Steering Box Recommendations

[hotram9203]

Read my signature for truck info, but it's 2012 CC Laramie, in need of a new steering box. I just installed new bilstein shocks to find this out. Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

 

[hotram9203]

Read my signature for truck info, but it's 2012 CC Laramie, in need of a new steering box. I just installed new bilstein shocks to find this out. Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

MOD please delete the other post, as I doubled up by accident, thanks

 

[hotram9203]

Just an update, I put a Red-Head Steering Gears steering box on the truck with a BD Steering brace and a Carli track bar and I cannot believe how much better this truck drives. I'M BLOWN AWAY. It never drove this good. Money well spent.

 

[brillmtb1]

I think my steering box is bad. Question. If i move the steering wheel back and forth a little and the pitman arm doesn’t move right away is that a good way to see if the box is wearing out

 

[petersonj]

It depends. The steering wheel must be in the straight ahead position to achieve minimum clearance in the gears in the steering box.

Also, is the engine running or not running? If the engine is not running, some of the steering energy will go to actuating the valve spool in the steering gearbox. If the engine is running, the valve spool is responsive and pitman arm movement should happen right away.

- John

 

[brillmtb1]

Thanks John. Having issues with the dealer. I can have wife move wheel back and forth with engine on and feel clunks holing on to the drag link and other bars little to nothing. It seems that would be unusual and eliminates things like ball joints I also have the other bars replaced by newer oem and thuren. I forget the names of the other bars. Lastly the steering intermediate bar is new. But i get back to really feeling it in the drag link and when i drive threw the steering wheel

 

[brillmtb1]

Do i need to use the dealer with my maxi care warranty that might get to a solution faster

 

[NIsaacs]

Just an update, I put a Red-Head Steering Gears steering box on the truck with a BD Steering brace and a Carli track bar and I cannot believe how much better this truck drives. I'M BLOWN AWAY. It never drove this good. Money well spent.

Was it new or recon? 4 bolt or 6 bolt?

 

[hotram9203]

It was a new one and a 4 bolt version, very satisfied with the results.

 

[jkern]

Hope your Red Head holds up! I bought one years ago and put on my truck, was convinced that it would fix my problems and I would never have to worry about a steering box again...a few years and only 20 or 30k miles later, the output shaft seal rupture (and something else internal i think) and blew all the fluid on the ground at a KFC drive-thru. Needless to say, but i had no power steering or brakes and had to have it hauled home. Called Red Head, they had never heard of such a thing happening, didn't want to look at it or anything....basically said sorry, buy another one. i bought an OEM one and all has been fine since.

 

[Ozymandias]

I've nothing but good to say about my 6-bolt MOPAR box. It serves me perfectly well for the last 100k.
It is still tight like on the first day I put it on and I used it on thousands of miles of gravel and potholes road at high speed. If that thing ever fails I'll put exactly the same back on.