Steering box issues.

[ZOOK92]

Before the search nazi's get me, i have looked. I have a good 1/4 turn in my steering before anything happpens. It is not the shaft in any way, and it appears that it is within the box itself. I have adjusted it, its just it is no better. It is rebuilable? Is there a part which goes in it that may have worn? Thanks for the help.

[bazooked]

what kinda box?, also chek ur pitman arm, there is 2 adjusters on there aswell the 1st 1 ya can get to easy it has a screw with a locking nut, the second is on the main shaft, like a big nut on the out side, that 1 is a pita to do if ya havent got the tools.

[zooker]

i know u said it wasnt the shaft, but have u taken it off and checked the coupler on the end of the shaft that goes onto the steering box spline. On mine all the spline inside had stripped out so it turned freely possibly from not being put back on tight enough, the only thing that kept steering the car was the bolt(which holds the coupler to the box) catching on the edge of the spline after about about 1/4 of a turn.

[ZOOK92]

I have not actually removed the shaft to look at ,i must confess, but zooker, are you saying that where the shaft goes from the steering column into the box was worn, or the actual splines in the box were worn?
Were you able to repair it, or is it a replaceable part.

[v840]

It might also be worth checking all the bushes in the steering system if you havent already.

[zooker]

im talking about the end part of the shaft that goes over the spline on the steering box. I just got one from a wrecker, i doubt you could repair it.

[mud4b]

the best way to check if its your box (especially since you have adjusted it) is to remove the whole box.

turn it by hand and feel for notchiness.

you can only adjust the box so much as it is only a one shaft adjustment, not both shafts. after this it starts to wear the worm drive then its really a throw in the bin job.

[ZOOK92]

I had a really good look at it last night, and as i turned the wheel, the pitman arm followed suit. Where it had all the movement was in the bush on the steering stabiliser. So I in turned took it of, and it did not move at all, appeared to have no internal pressure. So now my question is, is this suppose to act like a normal shock absorber, or has some form of special power that it does not require pressure in it. As i am guessing it requires replacement, do I just go an original one, or one of the fancy return to centre styles.

[muppet_man67]

no pressure as in it didn't extend? or you can just flop it in and out? they wont automaticly extend like a normal shock becuse otherwise it would cause your car to pull to one side all the time. Im also interested as to opinions on return to center dampners as opposed to a good aftermarket one.

[ZOOK92]

No, it had literally no pressure at all, almost like it was empty of fluid. As Muppet_man67 asked, has anyone had any experience with the return to centre dampner?

[=SKB=]

I have a return to centre dampner which leaks a bit but because of the spring on it still works quite well. The dampner wouldn't cause the problems you have though imo. When I got a blueslip I had about 3-4 inches of turn in the wheel before anything moved. Turned out to be a combination of drag link ball joint, tie rod joint (where drag link bolts), and steering box play. I replaced the drag link and tie rod, and jacked the front off the ground to adjust the steering box up. Not sure where I read it but jacking the front wheels off the ground works well when adjusting the steering box. I now have less then an inch of play in the wheel and a registered Zook. Hope you find the problem.

[jono_785]

hey guys, back to mud4b's comment, i am sure this is a dumb question but how do i adjust the box? i got a fair bit of movement in the box before the pitman moves?

[MART]

I have a return to centre steering damper on my zuk , with 35's and it works awesome , Cheers Paul.

[Nev]

I've also got a RTC dampner in the stock location on the zook and it is awesome...highly recommend one! Was running an Old Man Emu before this and there is just no comparison...absorbs so much more kickback when going through dips, potholes etc. on the road.

[timthev8man]

I sell fully reconditioned boxes for $145 exchange or $185 outright. Tim