Steering play from box not coupler

[btoscano]

Hey all,



I removed the steering shaft today. Rotating the coupler end and the rag joint end of the shaft against each other maybe gives 1/16-1/8" of play? Is that enough to cause all the vagueness in the steering wheel? If I turn the input shaft of the steering box, the output shaft starts to move, but maybe the ratio is not correct? I don't have much experience with domestic steering parts can ya'll help me out? I asked my neighbor who is a mechanic and he said the box had the play, not the coupler and he looked at both parts.



Thanks,

 

[Rebel Ram]

I just got done fixing my new to me 93's loose steering. The flex joint was wasted and I scored heavy @ PnP this weekend. Got a steering shaft off of a 90 ram Charger with a Flaming River U-Joint much like the Borgensen. But also found play in the steering box. This is easy to adjust.

On the top of the steering box you will find an Allen screw with a Jamb nut on it. Loosen the jamb nut while holding the Allen head screw. Now tighten the Allen while holding the jamb nut. Tighten the Allen screw until you feel it "Set". Then back off 1/4 turn. Now retighten the Jamb nut while holding the set screw.

 

[btoscano]

I'm concerned that the box is going to leak since I beat out the set pin.



I think I will just replace it.



PSC seems to be the place to get boxes these days, which model? They have one with a 20:1 ratio for Cummins '93-02! What happened between '92 and '93 that they have a cutoff?



http://www.pscmotorsports.com/index.php?cPath=98_99



Thanks,

 

[dpuckett]

PSC has boxes for our first Gens- I had one in my 91. I liked it, and it wasnt much more to get it rebuilt than to buy a parts store reman that wears out in 2 years. Careful on the adjustments- too much will do more harm than leaving it alone. I dont think you can cause any leaks by removing the coupler.



Daniel

 

[btoscano]

I wanted a second opinion so I removed the box and took the parts up to my other mechanic buddy. He said the play is in the coupler, the box appears fine. He said the drag link appeared to have a small amount of play as well.



So now I'm concerned about spending $300 on the box when I probably just change the input shaft seal and would probably be better to replace the drag link.



If I did buy the PSC box, I noticed they have a new "Cummins diesel" model with a 20:1 ratio instead of the standard 13-16:1.



I also read about crossover steering and realized that our 4WD trucks don't have it. I am wondering if anyone off-roads these enough to have invested in a conversion such as is available for the K5 Blazers?