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?

I' ll let you know but so far so good . I let my son drive it today and he said it drove like a different truck.

And just to clarify, you only replaced the steering box with the one from blue top? Do you have a steering box brace, track bar, after market steering links? Just curious so I can get an idea of how mine might react to putting in a new box. 

On 2/16/2017 at 8:09 PM, CTcummins24V said:

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

 

Their boxes were not anything special. Just a modified 05ish era chevy box.

Edited February 20, 20178 yr by jlbayes

I bought a rebuild kit for my stock steering box and it helped the wandering issues I had quite a bit. Mine was not severe but it has improved after the seal kit and a good flush. 

15 hours ago, notlimah said:

And just to clarify, you only replaced the steering box with the one from blue top? Do you have a steering box brace, track bar, after market steering links? Just curious so I can get an idea of how mine might react to putting in a new box. 

Two months ago I put in a new track bar, drag link tie rod end replaced all   the ball joints. When I took It to  an alignment  shop they couldn't align it because of all the play in the box. I just got tired of messing with NAPA.

34 minutes ago, hodag56 said:

When I took It to  an alignment  shop they couldn't align it because of all the play in the box.

 

What's funny is that the box can be adjusted to remove all the play by so few people even know this trick. I will most likely rebuild my OEM steering box if and when it does finally give up or get sloppy. 15 years old and still leak free and tight like the day I bought the truck.  

9 hours ago, jlbayes said:

 

Their boxes were not anything special. Just a modified 05ish era chevy box.

I don't care what the box was for. If you look at his website he does a lot more than replace seals and o rings. He has a ten step process according to his web site,

5 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

 

What's funny is that the box can be adjusted to remove all the play by so few people even know this trick. I will most likely rebuild my OEM steering box if and when it does finally give up or get sloppy. 15 years old and still leak free and tight like the day I bought the truck.  

There was a lot more the play in that box, it had memory steer (steering wheel wouldn't return to center after turn ) steering was not smooth . Mike I think you are smart to rebuild you original box. I wish I would have done that, instead of getting a box from NAPA.  It seems to me Tyler said he has went thru 3 NAPA boxes.

Funny this thread is going...

 

I got another member that just called me just now and had to replace the pressure hose from the hydro booster to the steering box. He wasn't sure if the line was tight so he sends me a picture of the line. The first thing I pick up on is the amount of dirt in the photo.

 

 

I made the comment to him that he should of power washed the unit off before starting. Now he calls me back tell me the hydro booster and brakes are fine but the steering is extremely stiff. What has happened he's got dirt in the power value of the steering box and the fluid can do its job to assist in steering so it stiff. So induction of dirt and grit in the system is a problem being there is no filter. 

 

As for slop in the boxes just because a chain store sells a box I've been know to re-adjust the box after installing. I've seen some sloppy right out of the box and was just poorly adjusted. As for the guts there is very little to actual wear out or go wrong there is only 2 bearing in the entire box one on the input shaft but a flat style bearing and a shaft bearing on the output. Typically the slop is the over center adjustment but also seen a few that had excessive bearing preload slop. 

 

 

As for the parts... You can see the output bearing in the pile on the left. The input bearing is hanging on the worm gear. The only thing no shown is the 22 BB's that go in around the worm gear and power piston. The loop cover in the piston is where the BB's go.

 

Here is the power valve on the input assembly opened up...

Edited February 21, 20178 yr by Mopar1973Man

According to my 2002 Doge full service manual there are 24 balls in 12 silver and 12 black. I have heard of other numbers also. Someone said that the number of balls determines the turning ratio. Is that true?

Might be true I was trying to remember the number the last time I rebuilt a unit. My last one was on Ford truck and I've might be quote that number. 

Like I said I wish I would have rebuilt my original box,, instead of getting a rebuilt one from, NAPA They had a sale on them when I got the first one with a life time warranty. This box had unequal pressure right to left, So I was pretty well screwed I just figured I would get another box and it would be okay, but it was worse than the first one. This box had return to .center problems. I'm to darn  old to be putting in steering .boxes.

I just finished installing a 2005 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD steering box on my 2000 RAM 2500 4x4. The nice thing is that to start with, the box lines are the same size as well as the frame mount bolt pattern. Next was to change out the spline 1/2 joint on the steering shaft (box side), to the Chevy end, just like swapping out a u joint, same size. I had to cut the steering shaft to give it a 1/4 turn to keep everything centered up. I cut the square end at the bottom again (box side) & welded it back up. For the pitman arm, the Chevy box has 3 keyways  on the splined output shaft, compared to the Dodge, it had 4. No problem, 1 of the keyways on the Chevy box lined up perfect with 1 on the Dodge pitman arm to keep everything centered up. Next was on the Dodge pitman arm. With the other 3 keyways, I cut them in half to line up with the rest of the splines on the Chev box & to line up the keyways on the Chevy box, I took a die grinder & cut 2 splines out of the Dodge arm. The BD steering brace, bearing & pitman arm nut all fit like it was made to. It was actually a very easy job & the pay off is outstanding. I can stay between the lines, no more steer, steer, steer, even coming to a stop is a WOW factor. The steering self centers just like normal coming out of a corner. I was going to rebuild my front calipers as when I usually come to a stop it would seem to pull from 1 side to the other, now it just stops straight !

I rolled over to 60 a bit ago, & this is hands down the very best upgrade I have done on this animal in the 17 years I've owned it.

Now I can't quit driving it !

 

16 hours ago, hodag56 said:

I don't care what the box was for. If you look at his website he does a lot more than replace seals and o rings. He has a ten step process according to his web site,

 

Annnnddd what I posted totally went over your head. Good luck. 

On January 25, 2017 at 10:43 AM, 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.

Dumb question here, but after you back off a full turn what are you looking for?  How do you know it's right?