Good find! I've questioned mine a few times. I'll take Countryboy logic anytime, heck, I even give it from time to time!

 

I just want to clerify. Are you saying you did install a new intermediate shaft in the steeting Column? And did it take care of the wandering problem? I ask because this might be something I might look into as well. Thanks in advance.

 

Which one did you get http://www.powerstrokeshop.com/partl...layCatalogid=0

Chart only shows upper and lower.

 

BTW the lower steering shaft can be a source of problems as well. It's has bacially a rubber spring in it that can rip.

 

According to the link I provided above, there is only a lower and upper. No intermediate. Are you calling the lower the TWO (2) lower parts?

 

looks like #13 and #3. Was a single unit pull. Its the shaft that connects the steering gear to just inside the firewall above the pedals. It is a 2 piece shaft that collapses, complete with the rag joint (rubber bushing). Was all of 5 minutes to change and worth every second of it. I will say it made a 90% improvement in steering wander. The 270,000 mile steering box will still need to be replaced, but I was able to reduce steering wheel dead travel from over 2 inches to under 1 inch.

Now onto the brake bias issue.....

 

Excellent jeffdoer, thankyou for clerifying. I might have to go ahead and do the shaft replacement on my truck soon.

 

Where you located. Are you working out of a shop now?

 

Good find. I'm a Heavy Duty Equipment Specialist for Hunter Engineering. I have been fighting wander on mine. I put in a reman steering box which helped a bunch. Replaced the tie rod ends from pitman arm to RH side. A little bit of change for the better. I put mine on my alignment machine. It was toed in a bunch. Still in spec, but barely. I toed it out to right on spec which was .03deg or so. Calmed it way down. I can let go of the steering wheel without fear of crashing and dying in a fire. It was BAD before. I pull a trailer a bunch, so I want it as good as I can get. I'll try a shaft and next is going to be track bar bushings.

 

Can you give us some basics for removal/reinstall (with pics if possible) of the steering column, steps and what needs removing and how to go about this.

 

Awesome!!! As someone said do you have a writeup or possibly what parts would be needed to be bought from ed? I definitely want to do this to try to get mine as tight as possible. It won't hurt thats for sure. Red Head STeering box and this might just be the ticket to make it as perfect as it can get.

 

I am having problems too, my dad drove my truck this last week and said he is not going to drive it again till I get it fixed. I kind of forget how bad it is sometimes.

 

I see Borgenson has intermediate shafts for our trucks now. they make some awesome stuff. I've used them for stock car steering and installed their intermediate shafts on several Dodges with spectactular results. this may be another weapon in the fight against wander.

https://www.borgeson.com/xcart/home.php?cat=46


Barney

 

2000 4x2 7.3 here with 173K on the clock. Total wandering issues - about five inches of travel on the steering wheel til a reaction was felt. This thing was a total handful on the freeway, let alone driving thru the hills up here. My shocks are shot too, but I thought I'd start with the steering.

Tightened the steering box nut...wandering issues gone! After a short test drive, I settled on about 3/4 turn out from fully tight on the adjustment screw, then locked it down.

After that, I decided to adjust air pressure. I'm running new BFGs 265/75r16 range E (stock size/spec) at 75 psi all around. Dropped the fronts to 50 (the sticker actually calls for 45, but I was too chicken) and drove it ten miles down the highway. Ten times better....it rides like a car again. No bump steer.

My truck still pulls (has ever since it got hit about 8 years ago) and no amount of alignment jobs have ever cured this. I'm going to try to set the toe as according to above posts and see what happens.

 

my final repairs and the truck drives as new. I replaced the front spring hanger bushings, they go through the frame and have the brackets that hold the rear part of the front springs in place. Mine were just plain worn out. Kept giving that loose rattle, bad shock feeling in the truck. After that, I changed my track bar bushings and finally installed a new RedHead Steering gear. All I can say is WOW. my 300,000 mile truck drives like a new one. The steering is tight and responsive.

The spring hanger bushings were about $40 each and took all of 20 minutes to change with ordinary hand tools. These are much easier to change that what they appear. Just jack up on the frame right behind the hanger, remove the hanger bolts and then just remove the bushing bolts and reverse the install. Its really that easy.

The track bar bushings were a bit more involving. Removing the track bar is done best with no jack, just remove the the bolts and pull it off. there is no tension on the bar when the truck is setting level. I pressed the old bushings out and installed new Energy Suspension bushings. This was about a 2 person job, as the new bushings were kinda a pain to press in.

So here ends the saga. The sloppy worn out steering was caused by many worn parts, and changing each one reduced the slop by a bit, starting with the intermediate shaft, ending with a new gear box. Slowly transforming a truck from a white knuckle adventure to a pleasure to drive.