having said that running a P/S system dry could injure the box I suppose, now that I consider it.

FBp

 

You're talking power steering gears there right?

Where does the "Ford integral steering gear" fit into that picture? :)

One of the best modifications I ever did to my pickup was fix that junky Ford Integral Steering gear! I got it line-bored and brass bearings shoved in to replace the wornout cast iron beraing surfaces.

Since everything else was nice and tight the steering wheel play went from 2+1/2" to about 1/4" with that one modification. And yep that 2+1/2" play was with a fresh rebulit steering gear because "their fix" ain't one. :)

When did the "Ford Integral" gear get introduced?

Alvin in AZ (75 F150 PS 360 T18)

 

Yes.

We are talking about Power Steeing Systems since it's what he asked about. What I was clarifying is, unless somebody "Retro Fitted" a Bendix system in his 1971 F-250 he has a Saginaw style, Part Time, P/S Box & Slipper type, P/S Pump.

Integral Power Steering, so called because it replaces the "Old Dealer Add On" power assisted system, with a slave cylinder, external control valve & all those hoses et al hanging under steering linkage, plus the full time High PSI Output pump, got introduced in 1965 when the Twin I beams were introduced which did away with a Drag Link & Tie Rod linkage in favor of the center link style steering linkage.

FoMoCo 1st used Bendix Systems which were a nuisance, handled terribly at Highway speeds or under hard braking, and were troublesome for customers Dealers and service technicians alike. By 1968 Dearborn had begun installing the superior saginaw style P/S in the light & medium duty F-Series and it was a vast improvement all the way around.
It does require, however, shorter steering Column since the integral Saginaw style P/S box is about +2" taller when installed. The Manual steering gearbox remains shorter thus the Manual Columns were longer.

It's my contention that Manual Steering wears out steering gear boxes faster than the improved Saginaw style P/S does.

FBp

 

Ok I got off my lazy butt and read my service manual in places that isn't directly about my clunker ('75 F150 4x2). :) I wasn't aware of the Saginam power steering gear was used in light trucks until now.

Looking at the exploded veiw of it and it's needle bearings... it looks like one long-living sucker alright. :)

So what do you think of Ford's version tho?
Ford's "integral power steering gear"?

That's what I got two of (an extra) and they both were loose as a goose even after being "rebuilt" because the "rebulid" don't! ;)

Why doesn't my pickup have the Saginaw in it? :/

What years etc are those two available in etc?

Will it fit or is the column the wrong length to go from Ford to Saginaw?

Good steering is very important to me, at this point my pickup steers and handles better than it ever did and I bought it new.

Alvin in AZ

 

I replaced mine yesterday on my 71 F100... Wow what a difference!

 

On the Saginaw steering box the manual states 2 to 7 INCH/LBS (not ft/lbs) of tq in the off center position, you add to this off center tq 11 to 12 INCH/LBS tq with 14 INCH/LBS MAXIMUM at the on center position.
These specs thru a 65 to 72 Chilton's repair manual, all photos and specs state Ford Motor Co.

For the Thompson pump they spec 15 INCH/LBS maximum for turning the pump after rebuild, if not reposition the internal housing to align and retorque.

The Bendix is a PITA for leaks and design that stupid LandRover uses in their vehicles, yes I had to reseal my Discovery.
On the Ford truck Bendix it's a simple easy box to rebuild, Saginaw is easy also just the ***** you have to watch out for. Old bendix on shelf best place for it since installing a Saginaw.

On manual boxes I went over 900K miles, trick is to replace seals and not let it run dry then readjustments once every 150K miles, if run dry readjustments every 50K or less until worn out.
The Thompson pump is also easy to rebuild, hard part is pulley removall, purchased one for rebuilds vs reman crap from the parts house.

A old oil soaked rag joint will also act like a loose steering box you can't adjust out. I have found the Ford (dealer item) joint is far superior that the cheapo parts store item, yes costs more but do you want to replace it again soon?
Done ranting.