Gettin nervous

[mrbear3800]

The big steering gear job is almost upon me.

I don't have a garage where I'm living right now so I'm headed home to the parents house memorial day weekend to do the job.

Anyone on here ever do this job?? Any unexpected problems that you ran into??

I can't wait to get this done, my current one is garbage. Got a nice Ford rebuilt 97-02 HPP gear sittin in the living room along with new lines, P/S pump w/new EVO valve and pitman arm.

[p71towny]

Should be fine, but you will always run into shit I've found anyway.

[mrbear3800]

Did the job with mixed results. Newly rebuilt Ford 97-02 HPP gear, lines and pump.

The actual install went pretty well excpet for some headaches with swapping the P/S pulley over to the new pump. Shit rental tool kept "skipping" when pressing the pulley on, which took forvever. The stud for the tool that screws into the pump shaft broke but I think I had the pulley on all the way. Not totally sure about that but it works so far.

The steering gear swap went fairly easy. What I found strange was the steering wheel was always off center to the left several degrees before the job. After the new gear was in, it was off several degrees to the right. A trip to the alignment shop got the wheel dead straight. The toe settings were WAY off.

The old gear was so worn that the variable power steering system never really did much. I think the EVO valve on the old pump was also not working. With the new gear, its definetly working but I think the EVO valve on the new pump is sticking as when I do 70mph or more and then slow down, the steering effort stays WAY too high after slowing down, such as when taking an off ramp. It will suddenly kick back in when I'm almost stopped or I pull on the wheel hard enough. I have the EVO module unhooked for now so it steering fine although with too much boost.

My main concern is there's now some play in the steering on center. Its more noticable the faster I go. It didn't do this before the job. Its about 1 to 1.5 inches in either direction. Its irratating as I have to sorta chase the steering a bit as I cruise down the road. Could it be the newly Ford rebuilt steering gear? I thought perhaps it's something in the steering shafts but it didn't do this with the old gear.

I'm still having problems with the wheel not coming back to center all the way after making a turn.

Even so, overall the steering feels better than before, even with the EVO disabled. Feels firmer and more controlled.

[mrbear3800]

Oops. Just realized I should have put this in the suspension forum. Feel free to move it....

[Johnnyiroc]

The power steering pump is mounted on the 4.6 engine......I think it is fine here.

[mrbear3800]

Indeed it is. I was thinking of the gear but sounds good to me.

Where is everyone, hungover in bed???

[Johnnyiroc]

Yes very much so.