New steering box and now this....

[Dutch Rutter]

Got a new steering box installed today.... The shop said my old one was bad (caused sloppy steering) and needed to go. Went to pick it up, and they had the second mechanic driving it to get an impression of the "new" problem.

They say that there is a bad bearing in my steering column that you feel only when turning left.. i think ok, it didn't have that feeling before but ok I guess..

Driving home was.... scary to say the least. Right turns are fine, any left movement from center and turning gives greater resistance then gets easier almost like going over a hump of some kind. But then the steering wheel will NOT come back to center on its own. I manually have to force the wheel from left back over the "hump" then back to center.

I took a video here of the intermediate shaft and what I was seeing rocking the wheel..

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I then pulled the mid shaft out. The column turns super smoothly both ways no problem (with no tension of course). But then I put a bar on the new steering box and was feeling the same resistance then free that I was getting in the wheel..

I plan on taking it back to the shop and telling them what I found. But I was wondering what everyone here thought?

Really tired of constantly going through this crazy over and over again. Bringing "fixes" back to shops gets very old.

Thanks all.

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

Shops, barring a slim minority of exceptions, are 24 karat dipshits. This is par for the course, proof in the pudding. I’ve seen similar behavior in worn out/severely abused Saginaw boxes and also in poorly rebuilt steering sectors in large tractors that needed power assisted steering to be feasible. The “reman” box is a lemon, and it sounds like they blamed it on something else to avoid having to do the work over and warranty claim the part while not billing you the hours again. I would imagine that works with a lot of people that come in there, but if it was me, and you took the shaft out to test it and be sure, I’d go there and tear them a new one tomorrow.

 

[Dutch Rutter]

@1987 GMC Jimmy

Thanks! Really pissed because I feel with the loose steering I was safer on the road then this. Which still wonders along the road but is harder to correct and less predictable. Tomorrow I have to go into work so I'm taking the wife's car and calling them to give the lashing.

We're going to test our their 12 month labor warranty and lifetime part warranty.

I need a local fellow square enthusiast to help me wrench instead of taking it to the shop... I'll even pay in beer!!

 

[Dutch Rutter]

Called them up. Explained what I did, what I felt and what I found. The owner agreed with me and said a bad box is possible or maybe they need to adjust the boxes when they install the new one. He did say normally you don't. I'm kinda skeptical about that.

I told him all I know is that it didn't act like this before and now I'm really concerned driving it over 60. Try and do a small correction to the left and it about jumps into the incoming lane, and has to be fought back to center. But turning to the right is totally fine. And it's only in that one spot, just left of center where it gets screwy.

 

[1987 GMC Jimmy]

This doesn’t sound like a preload problem to me unless it was set way too tight. My logic is that even if it was that, it should have those violent tendencies in both directions. I think it’s an internal problem, and even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t feel comfortable depending on it. I’d say send it back to whoever did it, and let them deal with it.

Where did they source this one from? The NAPA units seem to be way more hit than miss from what people have said on here. I used one in a GMT400 that I sold, and it worked fine. I used one that was sold by BBB Industries, and it was also fine.

I understand wanting help, and that box is heavy for how small it is so it’s difficult to wield into place and tack down, but you do better in the long run finding your own way with fixing what breaks even if that means having to fashion tools to do it yourself. In my short life, depending on other people has always been a fool’s errand, and I’ve developed better skills faster when I have to figure it out myself. If something breaks in the process, you have to fix it, but the more you do it, the less things break or you know how to fix them faster and move on when they do.

 

[Bextreme04]

Any shop that replaced a major steering component and then returned it to you in that condition, either didn't bother to test the repair, or didn't care enough to fix it when it was obviously not correctly repaired. I would definitely make them fix it, and then never use that shop again for anything. I'd also make sure to put a review online and tell anyone I know to not use that shop either.

Steering and brakes are the two components that absolutely MUST be tested after a repair and double checked to make sure they are done right. A steering or brake failure could result in a lot worse than a broken down car on the side of the road, it could result in death.

 

[Snoots]

I forget the real name of it but, there's a 'vane' valve that balances the pressure between left and right and if that's not set properly you get the condition you have.
Get a 're-manufactured' box, not a 're-built' one.

 

[Dutch Rutter]

This box they got from "their normal place" I really have no idea but it must be close as they had it in a few hours. It's supposed to be a reman unit.

Honestly, I have zero idea of what it could be. I do not buy the "stuck or bad bearing in the steering column" as it never did that before the new box. The violent jerking and noise is very concerning. They did have two separate mechanics drive the truck when it was done because they felt something off, but chalked it up to the bad column bearing.

