I discovered about a week ago that the pitman arm shaft seal went on my 2002 F150. Fortunately it went just as I got home, so I didn't have to have it towed.
So, I got the pitman arm off (the nut was a MAJOR pain), and I was hoping to replace the seal without pulling the gearbox.
Here's the problem, I can't find the snap ring. I ended up pulling the gearbox and it's sitting on my bench right now, but around the shaft is one solid piece. I can poke it with a screwdriver and see it squish a little, so I know it's rubber, but when I tried tapping a screw into it to remove the gasket (thought maybe I blew out the snap ring) it just bends the screw.
Did Ford make any gearboxes with shaft seals that couldn't be replaced, or am I missing something?

 

Don't know whether this is helpful or not, but you can get a reman steering box from Rock Auto for under $100 with core.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...ring+gear,7416

 

Thanks for the link. It may come to that and that's a great price, but I've already spent a bunch of time trying to replace the seals, so I'd really like to avoid replacing the gearbox if I can.
Also, I really don't want my truck out of commission any longer than it already has been.