[aautio1004]

I just got done replacing my steering gear this afternoon after taking it to the dealership to find out why it was all over the road so bad. They said it was the gear that was bad..but after replacing it I have found that I still have quite a bit of play from side to side before it seems to turn the wheels at all....any idea what else could possibly be lose in there to make it do this?? I just had an alignment and they specifically had them check the trac bar and they said it was still good and tight.

 

[clc]

Lie in front of the truck (with it in park and the parking brake set) and have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth just until they feel resistance at both ends (the front wheels should turn very little). You should be able to see where the slop is. Look at the tie rod ends, the track bar ends, the ball joints, the gearbox relative to the frame in case the box is still loose, and at the steering box shaft. You might also look to see if the front hub bearins are loose. If everything looks good from underneath, look from the top at the coupler between the steering wheel shaft and the steering gearbox. If that looks good you either missed something or the gearbox needs adjustment (I would hope that your new gearbox would come with the preload already set.) If you decide to adjust the gearbox be careful that you don't set it too tight. It will keep the wheels from straightening when you release the steering wheel and even if it does not do that it can prematurely wear your new gearbox.

 

[aautio1004]

Ok..thank you very much! I appreciate it...any idea on why it would still be hard to turn to one side and easy to turn the other way? I've bled it as much as I can possibly do, and have checked and rechecked the fluid level and it's all good...just still hard to turn the one direction?

 

[clc]

Is it hard to turn one direction with the front wheels off the ground? It could be air on that side of the hydraulics, something binding, or the power assist valve for that direction malfunctioning.