1999 Dodge Ram Truck (4x2) Steering Box Seals

From : dave young

Q: i just found that the seal for the output shaft pitman shaft on the steering box of my truck is leaking pretty badly. can someone tell me how hard a job it is to replace the seal i have a factory service manual and it doesnt give any instructions for replacing the seal. and because of the power steering i know that theres some high pressure involved. i can pick up a rebuilt unit from napa for a bit over $200 i dont mind trying to replace the seal if ive got a good probability of success and i dont mind replacing the whole box if thats the wiser choice; i only want to do the job once its darned cold outside - northern new york. opinions thanks dave young .

Replies:

From : dave young

thank you both for your answers. ive worked with hydraulic equipment before and it can be a pain especially if you dont have the special tools. and like tbone said what made the seal go bad to begin with ive never had a seal on a steering box in all my years of driving. i do have a pitman arm remover ive replaced the pitman arm on this truck so although ive never replaced a steering box i shouldnt have a problem replacing the box. again my thanks for you both taking the trouble to write. sincerely dave young dave young wrote i just found that the seal for the output shaft pitman shaft on the steering box of my truck is leaking pretty badly. can someone tell me how hard a job it is to replace the seal i have a factory service manual and it doesnt give any instructions for replacing the seal. and because of the power steering i know that theres some high pressure involved. i can pick up a rebuilt unit from napa for a bit over $200 i dont mind trying to replace the seal if ive got a good probability of success and i dont mind replacing the whole box if thats the wiser choice; i only want to do the job once its darned cold outside - northern new york. opinions thanks dave young .

From : tbone

i just found that the seal for the output shaft pitman shaft on the steering box of my truck is leaking pretty badly. can someone tell me how hard a job it is to replace the seal i have a factory service manual and it doesnt give any instructions for replacing the seal. and because of the power steering i know that theres some high pressure involved. i can pick up a rebuilt unit from napa for a bit over $200 i dont mind trying to replace the seal if ive got a good probability of success and i dont mind replacing the whole box if thats the wiser choice; i only want to do the job once its darned cold outside - northern new york. opinions thanks iirc that seal is a two piece pita that for the most part requires special tools to properly remove and install. first there is the outer grease seal that you see and under that is a snap ring backup washer and then the actual seal. one way to get it off is to remove the pitman arm pry out the grease seal remove the snap ring and backup washer then put a catch pan under the gear start the engine and turn the steering wheel all the way to the left. that should cause the pressure in the gear to push the seal out but putting the new one back in still requires special tools to reinstall it. you could attempt to drive the new one back in with a large deep socket but it could crimp it. then there is the reason as to why it failed to begin with. if the sector shaft is pitted the new seal wont last long either. your best and easiest bet is simply to replace the steering gear. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving .

From : tom lawrence

tools. and like tbone said what made the seal go bad to begin with ive never had a seal on a steering box in all my years of driving. i do have a pitman arm remover ive replaced the pitman arm on this truck so although ive never replaced a steering box i shouldnt have a problem replacing the box. sorry to jump in here late... ive done both and while the new seal kit isnt too bad to install usually its worn/leaking becase the roller bearing that the sector shaft rides in is worn allowing the shaft to wobble and causing the seal to fail. replacing the steering box is usually the better of the two options. as you said replacing the box is pretty simple. youll have a pinch bolt holding the intermediate shaft to the box two hydraulic lines to remove the pitman arm to come off sounds like you have the puller for that job and three bolts that hold it to the frame rail. its all fairly straight-forward. once the box is out blow out the lines with some compressed air to clear out all the old fluid especially if you have a power steering cooler - if you do itll be a little rectangular finned cooler mounted up underneath the core support - follow the return hose. id fill the resevoir up to the top with fresh fluid stick the supply line in a bucket/bottle and crank the engine briefly to flush the fluid through the lines. not that your old fluid is bad but why start off a new steering box with old fluid when you re-assemble hook everything up fill the resevoir leave the cap off put the front wheels up on jackstands start the engine and cycle the steering from lock to lock about 10 times then check for foam in the resevoir. if theres foam shut the engine off any let it settle then re-fill and continue cycling the steering. once you do this about 20 times lock to lock all the air should be purged out. fill to the cold full level on the dipstick and youre set. .

From : roy

i just found that the seal for the output shaft pitman shaft on the steering box of my truck is leaking pretty badly. can someone tell me how hard a job it is to replace the seal i have a factory service manual and it doesnt give any instructions for replacing the seal. and because of the power steering i know that theres some high pressure involved. i can pick up a rebuilt unit from napa for a bit over $200 i dont mind trying to replace the seal if ive got a good probability of success and i dont mind replacing the whole box if thats the wiser choice; i only want to do the job once its darned cold outside - northern new york. opinions thanks dave young iirc its not a big deal if you have a puller to remove the pitman are. i would mark everything before your take it off. also i believe there is a preload issue to deal with as well. i think your fsm would address that. or perhaps others here will jump in. .