install new gear box for power steering

[rays68]

I need to install a new gear box any body have any experience doing this if so any tips will help. Or should leave it to the pros for 350.00

[79BIG10]

Welcome to the board. This is not a hard thing to do. It's easy with the right tool that you can rent from Auto Zone or another auto place. What you need is a pitman arm puller. It will look like a horseshoe shape and a bolt going through the middle of it. here's what you need to do.

Drive straight ahead onto the driveway/garage area where you're tires are straight ahead. Next chock your tires and set your parking brake for safety. One more safety thing to do is remove the negative battery cable off the battery. Also make sure to where safety glasses during this since rust and other particles could be coming down while working on this. Then disconnect the hoses to the box. Make sure to remember where they go (helps to mark them). Next you need to get under the box and you will see where teh pitman arm connects to the shaft of the box. Take a piece of chalk and mark a line in on the arm and the frame to help align later on if need be (very important). Now take a large crescent wrench and lossen the nut under the pitman arm on the box shaft. Once this is removed (don't lose this nut) fasten the pitman arm puller on the arm itself and center the bolt on the shaft. make sure everything is nice and centered before trying to remove. Now tighten the bolt on the puller and the puller will force the arm off the shaft. Once this is clear you can move it out of the way a bit. Now go to the top of the box where the steering column meets the box. You will have what is called the rag joint. This has 2 bolts/nuts and 2 shafts. To help remove this it helps to have the ign turned over to where you can turn the steering wheel. This will help you turn the rag joint to where you can get the two nuts and bolts. Now once it's loose you need to gently pry up the column shaft a bit to where the box is free from the shaft. Now with all the hose connections off and steering componets loose you need to take the box off. You may want someone else helping you since this is a HEAVY BOX and weighs alot when laying under the truck. There is 3 or 4 bolts that attach the box to the frame. Loosen them all but don't take them all the way out until you're ready to take it out. You will be taking it out from the bottom. Once it's loose you need to take off the rag joint. It's held onto the upper shaft by a clamp.

Now to reinstall bolt it back up first then you reinstall the rag joint (you can replace this if worn). Then bolt the box back up in place. Next you need to install the column shaft back onto the rag joint. make sure the flared up ends surround the smooth shafts and the bolts are on the holes that mount flush to the ragjoint itself. Now you will need to find the center of the travel of the box. Go back into the cab and turn the wheel hard left then count how many revolutions it takes to go all the way to the right. Divide the count and go back that many to the left. For example from left to right it took 3.5 turns then turn wheel back to the left 1.75 turns and the wheel should be close to center. Now go back under the truck and align the pitman arm with the line you marked earlier and align the grooves on the box shaft. It will only go on one way. You may have to turn the shaft a tiny but to align properly but should be very close. Once you have the arm going on the shaft straight and not binding on the grooves place the large nut on the shaft and tighen up. This will move the pitman arm up on the shaft. Once this is done replce the hoses back into their places on the box. Now reconnect the battery and fire up the truck. The p/s pump will be getting fluid into the box so you need to make sure to refill it according to the dipstick on the pump. Make sure not to over fill. Check for leaks while the engine is running and then turn the wheel to make sure everything is turning good with no binding. Once everything looks good and you've refilled the fluid to proper level take it for a drive and see how it feels.

[rays68]

thanks alot for the info doesnt sound hard at all I will give it a try