Why is my steering box leaking?

[evldsl]

I installed the steering brace on my truck and now my steering box is leaking where the steering box halves are bolted together.

 

[seafish]

I installed the steering brace on my truck and now my steering box is leaking where the steering box halves are bolted together.

What year is your truck? Which brace did you use??

 

[moonranch]

FWIW, you can get a box from NAPA for around $160. [/quote]

Just a word of caution on the NAPA boxes. I got and installed one to replace my worn out box, but I could not get it to stop leaking. As it turned out there was a crack down the side of the box, in the cast iron. So I got it warrantied without a problem, but the next box only lasted about 6 months before it quit providing power to the steering. Also, it had more slop than I would have liked in a newly rebuilt unit. So, now I have a new Dodge box in, and it is working great, but it did cost just over $400.

 

[mcsinfl]

try this thread: https://www.turbodieselregister.com...-power-steering-o-ring-repair-documented.html



you may have the leaky o-ring problem

 

[scootergmc]

Dollars to donuts it's the O-ring. I took mine in when I first saw a drop on the box. New box, no questions asked. But I'm almost sure I'll have the problem again, unless Dodge took care of the ring itself on the later boxes.

 

[viper700]

I have an 04. 5 Dually and my steering box was leaking also. I could not see it coming from the pitman shaft and it appeared to be coming from above. As much as I looked I could not see where it came from. Dodge said I would need a new box and it was spendy. After this went on about a year and and I kept cleaning up the drips on my floor a bright light came on one day. I went down to the local parts store and started reading all the labels on the power steering fluid bottles and a couple of them had a "leak stop" in them. I bought a bottle and when I got home I used a suction hose with my air compressor and got all the OEM fluid out of the resevoir. Then I filled it with the new fluid and it took almost the whole bottle. I drove around for a few days and no more drip on the floor. It is a inexspensive thing to try and it worked.