Starting to make a list for my new to me 1999 3500 extra cab 4x4, and one at the top of the list is the steering.  There is a half a steering wheel turn worth of slop to the left, and hardly any to the right.

Do you think the gear box needs replacing?

Maybe maybe not. You need to get up under the front while someone turns the wheel back and forth and start looking for movement in all the parts connected to the steering box all the way out to the wheels. Check the track bar also. If you have movement in any of these parts that would be the most or all of your problem.

 The steering box has an adjustment screw on top of the box. It has a jam nut holding it in place. You loosed the jam nut and screw it in about 1/8th of turn and see how that helps. You have to be careful with that adjustment, to much and the steering will not return and the box will fail completely.  

^that. Make sure you check everything before just replacing parts.

You want to not start it just unlock the wheel so it will turn. I have the wife go in there and go left to right as fast as she reasonably can while I watch every steering connection. Look for play in the sector shaft coming out of the steering box. (Side to side movement)

 

Take a look at Google for the DSS steering stabilizer for the sector shaft movement.

Edited January 12, 20178 yr by JAG1

Most steering boxes can be readjusted. If you got leaks to I would opt for rebuild kit. This way get all the debris out of the box, then adjust it up on assembly. Then it be all new.

Mike, I saw that you had remarked on Cummins Forum to someone else about to buy an "upgrade" pump (Redhead, I believe) and you suggested a rebuild first. Do you happen to have a part number and a good source for the correct rebuild kit for our steering gearbox? There are so many out there and I would like to get the right one the first time. BTW, mine is an '01 2500 with 296K miles and it wanders a bit even with replaced/upgraded track bar; box brace, and ball joints and end links. I even have the 3rd Gen steering linkage upgrade. Thanks.

I have basically all the same mods as you and still running a stock steering box. I have some slop here and there steering down a straight road that I can only imagine is the steering box. I'd be interested to hear how it steers once you get it rebuilt or replaced with another box.

9 hours ago, toughtoy4x4 said:

Mike, I saw that you had remarked on Cummins Forum to someone else about to buy an "upgrade" pump (Redhead, I believe) and you suggested a rebuild first. Do you happen to have a part number and a good source for the correct rebuild kit for our steering gearbox? There are so many out there and I would like to get the right one the first time. BTW, mine is an '01 2500 with 296K miles and it wanders a bit even with replaced/upgraded track bar; box brace, and ball joints and end links. I even have the 3rd Gen steering linkage upgrade. Thanks.

There is an adjustment screw on top of the steering box. It has an adjusting screw with a jam nut to hold it in place. Loosen the jam and tighten the screw 1/8 of turn and see if that helps. If not try another 1/8 turn. It does not take a lot to over tighten it. I did this to mine several years ago and it stills pretty good. A touch of play but not much worse than it was when new. If that does not work then a rebuild or replacement would be in order. IIRC I turned mine 1/4 turn.

 If the nut is tightened to far you could lose steering return and it will accelerate the demise of the steering gear. 

I really need to do this to my truck.  

Some of them I do backwards. I run the adjustment in as far as it will go and the back off about a full turn. Way faster that 1/8 turn, check, 1/8 turn, check, 1/8 turn, check, etc.

6 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Some of them I do backwards. I run the adjustment in as far as it will go and the back off about a full turn. Way faster that 1/8 turn, check, 1/8 turn, check, 1/8 turn, check, etc.

I seem to remember a wise man telling to do it a little at a time. If I could just remember who it was. I think it was Beavis or Butthead, something like that.

41 minutes ago, dripley said:

I seem to remember a wise man telling to do it a little at a time. If I could just remember who it was. I think it was Beavis or Butthead, something like that.

 

 

LOL... When you had to adjust so many that the first 2 turns do nothing that means you've done the adjustment 16 times and got no change to the slop in the steering gear box. So if you start from tight and set your slack adjustment you can normally do it in maybe 2-3 adjustments. 

After replacing my original box because of leaks and a bad bearing on the pitman shaft with a napa box ,I wish I would have rebuilt my original box .Even though those rebuilt boxes are warranteed doesn't mean they are not defective. I have gone though 3 of those and yet to find one that lasts. I just ordered a Blue top box from Ryan in Stanton N.D .I'll let you know how it turns out.

2 hours ago, hodag56 said:

After replacing my original box because of leaks and a bad bearing on the pitman shaft with a napa box ,I wish I would have rebuilt my original box .Even though those rebuilt boxes are warranteed doesn't mean they are not defective. I have gone though 3 of those and yet to find one that lasts. I just ordered a Blue top box from Ryan in Stanton N.D .I'll let you know how it turns out.

Subscribed

20 hours ago, hodag56 said:

After replacing my original box because of leaks and a bad bearing on the pitman shaft with a napa box ,I wish I would have rebuilt my original box .Even though those rebuilt boxes are warranteed doesn't mean they are not defective. I have gone though 3 of those and yet to find one that lasts. I just ordered a Blue top box from Ryan in Stanton N.D .I'll let you know how it turns out.

I know of a couple that are happy with his boxes. No long term reports yet however.

21 hours ago, hodag56 said:

After replacing my original box because of leaks and a bad bearing on the pitman shaft with a napa box ,I wish I would have rebuilt my original box .Even though those rebuilt boxes are warranteed doesn't mean they are not defective. I have gone though 3 of those and yet to find one that lasts. I just ordered a Blue top box from Ryan in Stanton N.D .I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

I'm on my second reman box, technically 3rd since the PO had replaced it before.  I replaced that one because it was leaking, but the new one had 1/2 turn of play.  The one I have now causes the truck to pull to the right and still has about 1/4 turn of play.  Everything else was replaced and brace was added before the box, had it aligned twice, had tires rotated.  Maybe 3rd time is the charm?

The problem that happens once you start down the aftermarket parts house lifetime warranty road you are kinda locked in to keep going back to them, unless you want to bite the bullet and eat the coast of a custom builder i.e. Borggeson, Redhead, Bluetop box. After awhile you just get tired of same old steering problems, two or thee months after you put one of there cheap boxes in. I'm getting to old to be doing this, I'm 78 and I feel it holding p that box getting bolts started and hoses hooked up.

I'm pretty sure borgeson doesn't make the 2nd gen box anymore. 

Just got my Blue-Top  steering box installed, my truck drives like it drove when it was new. I would recommend that rebuilt box to anyone who needs a 2nd gen steering box. I guess you pay for what you get.

I look forward to a revisit with this in 6 months or so to see how it is working out. I say that because my steering when new was not what I expected. All kinds of micro steering to keep it straight. It was the one thing I did not like right after purchase. Cant figure out why i did not get pulled over for suspicion of DUI. 

6 hours ago, dripley said:

I look forward to a revisit with this in 6 months or so to see how it is working out. I say that because my steering when new was not what I expected. All kinds of micro steering to keep it straight. It was the one thing I did not like right after purchase. Cant figure out why i did not get pulled over for suspicion of DUI. 

 

Same here. Glad you have something working well but I'd be interested to hear if it's still the same down the road a bit. I've been dealing with sloppy steering as well but I've gotten used to it, but the day I get tired of it, it'd be nice to know which company to turn too. <- (pun intended)