I might be wrong, but it seems to me that my F250 has about 3/4 to 1 inch play in the steering wheel. I have had the front end checked and the drag link changed, but still seems to be that play. I'm wondering if it could be the steering box. Other than this it's an awesome truck. Beefed up rear springs and air bags. The boat and camper don't tell the 7.3 anything. Just trying to keep it on the road seems to be a little tougher than necessary. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

How many miles? Mine has 168k and I am think my box is bad. You can turn the steering shaft back and forth quite a bit under the hood before it stops.

 

My F250 has 79,000Approx) miles on it. With the wheels off the ground it has none to very little play. When I get the weight of the truck on the wheels the steering wheel turns quite a bit before it stops.

 

Saw a truck the other day with this issue... Turned out the pitman arm was loose on the box. Easy fix just can't belive how loose it had gotten. Little heat and a big wrench sucked it right back up onto the box..

 

From the factory, there have been Superduty's with loose steering boxes.

The adjustment on the box might tighten it up some. Be careful, you can lock up the box if you tighten it up too much.

 

Wow. that's an odd one.

 

I'll check this out. Thanks

 

When I first bought my Truck (used) it had 40,000 miles. The dealer at that time "tightened up the box a little". Would the box have a tendency to loosen again and/or is this a common periodic adjustment? Thanks

 

The box does wear over time - especially if you do a lot of stop-and-go and turning.

How many miles do you have now?

The problem with adjusting it too much as it wears is, most of the wear is at the center of the steering box movement. When you tighten it up to stop wandering, when you do have to turn the wheel to the end, it will bind up at the ends. Which is bad.

 

Also check the steering box is not wiggling against the frame where it is attached, this is another rare place for play to develop. You can check by parking, asking someone to crank the wheel back and forth while you are parked and watch the box and pitman for play.

 

I have 85,320 miles on the truck (thought it was less). I do a lot of turning (backing up the boat, loading and unloading camper, etc.). Slide in Camber weighs 2100lb. Tow the boat and haul camper at the same time occasionally. Really noticed the wandering today while hauling boat. (new tires yesterday). Wandering was there before the new tires. Check the steering box for tightness on the frame. Looks OK. Pitman arm looks OK Also.

 

Sounds like the early signs of "death wobble". My truck had similar symptoms but was corrected with a new steering dampener.

 

Good point.

To the original poster, does this wandering become a problem when you are going over bumpy roads, railroad tracks, etc? And the rest of the time, it's not "all that bad" ???

 

Worth Checking out. The Wandering is really consistant. Bumps or uneven surfaces don't seem to change the status. The only time I notice is when making small corrections (usually to stay in lane). I can turn the wheel approx 1" and the truck does not respond untill I get passed that 1" point and start feeling resistance. Then the truck will respond and when I have corrected, then back the other way it's the same. No response until the resistance is felt.

 

Same with mine. Anyone know what a new Ford box costs?