2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission intermediate steering shaft

[shendren]

i now have 122k mi on my truck. when it had 60k mi on it i had the intermediate steering shaft replaced to the tune of $450 by the dealer. they had to re-route brake lines.



now at 122k mi. i am having the same symptoms. do you guys think i can put on say, a heavier shaft or better non-oem part. i have just installed the dss and it did seem to tighten things up but i still feel the bumps and clanks in the wheel/shaft. also, how do you tell if the current shaft is bad?



thanks. scott.

 

[Diesel Nut]

I just had mine replaced by the dealer at 25K miles, and you should be able to reach down and grab the shaft and try and move it around. You'll know if it's bad. Try this link for a much better unit. I've heard alot of good things about these shafts.



www.borgeson.com/TruckProductDodge.htm

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by Diesel Nut





I just had mine replaced by the dealer at 25K miles,

Hey Diesel Nut, you got some real bad roads or what???

 

[JPLB22]

Diesel Nut...



I too have an '02. I am feeling a clunk in the steering wheel when turing and going over moderate bumps. I don't feel the clunk when the steering wheel is moving, only when held in a turn position while truck is moving.



Is this something similar to what you felt??



Also, I went to the Borgeson site, and their product sounds really good. But the latest they list dates for the shaft assembly is 1995-98. Did you have OEM installed or did you have dealer install Borgeson?

 

[shendren]

thanks for the comments. my shaft has a slight movement. my symptoms were/are the same as described above. thanks. scott.

 

[shendren]

$255 for the borgeson shaft. can it be done by a novice?

 

[Diesel Nut]

JPLB22 - I had the dealer install an updated steering shaft that supposedly won't wear out like that again. (yeah, right!) Yes, your symtoms are exactly what I was feeling. I had been doing that for a while before I had time to take it in. Dealers just don't realize we buy our trucks to use, not leave in the shop!



Shendren - From what I can see from looking under the hood and the fact it took the dealer about an hour to do it, I'd say a novice should be capable. Go for it and post any problems/solutions or otherwise comments, I'm sure there are plenty of us running around with messed up steering who would love to know how easy or hard the install is.

 

[Dane]

can it be done by a novice?

Yup, really easy imo. My stock shaft had play in it at 25K miles.

 

[shendren]

i can feel the clanking in mine without turning the steering wheel. i can feel it best at low speeds. looks like i'll get the borgeson.

 

[RJ2]

Dealer replaced a shaft 20K ago on my 97 did not charge

for it . It is bad again. Will put my Borg on when I get time.

 

[CumminsPower98]

What's the deal with shafts on the newer trucks? My '98 has about 101k on it and the shaft is as tight as new. I took it apart and regreased it a while back too.

 

[RJ2]

I shoot grease from a needle tip into the shaft and it keeps it a little tighter. But you can still grab those shafts and get a

bunch of side play. I have had the borg on a shelf for 6 months.

Have not had the time to install it. They did the shaft for free

but my truck always runs different when I take it to dodge. I had to take back Snap On screw drivers ( no straight blades)left in the engine compartment, always wondered why the need for the screwdrivers on a shaft replacement.

 

[Heavy Metal]

The Borgeson improved my steering tremendously but did not get rid of the clunk until I shot some grease into the slip joint. I slid a siringe designed for injectable marinades under the boot to get the grease in.

 

[shendren]

after replacing mine with a borgeson, it feels like is has more slop in the wheel and like it turns easier?



what could this be?



i slid the shaft on as far as it would go. the set screw went into the groove on the box shaft. i didn't cut off the box shaft any. the end of the box shaft goes all of the way up to the u joint. is that a problem?



thanks. scott.

 

[Heavy Metal]

Looking at your sig. , yours is a 96 and I'm not sure if it's like mine or not, but I slid mine down just until the set screw was just past the splined portion. There was still plenty of clearance between the u-joint and the output shaft of the box-it could go down further, but if too close the output shaft and u-joint can bang against each other. You should move it out. PM me if you still have questions. As far as the slop goes, it's hard to say exactly what it could be. I know that the Borgeson shaft made a noticable improvement in my truck, but did not fix all of its problems. I may offend some Mopar people here, but I feel that Chrysler builds junk. The Cummins engine is the reason I bought my truck (I have worked in the equipment and trucking business all my adult life and as far as I am concerned, there are only two diesel engines and Izuzu or Trashnational ain't either one of 'em). I have had my truck for 2 years and was at my wit's end over steering problems a couple of month's ago and was almost to the point of getting rid of the truck. Then, pretty much by accident, I found TDR and a thread called "loose steering box fix". I immediatly ordered one of these devices as well as joined the club. While I was waiting on it, I ordered, recieved, and installed the Borgeson steering shaft (thanks again TDR). Last night, I installed Luke's Link and trackbar bushing (again the nod goes to TDR). Each on of these items made a noticeable difference individually, but together (along with Blistien shocks) have solved all of my problems. I am not saying that these will solve yours or anybody else's, but my truck now has 105k and for once, I actually look forward to and enjoy driving it. Now, on to the engine compartment... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... . Oo.

 

[Tomscreek]

Heavy Metal,

I totally agree with you about the Cummins and the Chrysler "junk". I have an 01 and I baby this thing and maintain it to a fault and to have certain parts be worn out, or inadequate is just BS. Mine has never steered good and with almost 50,000 miles I'm pretty convinced that it's also caused by several things in combination. I plan to get a DT Trackbar, steering shaft, steering stabilizer support, and Bilstein shocks too. It just pisses me that I have to buy these parts to make it work like it should have. But like you say what else do you do, buy a Ford or Chev. ? Trade for a new 03 Cummins? I'm not convinced that the 03's fixed the front end problems and I'm just not comfortable with the Chev. and Ford diesels.