Reman Steering Box

[bluex]

Hey folks, still haven’t settled on a steering box option yet, but I do have a question,

I am considering going to the junkyard to pull one, because there I can turn the steering wheels in all the trucks and see if they’re tight or not, and if they are then bingo I found a good box.

Only problem is, my truck is a 94 and a lot of them there are 96+, so they’d have EVO in a lot of them.

Are the EVO steering boxes the same as the older pre-EVO era boxes? Wondering if the EVO only impacts the PS pump and not the gearbox. Also the box being a few years newer is a little more enticing lol.

You're not going to be able to tell how tight it is with the wheels off the ground in the salvage yard, or even if it is on the ground. Stationary with no assist is not going to feel the same as driving down the road.

My .02, save your money an time an get a quality reman box because any used box is going to have wear.

 

[JPVortex]

You're not going to be able to tell how tight it is with the wheels off the ground in the salvage yard, or even if it is on the ground. Stationary with no assist is not going to feel the same as driving down the road.

My .02, save your money an time an get a quality reman box because any used box is going to have wear.

If its enough you can, mines in the air and I can see the ton of play. The input shaft moves in the steering box for a solid 4 inches before the wheels start turning.

 

[sneakingfart]

I'll be totally honest, there are things you can skimp on, and things that you shouldn't. Door handles? Sure. Get the pack of 4 for $30 from China on Amazon. At worst, you'll spend an hour replacing a broken one. But things that contribute to the reliability, and especially handling and braking, should never go the cheap route. I like the option of rebuilding it yourself, but I'm not convinced a universal rebuild kit is the way to go. Not all boxes wear the same, and a universal kit may not give you a good result. Without experience and proper tools, I wouldn't attempt a rebuild. Seems companies like redhead custom rebuild their boxes, and companies the Cardone throw the universal parts together. The end result shows.

If I was in a situation where I needed the truck ASAP and absolutely couldn't afford the higher end rebuild, I'd go with a standard reman box and save up for the better one. That way hopefully you get a couple years out of the cheaper one and buy the better one when you need it. And if you're lucky and happy with the cheaper one, now you have some cash saved up. I find a lot of times when we try to save money, we end up losing both time and money in the process. I've learned that lesson many times over. Buy once, cry once, and move on with your life.

 

[JPVortex]

I'll be totally honest, there are things you can skimp on, and things that you shouldn't. Door handles? Sure. Get the pack of 4 for $30 from China on Amazon. At worst, you'll spend an hour replacing a broken one. But things that contribute to the reliability, and especially handling and braking, should never go the cheap route. I like the option of rebuilding it yourself, but I'm not convinced a universal rebuild kit is the way to go. Not all boxes wear the same, and a universal kit may not give you a good result. Without experience and proper tools, I wouldn't attempt a rebuild. Seems companies like redhead custom rebuild their boxes, and companies the Cardone throw the universal parts together. The end result shows.

If I was in a situation where I needed the truck ASAP and absolutely couldn't afford the higher end rebuild, I'd go with a standard reman box and save up for the better one. That way hopefully you get a couple years out of the cheaper one and buy the better one when you need it. And if you're lucky and happy with the cheaper one, now you have some cash saved up. I find a lot of times when we try to save money, we end up losing both time and money in the process. I've learned that lesson many times over. Buy once, cry once, and move on with your life.

I do need the truck, I’ve been driving my 2nd car, but that thing needs some desperate work lol.

I might end up getting another NAPA reman while saving for a permanent solution.

 

[JDGMC]

Suffering succotash you’re still at this! You work at Napa - keep returning the gear until you get one with less play. After the third return, someone is going to be asking you a lot of questions, but a personal mechanic to help work through your issues for free is not a bad thing in this case. Just plan on sharing lots of pics and videos with NAPA. Do not adjust the reman gearbox if you want a refund.


