Failing steering box symptoms?

[Daveo91Burb]

What are the symptoms of a dying power steering box? My symptoms: a creaking or popping sound and feel when I take off or come to a stop. It will often creak 2-3 times in quick succession, especially when truck is warmed and and I have been driving it for awhile. Although we had some freezing weather a week or so ago and it was doing it as soon as I started driving it cold then. It is worse when turning, but it will do it taking off or stopping straight, too. Steering otherwise is pretty good, for a 24 year old, 3/4 ton, straight axle 4wd. My first thought would be ball joints but they are new, PO replaced them and they are nice and tight. Spring bushings were replaced then, too, and shocks look pretty new. I feel the creaking at my feet where the steering box is and the truck has 192K on it. No idea if box has been replaced, but I'd guess not. I have a 1990 parts burb (also 3/4 ton and 4wd) so I may just put that box in for now. That rig only has 115K on it. What do you guys think?

 

[Mr Clean]

Check to see if your frame is cracked around your steering box.

 

[Daveo91Burb]

I have looked at that but I probably need to do a better job scraping away crud to really make sure there are no cracks. Can they be repaired if they are cracked?

 

[Daveo91Burb]

I looked at the frame tonight in a little more detail - I'm 99% sure it is not cracked. I'm guessing most likely place for it to crack would be just behind the steering box and it's definitely not cracked there.

 

[Mr Clean]

Yes they can be repaired, Weld it back up, and just about everyone...IE...LMC, Brothers, and any 4x4 shop makes plates to stiffen up the frame. I would look around the frame at the mounting holes. Have you put a socket on it, to see if it just needs to be tightened up?

 

[Mr Clean]

The reason I don't think it's your steering box, You would feel it in your hands at the steering wheel, not your feet. It would be hard to turn, make a snapping, grinding noise when you turn. I would also check your springs, you said the bushings were replaced? I would still check them, check your front shackles, check your U bolts, if there has been front end work done to it, the bolts just might need to be re tightened.

 

[Mr Clean]

One more thing , jack the front wheels off the ground, grab the tire, and move it around, if it moves up and down, or side to side, you could be needing upper and lower ball joints. Check to see if you wheels have come loose, do you have aluminum or steel wheels? I had a truck years ago, the studs were bad, or the lug nuts were wrong, but they kept getting loose on me, I finally had enough of tightening the bastards up, (every couple of days) so one day replaced all the studs, and put new lug nuts on, never had the problem again.

 

[Daveo91Burb]

Thanks for all the pointers. Pretty sure it's not ball joints since they're pretty new and the wheels have no play when jacked off the ground, but I'll check all the other suggestions, especially loose spring bushings and loose steering gear mounting bolts. Yeah an internal steering gear problem would seem pretty weird since it steers pretty good and there are no severe noises when turning.

 

[VAL]

What are the symptoms of a dying power steering box? My symptoms: a creaking or popping sound and feel when I take off or come to a stop. It will often creak 2-3 times in quick succession, especially when truck is warmed and and I have been driving it for awhile. Although we had some freezing weather a week or so ago and it was doing it as soon as I started driving it cold then. It is worse when turning, but it will do it taking off or stopping straight, too. Steering otherwise is pretty good, for a 24 year old, 3/4 ton, straight axle 4wd. My first thought would be ball joints but they are new, PO replaced them and they are nice and tight. Spring bushings were replaced then, too, and shocks look pretty new. I feel the creaking at my feet where the steering box is and the truck has 192K on it. No idea if box has been replaced, but I'd guess not. I have a 1990 parts burb (also 3/4 ton and 4wd) so I may just put that box in for now. That rig only has 115K on it. What do you guys think?

My truck had those symptoms also. After an extensive examination of all the steering and suspension components, it turned out to be the steering box. Have someone get in the running truck, and watch the output shaft of the steering box as the steering wheel is turned to and fro. The popping and the creaking is from the output shaft moving in and out(not much, but enough to where it makes a popping & creaking sound), instead of just rotating like its supposed to do. My guess its worn out somewhere, where the output shaft meets the worm gear. Well, that's what it did on my truck anyways. I replaced the box, and whoala, no more popping or creaking noises. Hope this helps you.

 

[Daveo91Burb]

I checked the front spring bushings tonight - they were a little loose. Tightened 'em up and hopefully that will solve the problem. Couldn't drive it tonight because I have the dash apart right now, but it'll be back together in a few days. I also tightened the upper pivot bolts on the shackles at the back of the front springs. Do the bearings for those pivots ever fail? (At least I think they ride on bearings...) Steering box bolts were nice and tight. Next step will be to swap in the box from my parts burb but I'm all about the easy answer if the bolt tightening takes care of it! Thanks for all the help.

 

[MadOgre]

Those are bushings too

 

[marks86]

http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm