Steering Box - Help!

[twostick]

The FSM has pretty good guidance on how to "center" the valve assembly. With the wheels centered, the steering wheel should remain still upon start up. If the car self steers at all, loosen the bolts on the valve and tap it one way or the other depending on how the self steering is.

There are special o-rings inside the valve called quad-rings. A cross section of one looks like an "X". Regular o-rings won't fix a leak. Been there, tried that.

I would be hard pressed to accept that steering box back even after they "repair" it. Too many failures there for me.

Hope the input helps.

John

When you are adjusting this, under NO circumstances should you reach through the steering wheel to start the engine. If you slide that cover a fraction of an inch too much up or down it can spin the wheel full left or right as soon as it starts.

The system has enough power to wind you and the steering wheel up in a ball and it will do it instantly. DAMHIK.

Kevin

 

[MrMoparCHP]

I would also like to add that if this is out the car will try to make a u-turn even at highway speed if you were to take your hands off the wheel.


Alan

 

[SF-66TC]

I would also like to add that if this is out the car will try to make a u-turn even at highway speed if you were to take your hands off the wheel.


Alan

DAMMNNNN, I AIN'T TOUCHING DAT THANG!!!

 

[MrMoparCHP]

DAMMNNNN, I AIN'T TOUCHING DAT THANG!!!

I drove a 67 Valiant 360 miles with it out of adjustment with no issues but took care of it soon as I could. This was a car I had just purchased and didn't want to mess with it on the road. The car is drivable but should be set per the manual with the wheels off the ground. I had never adjusted this till then and fixed it with no issues. This is something most should be able to do themselves.


Alan

 

[cantflip]

I can't find this totally acceptable.

Agree... I would be pissed...

 

[saylor]

MrMoparCHP said: ↑
I would also like to add that if this is out the car will try to make a u-turn even at highway speed if you were to take your hands off the wheel.


Alan
Click to expand...
DAMMNNNN, I AIN'T TOUCHING DAT THANG!!!



ah, we have reached the TRY NOT TO DIE part.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I would also like to add that if this is out the car will try to make a u-turn even at highway speed if you were to take your hands off the wheel.


Alan

Like a Toyota! But your gas pedal will be okay.

 

[SF-66TC]

MasterPro Power Steering 502-0106 - Power Steering Gear | O'Reilly Auto Parts

you will be driving by evening.

Wow, that's really inexpensive at $123.99 + $40 (core)! But I really wonder how good these boxes are? Anyone have any actual experience with these rebuilt boxes?

 

[C Body Bob]

I've run in to this. Take a file & knock the edges of the damaged splines. IF the supplier won't help. It helps to have a loose coupler to test fit before you bolt things in.

 

[SF-66TC]

I contacted Steer & Gear with a letter stating my dissatisfaction and disappointment with their workmanship and business practice and requested a Full Refund. Under the circumstances I simply decided not to do business with them. I received a reply back that they will honor my request.

Hopefully this experience will encourage them to step up their game to once again produce the quality work we all expect.

 

[commando1]

I contacted Steer & Gear with a letter stating my dissatisfaction and disappointment with their workmanship and business practice and requested a Full Refund. Under the circumstances I simply decided not to do business with them. I received a reply back that they will honor my request.

Hopefully this experience will encourage them to step up their game to once again produce the quality work we all expect.

So what are you going to do now?

 

[SF-66TC]

So what are you going to do now?

I have two friends who have shops that do a great amount of business with two steering rebuild shops. They contacted them for me however those shops ONLY do the stock rebuild which is the non-resistance feel we all know, love and or hate. Napa no longer can get the police box so that's out and though O'Reilly's has one in stock locally and their pricing is really inexpensive at $123.99 + $40 (core) it's still a stock rebuild.

I'm looking for a box similar to the police box, but there only appears to be two vendors who do that type of rebuild and they just happen to be Steer & Gear and Firm Feel. Since Steer & Gear is out for me then that just leaves Firm Feel. Saforwardlook said his experience was 8 years ago - though I highly respect his input (after all I went with S&G), 8 years was a long time ago. Based on my experience with the quality of Firm Feels products (Tubular Control Arms, RCD Bilstein Shocks and FF Rear Sway Bar), I'm hoping that within the past 8 years much has changed and improved within their rebuild dept. I spoke to Matt at FF last week (without mentioning S&G) and after our talk felt confident they would do a good job. If they don't, I'll just have to settle with O'Reilly's.

So, since there's slim pickings in firm feel rebuild vendors I'm willing to take the bullet for everyone and be the guinea pig. Even though FF has rebuilt boxes in stock, I'm going to send them my box to rebuild. Perhaps Firm Feel can redeem themselves of Saforwardlook's dark cloud!

 

[saforwardlook]

I have two friends who have shops that do a great amount of business with two steering rebuild shops. They contacted them for me however those shops ONLY do the stock rebuild which is the non-resistance feel we all know, love and or hate. Napa no longer can get the police box so that's out and though O'Reilly's has one in stock locally and their pricing is really inexpensive at $123.99 + $40 (core) it's still a stock rebuild.