I’m not sure how you verified the gearbox is the source of play, but I do a test on the vehicle (aside from visual) to confirm play as a result of the input shaft. First fabricate a tool for the spline (this is also is extremely useful in setting in-lb torque when adjusting over center). Purchase a 3/4 30 non-flex spline coupler. Weld a nut or attach anything by any means so that you can attach a socket or 3/8, 1/2 Drive to the coupler tool. Slide off the rag joint/steering shaft. Start and warm up the engine. Slide on the tool you fabricated and attach a breaker bar to the tool. Move the break bar back and forth to access play. If it's less than your steering wheel then it’s the steering shaft/upper bearing/column (Raise the truck a little to take some of the load off if you want). You could do the same with the sector shaft also. When you're that close to the gearbox you get a better feel and audible for play/slop.

 

[jd33173]

Suffering succotash you’re still at this! You work at Napa - keep returning the gear until you get one with less play. After the third return, someone is going to be asking you a lot of questions, but a personal mechanic to help work through your issues for free is not a bad thing in this case. Just plan on sharing lots of pics and videos with NAPA. Do not adjust the reman gearbox if you want a refund.


I’m not sure how you verified the gearbox is the source of play, but I do a test on the vehicle (aside from visual) to confirm play as a result of the input shaft. First fabricate a tool for the spline (this is also is extremely useful in setting in-lb torque when adjusting over center). Purchase a 3/4 30 non-flex spline coupler. Weld a nut or attach anything by any means so that you can attach a socket or 3/8, 1/2 Drive to the coupler tool. Slide off the rag joint/steering shaft. Start and warm up the engine. Slide on the tool you fabricated and attach a breaker bar to the tool. Move the break bar back and forth to access play. If it's less than your steering wheel then it’s the steering shaft/upper bearing/column (Raise the truck a little to take some of the load off if you want). You could do the same with the sector shaft also. When you're that close to the gearbox you get a better feel and audible for play/slop.

Extra points for sylvester the cat ref!!

 

[JPVortex]

Suffering succotash you’re still at this! You work at Napa - keep returning the gear until you get one with less play. After the third return, someone is going to be asking you a lot of questions, but a personal mechanic to help work through your issues for free is not a bad thing in this case. Just plan on sharing lots of pics and videos with NAPA. Do not adjust the reman gearbox if you want a refund.


I’m not sure how you verified the gearbox is the source of play, but I do a test on the vehicle (aside from visual) to confirm play as a result of the input shaft. First fabricate a tool for the spline (this is also is extremely useful in setting in-lb torque when adjusting over center). Purchase a 3/4 30 non-flex spline coupler. Weld a nut or attach anything by any means so that you can attach a socket or 3/8, 1/2 Drive to the coupler tool. Slide off the rag joint/steering shaft. Start and warm up the engine. Slide on the tool you fabricated and attach a breaker bar to the tool. Move the break bar back and forth to access play. If it's less than your steering wheel then it’s the steering shaft/upper bearing/column (Raise the truck a little to take some of the load off if you want). You could do the same with the sector shaft also. When you're that close to the gearbox you get a better feel and audible for play/slop.

The only thing it could be is the steering box, for a fact.

Every single thing else is new.

Tie rods are new, ball joints I’m just replacing right now. Pitman arm, idler arm and bracket new.

XJ steering shaft swapped, upper steering column bearing is 6 months old and it’s a Wolff Engineering part.(the good stuff)

There’s nothing else to have play in it. And I can take the steering shaft and move the input shaft of the steering box a good 4 inches before it gets to the point the wheels want to start turning.

 

[JDGMC]

4 in”..hmm. That would be several revolutions at the input shaft. Are you referring to the steering wheel regarding 4” play? If so we are not on the same page.

 

[JPVortex]

4 in”..hmm. That would be several revolutions at the input shaft. Are you referring to the steering wheel regarding 4” play? If so we are not on the same page.

Yeah sorry, I mean 4 inches total in the steering wheel, about 2 inches left and right movement.

 

[JDGMC]

Yeah sorry, I mean 4 inches total in the steering wheel, about 2 inches left and right movement.

Assuming you have not tried to adjust the input shaft yourself, you should isolate the gear box. This will validate your claim with napa. It doesn’t matter how new everything else is. The people on the forum have gone down this road before and you are the benefactor of their failures and triumphs saving you time and money. So follow the yellow brick road and you will learn quite a bit. The GMT400 Forum is much like the land of Oz with many wizards trying to get the trucks back home..not saying i’m one of them.