2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission steering play in the box

[mjoppie]

ok i finally found out where my steering wander is coming from. the steering shaft going into the box turns quite a bit and there is no movement in the pitman arm, so its losing sompthing in the box, i thightened the nut on the top of the box a while back but didnt help much, is there any other adjustments on it, would the preload help? or do i have to just bite the bullet and buy a new box? i would like to have a good driving truck this year so i need to fix the steering.





thanks guys

 

[Cummins Thunder]

I have found the same problem on my 02 with ONLY 39,000 miles!



What nut did you adjust to tighten up the mesh?

 

[mjoppie]

right on the top, its a allen screw with a lock nut. it helped a bit, but i dont have anything to set the preload on the front of the box so i think im going to get a new one this week. do they come ready out of the box to go on these trucks, or is there some setup involved? i figured everything should be pre set but again im not quite sure. to much play and not enough time to screw with it so ill just get a new one and hope for the best.





matt

 

[jrobinson2]

Instructions for adjusting the steering box here: http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1997/19-10-97.htm



Jared

 

[mjoppie]

would the preload have anything to do with the box having play inside of it? the shaft going in moves a lot before the pitman arm maves at all, ive looked at other trucks and theres dont do it, thats what makes me wonder, the box has 250,000 abused miles on it so i figured it was wore out. a brand new box should be pre set, right? i dont have a spanner wrench so i want to just get one thats done.

 

[BTighe]

isnt this what the dss was made for? just trin to help.

 

[jrobinson2]

BTighe,

The only thing a DSS will help with is a loose bottom bearing, even with a DSS if one of the adjustments in the TSB is not correct the box will have excessive play.



mjoppie,

Both adjustments need to be done, if the over center is not right there will be extra clearance in the gear teeth and if the preload is not correct the input shaft will have endplay and cause a lot of slack in the box. If you want a new box PSC seems to be getting good reviews, I'm happy with mine:PSC steering

 

[KHelfrich]

the preload will eleminale the play but will also make the box tite if you tighten it up too much i belive most of the play comes from a worn bushing inside the pox that the bering preload presses aginst if you replace the box dont wast your time with reman boxes i tried a few from advanced and they all sucked the second i put them on the i bought the PSC box and it made my truck handle like new again



ken

 

[Cummins Thunder]

Thanks for the help guys



I followed the TSB in the link posted by jrobinson2, and found that I have killed about 75% of the slack in my steering!

The DSS will be next, as I can see the pitman arm move side to side a little when I had a friend move the steering wheel back and forth.

Issue 46 of the TDR magazine had a short term review on the PSC box.

 

[mjoppie]

is it possible to adjust the preload without removing the box?? or is it a must. if its sompthing i can do quick i will do it before i remove it. can you make the stuff to do it with? or is it specilaty tools?

 

[mechanic]

Yes, you can ajust the gear on the truck. I have rebuilt a "bunch" of Saginaw P/S gears. They are not a problem to build. You do need a few special tools, and some good technical information though. If the pitman shaft is loose in the housing, you can replace the needle bearing in the housing. But most of the time if you follow the adjustment procedure you will have good results. After adjusting the pitman adjustment, with the front wheels raised off the ground, with the engine off, close your eyes and turn the steering wheel lock to lock several times to feel for a tight spot at the center point. You close your eyes so that you can't tell when you go through the center except by the tightness. It should have just a slight tightness across the center position. Then try it with the engine running. If it has a decided tightness over the center, in either or both tests, back off a little on the pitman shaft preload adjustment, (the allen head bolt adjustment) you may need to adjust it again in a few miles as it seats into the new position. Hope this helps.