Just bought the '93 I've had my eye on. The top two on the to-do list are:
1. Steering box mounting plate cracked. This looks scary, although I doubt the steering box'll just fall off. Are replacements expensive? Has this cracking tendancy been engineered out, or is it just something one has to live with? I might try to weld it, but it looks like someone already has (truck used to be a welding truck).
2. The pinion seal doesn't, and I know that pinion nut has a torque spec that no torque wrench I have access to will reach. Will a cheater pipe & breaker bar do, or does it need to be torqued exactly to maintain pinion/ring contact pattern?
Thanks for any help!
- Chris

 

weld that steering box plate right up. Be sure to bend it back as close to orig. as possible. I have 6 of these era dodges, and none of them have steering box issues, so it might be an isolated problem. One of mine was a plow truck for the first 10 yrs of its life, and the steering box/plate are fine

 

Right on-- I will. The crack is only about 1/32 wide at the most, so I might try to weld it in place. Thanks!
- Chris

 

While you have the steering box mounting plate off, look for / expect to find this:

(As seen looking from the front of the truck, through where the radiator goes, down to the right).




Closer:


That's the back of the steering mount plate. Be sure to also check around those two rivets on the bottom there. Grind the cracks (V shape, top and bottom if possible), and weld.

It appears to be a regular thing with these trucks. The cracked mounting plate too. I was fortunate I wasn't out on the highway when mine bought the farm.
I had to buy a new one as there wasn't any repairing of the OEM.


EDIT: When I broke a tooth off the OEM ring gear, I do recall setting the pinion depth via shims. The bolt it seems I had to use the correct socket, a pipe wrench and a cheater bar to get it Good-n-tight (as another member puts it ). I can't remember what the torque spec is, but it's up there.

 

BC, Thank you VERY much for the info-- I'll give that frame rail a look, & I guess I'll just tighten the bejeezus out of that pinion nut. I have heard that it can be tightened by engaging FWD & backing up with a breaker bar & cheater on the nut. A little too cowboy for me, though...
- Chris

 

Just installed my 6th mounting plate. They cost 22 buck's from dodge.tryed welding, but it broke again. can not find any crack's anywhere else, but I do travel logging roads a lot which I think breaks mine.

 

Great-- so this is going to be a recurring repair. Lotsa rough roads around here...
Thanks for the price info!
-Chris

 

''On a dana the pinion nut does not affect the bearing preload or pinion depth, those are set by shims.''

Roger that one. Pull the driveshaft and grab hold of the pinion yolk to check for play. Hopefully you'll just have to replace the seal.