Lower/Intermediate Steering Shaft Replacement
#1
05-26-2000, 10:25 PM
Join Date: Jan 2000
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Lower/Intermediate Steering Shaft Replacement
The problem: Clunks from steering wheel, along with little jiggles. May just feel a movement in wheel. Sometimes over bumps, or starting from a stop, sometimes straight, sometimes in a curve. Clunks can be heard by driver when it starts to get bad. Its variable!
There is a TSB on this.
This shaft has a u-joint on each end. The bottom end connects to steering gearbox input. The middle of the shaft has a slider section that is covered by a rubber accordion boot. If you grab this slider section, you can move it sideways back and forth. This is normal. The shaft then goes up through the firewall grommet. At the top end, it connects to the upper steering shaft. Look up under dash and follow shaft up. Above the top u-joint is the pinch-bolt that holds it onto the top shaft. Down at the steering box, there is a black plastic stone shield that hides the lower u-joint, and the lower pinch-bolt. The stone shield has a hole in it for shaft to pass through, and shield snaps onto plastic ring, and also clips over the steel pressure lines. This retains the shield. Shield prevents stones from getting in lower u-joint, or stones locking the shaft by jamming up in there.
If replacing shaft, remember to put the stone shield back on the shaft, before reconnecting. Don't spin steering wheel when disconnected, so that the electrical contact slider module behind wheel doesn't get out of sync by a turn or more.
Mine was fixed under the TSB. But its a simple job. If you have it done for you, be sure the stone shield gets put back on.
There is a TSB on this.
This shaft has a u-joint on each end. The bottom end connects to steering gearbox input. The middle of the shaft has a slider section that is covered by a rubber accordion boot. If you grab this slider section, you can move it sideways back and forth. This is normal. The shaft then goes up through the firewall grommet. At the top end, it connects to the upper steering shaft. Look up under dash and follow shaft up. Above the top u-joint is the pinch-bolt that holds it onto the top shaft. Down at the steering box, there is a black plastic stone shield that hides the lower u-joint, and the lower pinch-bolt. The stone shield has a hole in it for shaft to pass through, and shield snaps onto plastic ring, and also clips over the steel pressure lines. This retains the shield. Shield prevents stones from getting in lower u-joint, or stones locking the shaft by jamming up in there.
If replacing shaft, remember to put the stone shield back on the shaft, before reconnecting. Don't spin steering wheel when disconnected, so that the electrical contact slider module behind wheel doesn't get out of sync by a turn or more.
Mine was fixed under the TSB. But its a simple job. If you have it done for you, be sure the stone shield gets put back on.
#2
05-26-2000, 11:23 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Kalamazoo, MI, USA
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#3
01-26-2017, 02:46 PM
I know this is an old post, but I keep searching the forum and cant find any information. I have a 2002 f150 and the steering box went out on it. I was in the process of taking the old box out and after having everything unbolted I lifted the box up and pulled and the steering shaft came apart. The post above called it a slider section of the shaft. The section of it attached to the steering box just slid right out. The upper part stayed in place. My question is whether or not I can just slide it back in, or do I need a whole new steering shaft. Any help would be great. My first post, but have used this site for years.