So,,,,, here is my story for today. I'm letting my truck warm up before leaving for work as it is a blistering 17 degrees here. After a 10 minute warm up, I start to back out of my driveway and I hear a "POP" noise from under the truck. It sounded similar to when drum brake shoe freeze to the drum and "pop" loose when the vehicle is moved. Needless to say, I put the truck in 1st gear and started back for the driveway.... To my surprise, the trucks steering was unresponsive, not working, steering wheels turns but not the truck!!!
I pull the truck up on my frozen lawn, (because it has turned enough to miss the driveway), and start to inspect underneath the beast..... Here is what I found !!!! I have never seen this shaft break on any vehicle, much less something like my PSD.....

 

This is not the first time I've heard of that shaft breaking on one of these trucks. Lucky for you it happened in the driveway and not going down the road!

 

Does Ford have an issue with this steering box/shaft? Or is it pretty much an isolated problem? I'm thanking whoever was watching over me today!! I drive 20 miles of open highway to work, it would have been a hell of a crash!!!!!

 

Take a peek at the break while it's still fresh and see if there are any signs of rust around the edges where it may have been cracked. Looks like a clean, fresh break from the photo.

The I'm outta control under your supporter badge does seem fitting though.

 

The "I'm outta control" moniker was assigned to me when I went through EVOC during my academy days prior to them trusting me with a real patrol car!!!

Here is a pic of the piece of the shaft that was still in the pitman arm,, rusted in different stages!!!!

 

Same piece different angle.......

 

I don't know if Ford recognizes it as a problem, but I have heard quite a bit about this shaft breaking as I said earlier. The early bird has a different gearbox than the later trucks w/a smaller shaft IIRC, seeing you have an early bird it makes me think that the big tires took their toll on the "weaker" early bird part.
Makes me want to go check mine out before I drive home!

 

Makes me wonder about the whole truck... I called Napa, $185 with a $185 core charge!!! I wonder if I can upgrade to the later, bigger box? This one has a 32 spline shaft.......

 

If you want to upgrade to the later box, you'll need the pitman arm too.

 

I recollect a rash of these perhaps last year, but only on 4X4. never heard of it on 2wd. seems to be related to lift applied, some sort of stretching on the pittman arm. Can't recall if they were all lifted only or stock. The fix was a new Drop pittman arm even if only lifted 2 inches.

 

but those brakes are mre prone on lifted trucks, so makes me wonder on the work thats done when installing the lift. the pitman arm adapter or when old one was removed might have caused initial crack, than down the hill from there...
all guys with the lifts should inspect them every oil change id say...

 

This is the one reason that I will never lift any trucks that I own.
Nor will I ever buy one that has been lifted.

 

I'm giving this thread a bump because I think it needs to be seen a little more.

 

I must say that my truck is lifted and this has happened twice. Needless to say it wasn't cheap to fix either time.

 

I have to agree on this,stock height for me too.