Steering Box; Fix or Replace?
 

So I've had a leak for a very long time in my steering system. I finally figured it out yesterday and discovered that the leak was at the box where the steering shaft goes into the box.

I pulled the box and will clean it up, but my question is if I should just replace the seal (I am assuming this one is easy to get to), rebuild the box, or just replace the whole thing and not mess with it.

Thanks for any advice.

Id replace the box with a PSC or other quality aftermarket upgrade. Especially if you have the 4-turn box on your truck now. the 3-turn one makes life a lot easier on the highway.

Where do you get the different gearbox from? Any other options available? I have to replace mine soon, and I want something a little different than stock.

For $400+ is a PSC box really worth it? I've got a PSC hydraulic setup on my buggy and I like their products but is it that much different?

Here is the one's kawi mentioned from PSC: Dodge PSC Box

How does the road feel on the PSC box vs original? I want the rack and pinion road positive feel on my steering. They are priced pretty decently better than my local NAPA dealer.

hi
i resealed and adjustted my box and it works perfect!

there is a seal and a o ring on the adjuster for the bearing preload adjuster where you are leaking ;
back it out and pull out the part under it to replace the o ring also while you have it out !
my box is so dry now it is covered with surface rust !
do the 03 track bar upgrade and it will stear like rack and pinion !

if the leak is coming from the pitman arm shaft, the sector bearings are probably shot and no matter how many time you replace the seals it will most likely keep leaking and the only option is a rebuilt box.

If the leak is from somewhere else you might have good luck sealing it up and be fine.

One thing I always recomend is a gearbox stabilizer bracket (DSS) they bolt on and have a big bearing that supports the sector shaft to keep the box from wearing out, and at the same time they REALLY tighten up the stearing and feel of the truck alot, check it out http://www.pscmotorsports.com/sb100-...3shbpsb58733c3

If you do decide to buy a box I have this one and love it, makes the truck stear alot easier and backing up trailers and stuff alot easier http://www.pscmotorsports.com/sg841m...3shbpsb58733c3

How much movement on the steering gearbox is normal? I have abit of wiggling on mine. I don't know if its from the inside the gearbox itself or the shaft bearing. I want everything to firm and no wiggling. I want this truck to handle like a sport car on the bumpy stuff. I will be putting in all the stuff DSS track bar upgrade, steering bearing kit, poly sway bar bushings, new stiffer end links, upgraded control bars and bushings. Kore recon kit (springs, nitro shocks, new rear leafs). I want better than new. I might even throw on a set of 3rd gen brakes as mine old ones are shot. Its only time right. The new gearbox would be a nice upgrade as well. I also saw that there is a new bushing available for the steering column as well.

Mike:

if your box is leaking at the sector shaft then I would replace it, if it isin't leaking, but the box has play in it (meaning you turn the stearing input shaft, and the sector shaft doesn't move) then I would replace it.

If the box doesn't have play, and doesn't leak out of the sector shaft, and it just has a small amout of side to side movement in the sector shaft while turning, then I would install a gearbox brace and see if that takes care of it.

All that stuff will help out the stearing tremendously! The biggest diffence in the steering feel is going to come from the gear box, gear box brace, track bar, tierod ends, and column bushing.

Let us know how it turns out

Here the drawing that I have. I can't find the selector shaft. I find looseness on the end of the pit arm. You can move it back and forth. I'm thinking that I can get away with just an slight tightening adjustment. I hate to replace parts that aren't quite worn out yet.

The sector shaft is what they are calling the "pitman shaft"; # 15

exactly!!!

I got a rebuilt box from Tran- Steer in Woodbridge, Ontario .They were able to install the light valve for me at the same price as the regular valve .Their price was much better than any of the auto parts stores and there core was only about $100 . I can't remember exactly what the cost was though.[duhhh] The truck drives much better now.I did tighten the box up a bit.

Dont forget to put some kind of brace on the sector shaft, like a DSS. The way theyre set up from the factory the shaft takes a lot of load and the DSS puts the load back on the frame and lets the shaft spin correctly.

I'm just gonna adjust the rack/gear preload on mine. I can't make it any worse and the worst that would happen is that I have to buy a rebuilt unit. Its just abit of time to tweak the adjuster at the top.