Steering gear box question for the gurus
 

The alignment shop refuses to touch my 83 C20 because there is play in the steering wheel. Not a whole lot, but some.
I adjusted the sector shaft allen screw gently snug but the play is still there.
Is there anything I can do with my box, or do I need to try a rebuilt one and hope the gears in it are not towards the end of their life?
Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated.

Re: Steering gear box question for the gurus
 

Is it the box or the rag joint? I would replace the rag joint first and if that doesn't fix things replace the box.

Adjusting that sector screw can make the box worse.

Re: Steering gear box question for the gurus
 

It's definitely in the box.

Re: Steering gear box question for the gurus
 

I had what may be a thought ............
I have another box from a different model squarebody that seems tight.
So tight, I think it's crudded up inside.
I tried to turn the input spline but can't get any rotation in it.
If the gear isn't worn bad, and the threads and spline are the same for the pittman arm I currently have, maybe I can just swap the one in my present box with it.

Re: Steering gear box question for the gurus
 

Rebuilt boxes are cheap. Just get one. Rebuilding these takes some skills and if you don't do it right you can have some serious problems. Depending on what your budget is and your needs for the truck, look up the CPP boxes. I bought one for mine and LOVE it!

Re: Steering gear box question for the gurus
 

Cheap ?
The best I can find is $150 plus sales tax.
I live on a low fixed income, and that is a LOT of money to me.
I have been doing mechanic work for 45 years, and have done manual boxes.
Getting the recirculating balls in correctly was a challenge, but I did it.

Re: Steering gear box question for the gurus
 

Please read the shop manual before touching a steering box;it is important to adjust the worm thrust bearing preload BEFORE adjusting the gear over center adjustment.This is covered in the factory overhaul manual.

Re: Steering gear box question for the gurus
 

Thanks, I did that already when I replaced the leaky input shaft seal recently.