Really it almost feels like it is set way too tight, I've felt that before. But like 1987 gmc Jimmy said above I think it would do that in both directions. Almost like the internal gearing would try and walk over one another. This almost feels as if one of the internal gears has a lump or is larger then all of the others and doesn't mesh right. And there is not really a small left turn anymore its either over and passed the "hump/lump" or not at all. Its a very strange feeling. Something is binding and causing this in only the one spot. And from pulling the intermediate shaft I believe it and the column not to be the culprits.

For all I know it could be something else underneath binding up too. I'm not very experienced with steering components. Which is why I didn't tackle it myself. Well, that and time. Being my DD and an "essential" employee. I originally took it in to get the front end checked out and they called back accusing the box, so I went ahead and let them take care of it.

Bad parts happen, and I get that. They've done well by me in the past and squeezed this in very short notice so I'll give them the chance to make it right. A little loose is livable, this is not.

 

[Dutch Rutter]

Did some more testing on this.. tried tightening and loosening the adjustment bolt some. Problem was still present. I have 1 3/4 turn both ways from straight. Snapped some pictures if anything jumps out as wrong let me know. I was able to re create the noise just by turning the wheel to the left, turning the engine off and letting it go, then manually pulling it back to center. With the truck started I don't hear anything BUT something is definately not right.

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[Bextreme04]

As I said before, this whole thing is unacceptable. The fact that you took them the truck and THEY diagnosed it as a steering box, were paid for the replacement of said box, and then returned a truck that not only drove worse, but dangerously so, completely infuriates me.

You are right that it DOES happen that you get bad parts sometimes. A qualified mechanic or professional shop should have noticed that the part was bad in this way before they even installed it. That they would even think to blame "bad steering shaft bearings" and return the truck to you in that shape is even worse.

Did they not drive it before they diagnosed the steering box as bad? Did the same mechanic not drive it afterwards? You were obviously able to tell right away that it was not right, and as you said, you don't know anything about steering.

Its even worse that you are the one having to do the troubleshooting to find what is actually wrong and fix it. The whole thing just smacks of poor troubleshooting and diagnosis, as well as a complete lack of attention to detail and concern for their patrons on the part of the shop. It isn't just a single oops, this was a complete cluster-f%^& of them using your money to throw parts at a problem that they didn't even bother to troubleshoot properly.

 

[Dutch Rutter]

@Bextreme04

Totally agree. I'm not sure if they were rushed or whatever. But really there should not be any reason to let someone drive something like that off their property. If it was my wife driving the truck I really do not know if she would have been able to get it home. Not like it is super hard or scary to drive (under 45mph. Haven't gotten it over 70 since the work, but 60 is skechy) but when it holds left and you expect it to straighten itself. Bad things can happen and quickly.

My biggest reason of getting things like this fixed is that I want to feel as though she could drive it, if she needed to and not worry about if she can deal with the problems it has and not get into an accident... (she is a terrible driver btw)

Dropped it off this morning explained again what I was feeling. The owner repeatedly said "its a bad box, we have the new one right here. We'll get it in there." I'm thinking they just wanted me out of there.. but I'm not going to accept it back without it being setup and dialed in correctly. Especially after what I paid for them to do it in the first place.

 

[Bextreme04]

Good, I agree with it going back for them to fix it since you already paid... as long as they aren't charging you anything to fix their screwup. What shop did you take it to if you don't mind telling me? I do most of my own work, so it's unlikely I'd have to worry about it, but I do live close to you and have some coworkers that live in Jefferson.

 

[AuroraGirl]

I had brake lines on my park avenue done in december.

All four caliper mounting bolt sets were loose. 1 caliper bracket came off and locked my wheel on the way home from the shop.

Mind you, this is the "good" shop around here,

 

[Dutch Rutter]

Good, I agree with it going back for them to fix it since you already paid... as long as they aren't charging you anything to fix their screwup. What shop did you take it to if you don't mind telling me? I do most of my own work, so it's unlikely I'd have to worry about it, but I do live close to you and have some coworkers that live in Jefferson.

I didn't even notice that. It was James Garage in Albany. Normally a very good place, they've done good work without problems for me in the past.

Got it back last night and it's all fixed up. They said the box they had installed was indeed bad. They replaced it with a second new box im also guessing they adjusted this one as its fantastic. Not super tight, no binding. All of my wondering issues are gone and there is zero to very little play in the steering.

Not as bad as Les Schwab's on South commercial replacing my drag link to later find all of the bolts backing out a week later.. i will never go back to one of them.. Point S gets my business now.

 

[Dutch Rutter]

I had brake lines on my park avenue done in december.

All four caliper mounting bolt sets were loose. 1 caliper bracket came off and locked my wheel on the way home from the shop.

Mind you, this is the "good" shop around here,

Crap happens sometimes but brakes and steering are definitely the most important components to get right. And leaving things loose as well as giving a poorly steering vehicle back to a customer are in my book very bad.

Hopefully no one got hurt or anything got damaged during this and the shop fixed the poor work for you. The worst part is if they then try and deny the problem was their fault.