I'm looking for a box similar to the police box, but there only appears to be two vendors who do that type of rebuild and they just happen to be Steer & Gear and Firm Feel. Since Steer & Gear is out for me then that just leaves Firm Feel. Saforwardlook said his experience was 8 years ago - though I highly respect his input (after all I went with S&G), 8 years was a long time ago. Based on my experience with the quality of Firm Feels products (Tubular Control Arms, RCD Bilstein Shocks and FF Rear Sway Bar), I'm hoping that within the past 8 years much has changed and improved within their rebuild dept. I spoke to Matt at FF last week (without mentioning S&G) and after our talk felt confident they would do a good job. If they don't, I'll just have to settle with O'Reilly's.

So, since there's slim pickings in firm feel rebuild vendors I'm willing to take the bullet for everyone and be the guinea pig. Even though FF has rebuilt boxes in stock, I'm going to send them my box to rebuild. Perhaps Firm Feel can redeem themselves of Saforwardlook's dark cloud!

I truly hope they can indeed redeem themselves, or else we are all out in the cold. Increasingly, it seems, quality products are hard to find, except in the new vehicle auto industry. The average guy with a small shop is struggling to just meet expenses anymore and therefore morale is down. Most people do not have much extra money to spend on discretionary purchases anymore so business is down for the vendors we rely on. Our political system is in sore need of a major overhaul.

 

[commando1]

I knew it!!! Lack of decent Mopar steering boxes is Obama's fault!

 

[Big_John]

I truly hope they can indeed redeem themselves, or else we are all out in the cold. Increasingly, it seems, quality products are hard to find, except in the new vehicle auto industry. The average guy with a small shop is struggling to just meet expenses anymore and therefore morale is down. Most people do not have much extra money to spend on discretionary purchases anymore so business is down for the vendors we rely on. Our political system is in sore need of a major overhaul.

Having been a small business owner myself..... The biggest issue is getting good help. The work "ethic" that was the norm is now hard to find. You can blame politics all you want, but we as a nation, have shot ourselves in the foot and are taking aim at the other foot as we speak.

Everyone wants something for nothing. Want an education in people? Do some job interviews sitting on the hiring side of the desk. I got some stories....

But I digress....

I looked up the company profile and it looks like they have about 35 employees and gross about $5 million a year.That's small enough that this should not have happened, but big enough that the guys in the front office won't be able to catch everything.

The shop here has really screwed up. The steering box was obviously bad when shipped. **** happens... Anything could have happened from the tech not doing the job right to the guy on the dock mixing up the incoming cores with the outgoing rebuilds. A burred up output shaft is the first clue that something went wrong. I could understand if the nick was there, but the splines were dressed down with a file. That's still a usable part, although I would be surprised that they would use it on a "firm feel" steering box that someone is paying a premium for.

IMHO, the shop is trying to do the right thing. I'd bet that the steering box was dropped or otherwise mishandled by someone that didn't know or didn't care. They chipped the spline and knocked the valve body out of alignment and put it back on the shelf. That goes back to the issue of "not getting good help".

I would give them the chance to make it right. They've apologized and offered to correct the mistake. It sucks that it happened and it's a black eye for them that may stop others here from ordering from them. It's easy for us to sit back and criticize, but it's another to run a small business dealing with customers and employees.

 

[saforwardlook]

I knew it!!! Lack of decent Mopar steering boxes is Obama's fault!

I would say the real problem is our congressional representatives who are on the take to finance their political campaigns. Or at least part of the problem. Big John has a very valid point about this country's work ethic, but I wonder how much of that is due to the above? But we don't need another political discussion again, either.

 

[saylor]

im flyin the vatozone orielies rebuild unit - it is stock OEM replacement - no stage I/II/III, no HP or HD model, or anything.

i like it.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I guess I am going to have to learn how to rebuild my own like everything else never let your working parts out of sight or I get a cored out original that was worse that mine, my list just grows longer.

 

[Zymurgy]

I don't know how I missed your thread. So sorry for you bad experience. I would have never thought they would have let this happen.

They are a bigger company than I realized. I picked up mine in person on a Saturday when they were closed. The owner actually came in since their 9-5 hours wasn't convenient for me.

I talked to him about his business, this was 2 years ago, and ironically he mentioned the toughest thing was finding good help. He said he had an excellent core of employees that had been there for years, but he was always going though a few guys every year. Looks like you got one of his flunkies to work one your steering box.

Good luck with Feel firm.

 

[commando1]

I guess I am going to have to learn how to rebuild my own like everything else never let your working parts out of sight or I get a cored out original that was worse that mine, my list just grows longer.

I've thought often of going that route (DIY) but what happens when you open the thing up and it's just plain worn out? Besides the seals and minor stuff, are the main components still available or do you just move on to yet another box and roll the dice again.