Hi all,

I put the front end of the truck on jackstands to check the front end and noticed that it is really hard to turn the front wheels with the steering wheel without the engine running...i disconnected the linkage from the pitman arm and its still hard to turn. When the steering wheel turns sharply(far left or right) it is much easier to turn....is this normal? When the truck is running i do not notice the resistance near as much but can still feel it a bit.

Also, i wen to the dealership today to have them look at an oil leak problem...they say that i have a deductible after 80k for engine work. Has anyone heard of this? I thought the engine is under warranty till 100K... The truck is an 04 w/85k on it.

thanks,

 

Mine is in now for the stearing gear oil leak and the front pinion seal oil leak. There is a $100 co-pay. The work would cost a bundle if I had no warranty. The stearing gears on these things leak. Do the replacements also leak?

 

Possibly a bad shuttle valve... also check for worn lower bearing/seal in the box - any seepage around the sector shaft?

The steering gear lasts longer with an aftermarket sector shaft stabilizer installed - especially with larger wheels/tires.

 

At 112k miles I had mine done for about $1300. now I'm going to add a SBS to ensure it doesn't happen again.

 

I went to Advance Auto parts and got a quote for a steering box of $160 after core. Is this box not as good as a mopar or is the dealer just marking the price up that much? Don't mean to hijack the thread but $160 doing it myself is much cheaper than $1300 if dealer isn't going to warranty.

 

look at these from Red head steering gears, better than stock after the rebuild....

 

I got under my truck today to check out a bad ujoint on the front axle and noticed a leak coming from my steering gear box. I pulled on the pittman arm a little bit and there is just a hiar of play in it. Oh well I guess that is the next thing to be replaced. This thing is falling apart at 117K miles.

 

Is there a better steering box out there for these trucks. Mine has been leaking at the sector shaft for a while, spent $50 for a non returnable seal kit and it seems as there is too much play in the box, so now I am looking for a better than factory box that will last.

 

I replaced my steering box at about 36k miles (warranty had expired). I now have 70k miles and have had no further problems. I bought the steering box at NAPA and it has a lifetime guarantee. I don't remember exactly what it cost but I believe it too cost about $160. I also had to replace a steering box on an 05 truck that had about 30K miles on it. I think what was causing the steering boxes to fail (in addition to poor design) was making sharp 90 degree turns into my garage. I no longer turn the steering wheel until it stops because I believe it puts to much stress on the gear box.

 

I forgot to mention that I also installed a Darrins Steering Stabilizer (DSS).