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Lower Steering Shaft Replacement Options
- Thread starter Wildman
- Start date
It is stout, but mine popped terribly , and mic'd wrong on the collar for the collar's clam type bearing , so I went back to stock and it's all good.
It was too small for the needle bearing , smaller than my stock shaft collar diameter ..no idea why
And you can install them wrong , several ways , careful extended the slip joint into the spherical rotation of u joint .
OP
Ouch... no crown option for the 03-06, Mopar is 475.... I think I just need the lower u-joint (it's a source of a lot of noise).... any other options?
OP
Red Rock OffRoad offers a custom one for a Hemi swap that is only $96 and uses two heim joints.
https://www.redrock4wd.com/tjlj-skinny-steering-kit
I'm ordering one right now and can let you know what I think about it in about 7-10 days.
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Yes there is. If you would like an excuse to do a little upgrading. You can remove to problem prone Mercedes Steering box and install a saginaw style box (durango, PSC) This allows you to use the 97-02 lower steering shaft.
You also need to use p/s lines from a 97-02 also.
I did this about 7 years ago when the pitman shaft on my mercedes box snapped.
To expand on this, the 97-02 box or the Durango box are not bolt on. The frame needs to be modified for them to fit. The PSC box for 03-06 is a bolt in.
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I scrolled through and didn’t see my question addressed and didn’t want to start a new thread so...should I replace both the upper and lower shaft or is the lower portion with the bearing the part that contributes to steering issues?
OP
It's normally the lower that has the parts that go bad.
What steering issues are you having?
It started off as death wobble but after replacing many parts I’ve got it down to a shimmy with about 2” of slop in the wheel. The parts I replaced/upgraded were needed so it wasn’t a “throw some parts at it” kind of deal. From what I’ve found in my search, it seems the Mopar shaft is the better choice so I’m leaning towards that one barring some better info from y’all. Thanks for responding so quick.
OP
I don't think a bad bushing on the steering shaft would cause a shimmy unless the u-joints on the shaft are bad. You need to get someone to help you out.
Have them wiggle/rotate the steering wheel while you look to see where that slop is at.
Have them wiggle/rotate the steering wheel while you look to see where that slop is at.
Yeah I did that. When we turned the wheel, the steering box would move after the steering wheel had moved. When we just moved the steering wheel in the slop area, it was just isolated to the steering wheel and not the steering box. That’s what made me lean towards the bearing in the shaft being bad. The wobble, shimmy, and slop was more pronounced after I put 33”s on.
OP
That bushing can be totally shot and it's not gunna wobble or anything . The bushing is just to support the steering shaft.
Mine was melted from the headers on my V-8 and all I noticed was a little rough as the steering wheel rotated.
You need to find out what is moving as the steering wheel turns and why the shaft isn't turning.
Mine was melted from the headers on my V-8 and all I noticed was a little rough as the steering wheel rotated.
You need to find out what is moving as the steering wheel turns and why the shaft isn't turning.
Oh I gotcha...I see what you’re saying. I’ll check that tomorrow morning and see what I can see in there. Maybe a bolt is loose or something?
Okay so I found that when I turn the steering wheel in the slop area, the entire shaft is moving, as well as, the steering box. It’s a new/refurbished box but I’ve heard they can crap out fairly quickly. Does it sound like that’s the case? If so, is there a better, heavy duty steering box that can handle bigger tires? Thanks for the help!
Im having a similar issue aswell. Everything steering related is new including the box. I have a good 2” of dead space in the wheel, but I can see the upper shaft rotating. The lower however i cant really tell, but that entire shaft assembly is the only thing that hasnt been worked on yet. Im on 33’s aswell.
I’d lean toward the gearbox on that much dead space, but may be wrong, good to check those connections, the steering wheel diameter magnifies any play for sure
So, I've replaced everything steering related in my 06 except the shafts, and still have a bit of a wobble problem (significantly better than it was though). The input shaft on the old gearbox was chewed to absolute hell when I took it out, so I can only assume the shaft was as well. (my dumb ass didn't check as I had to get to work after installing the box).
I wanted to throw a Mopar shaft in to replace it but I can't seem to find one anywhere, are they even available anymore? Or am I gonna have to dump my wallet for the Borgeson?
I wanted to throw a Mopar shaft in to replace it but I can't seem to find one anywhere, are they even available anymore? Or am I gonna have to dump my wallet for the Borgeson?