Archived Steering box problem...

[snowracer69]

If you all remember about 4 months ago I did something to my steering in my '01. Everybody seemed to think it was in my steering box... probably having twisted or broke my sector/output shaft. Well, I finally got around to yanking out the old box today, after I got my new one from Enterprise. Once out, I took the old one apart, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it from what I can see. The sector/output shaft is perfect. All the bearings on the box are fine. The gears are all good... none are worn or bent, or twisted. All the splines on both shafts are in perfect shape. So, now the dilema...



What do I do? Put the old one back together (seals are all good still) and just re-align my steering wheel via-the track bar? If you remember, my steering wheel is off 90* to the right. When I took the old box apart, everything looked the exact same as the new one... everything lined up perfectly. Put the new one on, and throw away $300 of BOMBing money? I do have some play in the output shaft, just like everyone else, and my "Darin's Bracket" that should be on the way ought to fix that.



Is there any possible way that I twisted the steering shaft that goes from the steering wheel to the box? That's about the only other thing I can think of. I've had the alignment checked by two different places, and both said it was fine (Dodge did it, charged me in full, and never put a wrench on it! Another place did it and told me it was fine... everything was right on, and nothing was broken.



What do I do?



Sorry for being so long winded... Josh

 

[Joe Mc]

Snow,



Any alignment shop worth 1/2 a _rap centers the wheel prior to completing and turning over to the customer. If you paid the dealership to "check" the alignment and they turned the truck back over to you with the wheel not centered they clearly ripped you off! Although the truck may track true and the alignment might be "in specifications" if the steering wheel is not centered the job was not completed properly. Take it back and insist the wheel be centered.



Sounds like the old box is OK, from your description, I'd return it if you can. If not, throw it up on the classified ads.



MHO + $. 02



Joe Mc

 

[snowracer69]

Joe,



Thanks alot for the reply. I spent a long day under the Dodge today and finally put the old box back in and got it to work (after spraying PS fluid all over my engine compartment). Once it was all hooked up, once again the wheel is still off 90*, so I straightened it myself when I got done.



I was pretty much running away from the stealer here after they told me that my steering box had "jumped a gear inside the box. " Little did I know that that is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE. If you've ever tore apart a steering box, you'd see how hard it would be to do that (which I now know). Luckily, at the same time they screwed me for the alignment, they put in a new lift-pump, no questions asked... so, they're sorta 50/50 to me right now.



I will have the alignment re-done once I get home in April and I have my summer tires back on.



Thanks again for the help. Pray that something doesn't suddenly break and I go carening off the road w/o steering.



Later, Josh

 

[Bill Lins]

Originally posted by snowracer69

Pray that something doesn't suddenly break and I go carening off the road w/o steering.

If you seriously believe that this is a possibility, GET THAT THING OFF OF THE ROAD & TO A COMPETENT SHOP! Not just for your sake, but for the sake of the INNOCENT people who share the road with you.

 

[snowracer69]

whoa whoa whoa... ... ... ... ... ...



That was just a minor joke. I didn't mean that in any serious way. My pickup has had 8000 miles put on it before I even decided to try and fix my 90* turn in the steering wheel. I do not, in any way, believe that my steering will fail.



Sorry for putting it that way and making you feel uncomfortable.



Josh

 

[wcjp]

Have you tried calling these guys?



http://www.martelbros.com/cgi-bin/store/ws400CS.cgi?store=FLA&cart_id=&category=flaming/home.htm

 

[rkressg]

Originally posted by Joe Mc

Snow,



Any alignment shop worth 1/2 a _rap centers the wheel prior to completing and turning over to the customer. If you paid the dealership to "check" the alignment and they turned the truck back over to you with the wheel not centered they clearly ripped you off! Although the truck may track true and the alignment might be "in specifications" if the steering wheel is not centered the job was not completed properly. Take it back and insist the wheel be centered.



Sounds like the old box is OK, from your description, I'd return it if you can. If not, throw it up on the classified ads.



MHO + $. 02



Joe Mc

Any decent allignment shop would be able to straighten your wheels, probably for less than $50. If my dealer would have done that to me (They knew better) I would have eaten the service manager for lunch (anybody who knows me will vouge for that ). I am just polite, yet persistant when it comes to my satisfaction.

O'yea, I forgot to mention, my Sealer can no longer be called a Stealer. Why you ask?

I guess you can only rip off so many customers and be only so crooked then you go out of bussiness. I guess that makes them a Stoler, good ridence to them

You can tell that I loved them.

-Rich