steering wheel play
 

Hey guys there is alot of play in the steering wheel of my 96 12 valve.
if you turn the wheel and look under the hood the shaft from the wheel is turning into the box like it should. but the wheels dont turn untill you turn it so much.
if you go down the road the wheel can be turned 4 inches each way before the truck starts steering.
any suggestions?

my 96 is the same way hope we get some info

have some1 turn the play in the wheel while u watch the front end of the truck, start looking at the steering box, ull c the pitman arm moving left and right, that means ur box is fine. follow the tierods and trac bar and im sure ull find something thats moving up and down w/ 2 much play.

I just dumped about a grand into the front end of my truck , new track bar, new 4 link bushings, 2 wheel bearings, tie rod end and drag link a pitman arm exc.., I went from 180 deg of play down to about 60 deg of play and I hate to say it but I am happy with that

Oh god mine isnt that bad.
im gunna try doing that test tommorow.
im almost thinking its the box. can them be rebuilt or does it have to be replaced.?
would low powersteering fluid cause anything?

just get a reman steering gear...it will save you time and money from rebuilding it...and a new steering gear should have almost no play in it

Steering boxes can be adjusted. There is a stud coming out of the top of the box with a lock nut on it. You can loosen the lock nut and turn the stud in or out this will take the play out of the wheel. can remember which way you turn it but have the truck running so you can turn the wheel after adjusting the stud a little and see what's been done.

Do the under the front looking test... I just had my 4yr old move it back and forth. I was shocked to see everything moving where it shouldn't move - but it gave me a real clear report card on my front end.

Diagnoses... it was shot!

I just got my DSS and '03 Trac Bar Conversion in from UPS today. I picked up a really nice Trac Bar @ the salvage yard for $75, sanded and repainted it a Hammered Metallic Silver. I was going to replace the bushings but they are rock solid.

So far:
$209 for the Steering Stabilizer
$185 for the '03 Conversion Bracket
$75 for the Trac Bar (vs. $340)

So for $470 I will have an '03 Conversion and not have to worry about the Track Bar or the Ball Joint therein...

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And here is my plug for Source Automotive where I got my parts really fast:
(503) 654-9004
Solid Steel Industries is backed by a "100% Satisfaction Guarantee". If you don't like it, we'll buy it back. We've sold in excess of 2000 of the DSS units. How many folks have taken advantage of our return policy, might you guess?

A paltry .01% would be equal to 20 units? Not even close.
.005 % would be 10 units? STILL NOT EVEN CLOSE.

We've had 1, read it ONE, legitimate return in over 2000 DSS sales. That says an AWFUL LOT about the quality of the Solid Steel product line. Purchase Solid Steel Products in good faith.

I know the boxes are built with the ability to adjust them but even dealers won't do the adjustment. To risky. The boxes once adjusted have a tendency to explode. There is such a fine line between fixin the slop and to tight that it's just not worth the risk. I replaced my stock box with a steering gear from PSC and couldn't be happier. I did a complete rebuild on my front end and out of all the money spent this was by far the best money spent and made the biggest difference. I can now drive with a few fingers, prior to this it took my whole arm and my shoulder would be sore if I drove all day.

Heres some readin material to check through in regards to front end problems. Keep in mind that your trucks and the newer models (24V 2nd Gen) are all essentially the same truck with the exception of the fueling system so be sure to search threads in those sections also for info.

https://www.dieselbombers.com/5-9l-2...d-rebuild.html