Steering Box Adjustment

ANYTHING TO DO WITH STEERING, FROM STOCK TO RACK AND PINION UPGRADES
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Fingaluna
I am merely driving my van
I am merely driving my van
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Steering Box Adjustment

Post by Fingaluna »

Hey all,

The steering on my van is pretty dodgy...

Tires are good - TKO's with less than 5k on them.
Idlers have been checked and are good.

Stealership says rear leaf springs are shot, they want $1,000 for the parts plus the install... I plan to get a set of new Overland springs in a month or so.

Lifted posted some pics of a steering box adjustment screw on AstroSafari.com before the board went down. Does anyone have pics of the adjustment screw?

Also, as I am getting my local shop to do this, does anyone have a recommendation as to how to properly set this screw? Something like, screw in all the way and back-off 3.5 turns... I have heard the suggestion that I should turn it in by 1/4 turn increments and test, but that might be tricky with the shop - On the lift, down, drive, on the lift, down drive...

Can I get to the screw without lifting the van??? I have those drive-up ramps which lift the van about 12" off the ground, but I don't really want to go that route as there is tons of soggy white stuff on the ground right now, just got 14" yesterday. :-({|= If I can access the screw without having to put on a lift, can anyone suggest which side to attack it from? Port or Starboard?

Thanks all!

LiftedAWDAstro
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by LiftedAWDAstro »

Hey Matt, got your Pm but will answer here. I tried looking around as I thought I posted those pics here somewhere! :-s

Here are the pics...

Image

Image

The steering box is located on the driver side and can be accessed from underneath with just enough room to get under the front end. What I have done in the past is to use a floor jack and lift under the front cross member. This is definitely something you can do at home and not pay a shop to do.

Loosen the locking nut by holding the center allen screw. Once the nut is loose, hold it with the wrench and turn the allen screw in 1/4 to 1/2 turn. Lock the lock nut down and test drive. If you turn it in too much the steering will be tight and not return to center easily.
Current rides:
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2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition

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Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
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Water Boy
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by Water Boy »

LiftedAWDAstro wrote:.... If you turn it in too much the steering will be tight and not return to center easily.
So THAT is why I have to steer it back to center ! ! !
But, at least the steering slop is gone.
I was told getting my beauty sleep was a waste of time.

1990 Astro (Z motor) mostly original @ 343,584 miles (552,944.8488960001 Canadian) (03/2008). Bad startup puff. Starting to spray for skeeters. Gone 06/07/08.
1993 Astro with a bad W motor. Parked next to a chicken coop in Talking Rock GA
I'm 'tween Canton and Holly Springs (North NorthWest of Atlanta GA)
I haul bottled water everyday- between 500 and 2500 pounds (226.796185 and 1,133.980925 Canadian) INSIDE the van.

Topic author
Fingaluna
I am merely driving my van
I am merely driving my van
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by Fingaluna »

OK guys, I took the plunge (into the snowbank) and did this.

Wasn't too hard to get under the front bumper. Would have been no trouble at all if the snow wasn't deep.

The locknut was very stiff. Used a large ratchet arm with a 5/8" bit to "crack" it (less than 1/16th of a turn).
Locknut then moved freely.
Allen key used was a 3/16".
Used a 5/8" spanner to loosen the locknut slightly, while holding adjustment bolt steady with the allen key.
Had to loosen the locknut roughly 1/2 turn to get free enough play on the adjustment bolt.
Turned the adjustment bolt in 3/4 of a turn with the allen key, while holding locknut steady.
Then tightened the locknut while holding the adjustment bolt steady with the allen key.

Overall took 5 minutes to do. Would have been a little easier if the van was lifted a bit, but not by much.

Result: The sloppy steering is better. The van still wanders a bit, which I think is because of the rear-end, but now, when I adjust the steering wheel to keep the van straight, I don't end up over-steering, so this has helped quite a bit. The steering wheel doesn't come back as much as I would like, so I will likely go back and revert the adjustment by 1/4 turn, but not until I get the new springs in at the back.

Thanks Lifted! :prayer:

ihatemybike
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by ihatemybike »

Green's steering box developed play that could not be corrected using the adjusting screw. I could turn the wheel 1/16 of a rotation before the rest of the steering components moved. Solution was to replace the box, since Green is RWD I upgraded to a quick ratio FE2 box, much more fun in traffic.
Aaron

2005 Astro (Gandalf) - AWD, 4.3L, 3.42, 130k+ miles
1997 Astro (Grumpy - $250 Rally Van) - AWD, 4.3L, 3.42, LSD, 2" lift, 31" tires, 335k+ orig engine, $30 eBay fuel pump
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sfeaver
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by sfeaver »

Has anyone noticed the hiss noise when their box is loose? I replaced my FE2 box with an rebuilt FE2 one, and it was tight for only a thousand miles at most. And started hissing.

I'd send it back for a new one, but since the weather is crummy and my garage isnt done yet, do you think adjusting it would fix the hiss as well as tighten it up. It is pretty loose now, hard to keep it going straight in the wind!

Thanks,
Scott

astrozam
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by astrozam »

Only ever noticed a hiss when fluid was low,wouldn't hurt to tighten er up a bit,but wait till this -20 (without the wind-chill) blows away.

Spike99
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by Spike99 »

.

Many thanks for Astro/Safari steering box pictures and where to adjust its adjustment screw. Much appreciated.

For my 2001 AWD Safari, I had to access its steering box by coming down from the top. For my AWD, I found it was best to:
- Remove its air filter plastic box.
- Remove its air breather hose.
- Remove its upper plastic schroud.
- Remove its lower plastic schroud.
Note: It was a pain to remove the plastic schroud without hurting its rad but if one takes their time, it can be done.
- After the above tasks, the streering box screw can easily be accessed (from top down).

I adjusted the screw and it seemed to remove 50% of the "sloppy play" within its steering box. She doesn't always `return to zero` postion after taking a corner. Thus, I know its adjustment screw is tight (a little too tight) as possible. Since we plan to sell our van in 2 years, it isn't worth getting its gear box changed. Especially since our van is only used for trailer pulling and "long haul" family trips. Or, when the winter roads are really bad. Expensive Gas affordability thing.

Just wanted to thank the folks who provided their steering box adjustment pictures and supporting info. Much appreciated.

.
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Kabey's Van
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by Kabey's Van »

The adjustment screw on the steering box is for adjusting the gear lash between the input and output shafts.
When a steering box is new this screw is used for the "fine adjustment" of the meshing of these two shafts.
If your steering box has developed a sloppy feel, it is because it has wore out and there is play in the meshing of the two shafts.
What you are doing by adjusting this screw is applying pressure to one side of the play in the mesh of the gears and upsetting the proper mesh of the two shafts. Whether it be a new box or a worn out one you will get the same result, improperly meshed gears.
It may feel a bit better, but by doing this you will accelerate the deterioration of the internal parts as the shafts are now binding against each other and that's why it's having difficulty returning to centre.
If your box is wore out replace it, as it is the second most important part on any vehical, brakes being the first.
Peter

hosovac
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by hosovac »

thanks for the info,just replaced all ball joints and tie rods(all original 359990kms) wheel still sloppy will try adjustment when I get home
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doyoulikeithere
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Re: Steering Box Adjustment

Post by doyoulikeithere »

Are Rebuilt Steering Boxes Expensive?
2021 Yamaha Tenere 700 - Blue.
2016 Yamaha XSR900 - Silver.
1990 Astro - AWD - Brown.
1987 Astro - With 5 Speed & 4wd - Silver & Blue.
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