2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission PSC Steering Box Install Problem

[Dave M]

Well I got my 3 turn PSC box, DSS, Solid Steel (SS) 3rd gen TB bracket and adjustable SS 3rd gen TB a few days ago (all from PSC). Was removing the old steering box and noticed the pitman arm nut on the steering box turned with my wrench very easily..... Geez. This steering is driving me nuts.





A close look at the threads on the old box and threads on the pitman show wavy thread and wear. I been chasing this death wobble again and it may be possible the loose pitman nut/shaft on the steering box could be causing some of my problems.



I put the old box back in till I get a new pitman arm. Don't look like any of my goodies will be installed for another week... . and now I need a good source for the pitman arm.



Any ideas? Thanks,



Edit (3/1/07): I just found out the steering stabilizer I got from PSC was not made by Solid Steel Ind. but was made by PSC... UGH! I thought/assumed they were all SS products. The description on the PSC site did not state anything was a Solid Steel product but a call to them confirmed the 2003 TB bracket and 2003 adj TB were Solid Steel but the stabilizer was not. Be careful what you are getting.



Dave

 

[Jeff Knight]

Maybe try PSC or some of the suspension companies.

 

[Dave M]

Is this the right PN for my 97 3500 4WD?

Maybe try PSC or some of the suspension companies.

PSC does not have it. www.rockauto.com has it but is this for my truck?



Steering : Pitman Arm

ACDELCO Part # 45C0060 {#88911245}

ARM,PIT -; EXC 138. 7" AND 162. 7" WB; 4 WHEEL DRIVE; w/2WD; 5 HOLE CTR LINK

ARM,PIT -; EXC 138. 7" AND 162. 7" WB; 2 WHEEL DRIVE; w/2WD; 5 HOLE CTR LINK



I think, since mine is 4WD I have a drag link instead of a center link which is 2WD. I want to order this part now so I can get this thing back together soon.



Anyone help me on this? Thanks,



Dave

 

[HEMI®Dart]

Dave,



I searched for 30 mins trying to find a pitman arm for your truck. I came up empty except for rock auto. If there ia a NAPA near you, I think that would bve the way to go. They can get it in a day.

 

[Dave M]

Dave,



I searched for 30 mins trying to find a pitman arm for your truck. I came up empty except for rock auto. If there ia a NAPA near you, I think that would bve the way to go. They can get it in a day.

Thanks for trying. I already came up empty at my NAPA. They did not list it at all in there books. Genos Garage and Piers Diesel also Nada! :{ If rockauto answers their phone tomorrow (Presidents Day) I'll call them. Pitman arms for this truck is like finding hens teeth. I'll try the Dodge dealer in Fresno tomorrow but I expect it to be too pricey. $80 from rockauto.



Thanks,

Dave

 

[TSBrown]

had the same thing happen to me when i went to install my box (nut seemed like it was loose). I put the psc box in that i had ordered next day air and a week later when the dss came in i went to take the nut off the pitman arm it wasnt that hard to get off again. and i know when i put it on before the dss install i tightened it till i nearly popped a blood vessel.

 

[Dave M]

had the same thing happen to me when i went to install my box (nut seemed like it was loose). I put the psc box in that i had ordered next day air and a week later when the dss came in i went to take the nut off the pitman arm it wasnt that hard to get off again. and i know when i put it on before the dss install i tightened it till i nearly popped a blood vessel.

Weird. You might look at the splined thread to see if its damaged like mine appears to be. You would think 185 ft-lbs would hold for awhile.



Dave

 

[Nate]

Mine is getting really loose after about a year... . 15,000 miles of use.

 

[Jeff Knight]

Dave, Try allchryslerparts.com They have it listed for $48. 88 Hope this helps. Jeff

 

[TSBrown]

Weird. You might look at the splined thread to see if its damaged like mine appears to be. You would think 185 ft-lbs would hold for awhile. I'll see if the new pitman arm holds it's torque. How do you like your PSC box? I read on here of some who had PSC boxes that failed or leaked.



Dave

box has only been on for about a month dss for about a week and a half. Is it fixed no is it better yes. I've spent over $3000 in the last month trying to get it to go straight dss,psc,thuren steering arms,bilstiens all the way around and new 35's on 20 inch rims. with all that you think it would be perfect. :{ If any one can think of anything ive missed let me know

 

[Dave M]

Dave, Try allchryslerparts.com They have it listed for $48. 88 Hope this helps. Jeff

Thats a good price and after studying their illustration of the steering parts its looks like the correct part. Here is the PN's with mine highlighted:



Description Year MSRP Price Core Price Your Price

pitman arm, All Models - POWER - CONVENTIONAL, 2WD INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION - POWER - CONVENTIONAL, 2WD INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION 96-99 $87. 60 $0. 00 $60. 43

Steering - Steering gear & linkage - pitman arm





pitman arm, All Models - POWER - CONVENTIONAL, 4WD - POWER - CONVENTIONAL, 4WD 94-99 $70. 85 $0. 00 $48. 88

Steering - Steering gear & linkage - pitman arm



pitman arm, Ram 3500 - POWER, 2WD SOLID FRONT AXLE - POWER, 2WD SOLID FRONT AXLE 94-99 $70. 85 $0. 00 $48. 88

Steering - Steering gear & linkage - pitman arm



Thanks for the link Jeff. That will save me money. If the dealer is open tomorrow I may get it just to have it for next weekend. Depends on the price.



