So there used to be a small screw that held the steering shaft onto the the steering gear box, the splines on it were wore out, and the screw fell out. Which intern made me lose my steering yesterday.

So i was just going to drill out where the screw used to be, tap it, and go from there.

Well then i suggested to myself to drill the whole way through the steering gear (the part that has the splines on it) and just put a bolt and nut on it. Bad idea. I don't know what happened?

Im leaking fluid everywhere now. And when I turn my steering wheel it wont turn back like it should, it just stays turned and i have to turn it back myself. Is my steering gear junk now? Should i not have drilled the whole way through it? Here are some pictures of my situation.

Did a seal just go bad at the same time i was drilling this? Or does fluid flow through the tip of the steering gear where the splines are at?

 

I think you lost the input shaft seal, most likely due to the lateral force applied to it when drilling. That was also a bad idea, because now the input shaft is significantly weakened from the hole you drilled in it. Definitely not something you want to break going down the road. That happens and you're just along for the ride and crash.

I think you can get a reman box at NAPA for around $175

 

its a very small hole into the shaft, just enough to get my by until pay day when i can afford a new box, or a rebuild kit. i don't really take the truck off road or anything, so i don't think it will hurt much.

How hard is it to get one of these boxes out. It looks like a pain?

 

Hardest part is probably pulling the pitman arm off. Then the coupler which you already know about, three big mounting bolts and I think it pretty much just falls off on the floor after that.

 

4 mounting bolts and a pitman arm puller is essential, that'll run you about 14 bucks at a cheap parts store.
Ace is right though the pitman will be the toughest but if you have the puller it's not so bad.

 

well it was just the input shaft seal, thankfully. It was only 5.88 at the local NAPA. And it will only take about 30 minutes to replace it! Thanks ACE. I would have been replacing the whole steering gear if you didnt tell me there was a seal in there because people i was asking locally said the whole gear would need replaced!!

 

OK, but I think it still does need replaced! You are running a bad risk if the splines on that input shaft are shot with only a small bolt holding your coupler together. Don't be making any hard turns with that thing!!!

 

I think its unsafe to drive like that. You should replace the steering box and steering shaft to fix the problem the right way. I understand funds can be an issue but the value of your life and others is priceless. Also if your do crash because of that your insurance company wont cover you if they investigate the crash.

 

well i just got back from a dodge diesel shop, he figured everything out with it. the splines are fine on it. the shaft was just spinning on there because the shaft was not on the splines the whole way. I have a bolt through it holding in place for right now. and he told me he has actually done that to many trucks without a problem. and that my steering box is an after market performance box that my dad must have put on when he owned it and it will not weaken the shaft enough to break on me unless i'm doing some hardcore off roading which i dont do. he put my seal in for me and its working fine now. the bolt that is through the shaft is doing the same thing that the old bolt used to be. although it was about 3/4 of the way through threaded into the shaft and the threads wore out so i just drilled about another 1/4 of an inch and got to the other side of it and put new threads in the whole and stuck a nut on the other side.