Steering box?

[notenuftime]

Today while driving my steering wheel became hard to turn the wheel to the right but fine to the left. After doing some reading I hear that this is my steering box dying. Is this correct? where should I turn for a replacement? And what to know about replacing this.

 

[MtnHaul]

I don't know if your symptoms are those of a dying steering box but. . .

I hear RedHead steering boxes are a nice upgrade but they are mail order and I don't know your time frame. I replaced my steering box about a year ago with a unit from NAPA at about $160ish--no problems so far. Pretty simple procedure as I recall. Disconnect drag link from pitman arm, remove pitman arm, disconnect steering shaft from old steering box, remove old and put on new steering box. I did consult a writeup somewhere before I jumped in. I recall blue Loc-Tite being recommended for the bolts that hold the steering box to the frame. The only part that needed a little finesse was separating the drag link from the pitman arm. I think I held a sledgehammer against the threaded end with the nut still on to protect the threads and then I hit the side of the drag link end with another hammer and the thing popped right out. No pickle forks or ridiculous BFH action needed.

Also might as well replace the steering pump if it's at all old/suspect, and I flushed my pump and lines BEFORE hooking up the new steering gear, just used Type F ATF if I recall correctly.

 

[notenuftime]

I have to drive the truck all this weekend, nothing crazy tho. Got the box and pump waiting for me at the parts store come Monday. Any torque specs I need??
I'm pretty confident that the problem is the box after doing research.

 

[Cubey]

I have to drive the truck all this weekend, nothing crazy tho. Got the box and pump waiting for me at the parts store come Monday. Any torque specs I need??
I'm pretty confident that the problem is the box after doing research.

Steering torque specs from my F-series Haynes manual:

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[Cubey]

I recall blue Loc-Tite being recommended for the bolts that hold the steering box to the frame.
Also might as well replace the steering pump if it's at all old/suspect, and I flushed my pump and lines BEFORE hooking up the new steering gear, just used Type F ATF if I recall correctly.

I didn't use locktite on when I changed the gearbox on my F250, and it hasn't fallen off, so it's probably not required if you torque it properly. Can't hurt to use it though.

I have used Type F and Dex/Merc in my RV's leaky power steering system (hoses) and it'll run either just fine. Supposedly these old systems can run just about any kind of oil you put in them. Dex/Merc is usually cheaper than F, so use whatever's cheaper, in my opinion.

 

[Cubey]

Also... here are a couple of things to check before you start throwing parts at the problem, assuming you haven't already done so:

Check your power steering fluid level to be sure it's not low. Low fluid could cause problems from lack of pressure.

If you have v-belts, make sure your power steering belt isn't loose and slipping.

Maybe they're both fine, but it takes 2 minutes to check them and costs you nothing.

 

[notenuftime]

Yep I checked everything out yesterday when it started giving me issues.

 

[cheap bronco]

RedHead gear boxes git my vote. Very happy with it on my F250 and Bronco