Thanks,

Dave

 

[Dave M]

For those interested, here is the illustration of the steering parts for the pitman arm at www.allchryslerparts.com. It looks like my front end after looking under the truck tonight.



PITMAN ARM, All Models - POWER - CONVENTIONAL, 4WD - POWER - CONVENTIONAL, 4WD 94-99 MSRP Price: $70. 85 Your Price: $48. 88



1) CENTER LINK 2) TIE ROD 3) ADJUST TUBE

4) STEERING DAMPER 5) PITMAN ARM 6) STEERING GEAR



Dave

 

[Dave M]

Pitman Arm Ordered

I ordered the pitman arm from www.allchryslerparts.com for $48. 88 + shipping. Thanks "Jeff Knight" for the web site. It saved me some bucks.



I checked the dealer price and it was $99. Dealer said their cost was about $48. Be nice if it arrives end of this week but with ground shipping it will probably be next week.



Thanks,



Dave

 

[Jeff Knight]

Dave, Glad I could help. Jeff

 

[Alphacowboy]

Damn it, I wish i would have seen this thread earlier... I have one sitting in my garage... .

 

[JPittinger]

box has only been on for about a month dss for about a week and a half. Is it fixed no is it better yes. I've spent over $3000 in the last month trying to get it to go straight dss,psc,thuren steering arms,bilstiens all the way around and new 35's on 20 inch rims. with all that you think it would be perfect. :{ If any one can think of anything ive missed let me know

Worn out lower control arm bushings will make it swim down the highway. I changed both sides out this weekend in under an hour and it makes a significant difference. Stock rubber replacements from RockAuto are $15/pair.

 

[Dave M]

Worn out lower control arm bushings will make it swim down the highway. I changed both sides out this weekend in under an hour and it makes a significant difference. Stock rubber replacements from RockAuto are $15/pair.

Thanks for the advice but... . been there... done that. I replaced all the control arm bushings with poly bushings from Energy Suspension. I wanted to eliminate them as a source of trouble last year.



Thanks,

Dave



Edit: OOPs! Thought this comment was for me but I see now its for 'JPittinger'. As someone once said "Of all the things I lost as I am getting older what I miss the most is my mind".



Edit of Edit: The quote about losing my mind was from 'Gary -K7GLD'. Geez... I think this counts as a senior moment within a senior moment. What was it I was saying?... ... geeez.



Dave

 

[Dave M]

PSC box installed today....WOW!

The new pitman arm fit fine. In fact, both the old and new pitman arm were marked with a TRW number (TRW 246) so I know they are identical parts. It cost a little over half what dealer charged ($48 +$12 shipping=$60 verses $99). The new pitman arm was much tighter on the box splines than the old one.



My old box had some play in the input shaft because I could turn it some to align the flat on the box input shaft with the flat on the steering box shaft. The new PSC box was too tight to turn so I had to turn the steering wheel 1/4 turn to get the steering shaft lined up with the new PSC box. I took it for a drive and WOW :-laf what a difference. There is very little resistance felt in the steering wheel when turnig it whether stopped or moving. It's like driving a sports car with one finger. It feels the same as when I had the front tires jacked up off the ground and was turning the steering wheel to get air out of the steering fluid. Absolutely no resistance to the road was felt. Kinda like turning on ice.



This new PSC 3 1/4 turn box is amazing. I love driving the truck now.



Now I'm getting ready to install the DSS 2003 track bar bracket, DSS adjustable track bar and DSS steering stabilizer.



WoW... WEEEEEE. I can't wait to see how this works for the death wobble.



Edit: I had no trouble getting the air out of the system like others have had. I think it's because I followed the truck manual procedure. Specifically that if you see any foaming or bubbles at all looking thru the steering resovoir then walk away for 5-10 minutes and don't turn on the engine till the air is gone. It took me an hour or more but I had no problems with air in the lines.

The manual says if you let the foaming fluid (air) into the pump it could damage it.



As far as slop in my steering I believe I had too much play in the input shaft which may have contributed to my death wobble. I never checked the box input shaft for play when checking the front end componets. Something to think about for those (like me) chasing this death wobble. For me its been a combination of bad track bar, outer tire rod, add more camber (change offset cylinder on right steering knuckle) to right tire to correct right outer tire wear and now possibly input box play. Also my lukes link fix on the track bar become loose again for the 3rd time.



End edit:



Dave

 

[Jeff Knight]

Hey Dave,



Glad to hear the pitman arm worked. I have the 03 non adjustible track bar and DSS stabilizer on my truck. You won't be disappointed. Jeff

 

[Dave M]

Hey Dave,



Glad to hear the pitman arm worked. I have the 03 non adjustible track bar and DSS stabilizer on my truck. You won't be disappointed. Jeff

I'm doing the DSS 2003 track bar and bracket now. A question..... what is meant by "Centering the front axle"? center in reference to what... and how is this done? I won't get this aligned till end of next week so I want to at least get close.



Any help is apreciated. I'm working on this thing tonight and how to have it done in an hour or two. I have the old TB out now and am cleaning up the grease and crap off everything. I expect I'll need to do some grinding on the frame for the bracket.



Thanks,

Dave