Steering gear replacement?

[72conv]

Before replacing the steering gear for loose steering or wandering, check three things:

1. First, look at the Steering Coupler (aka Rag Joint) that sends steering column movement to the steering input shaft. If the rag Joint is worn out or looking beat up, that may bed all you need to rebuild or replace.
2. Try adjusting the steering gear (follow shop manual directions) to remove any internal lay due to normal wear.
3. Have the front end alignment checked. In adequate Caster Angle will let a car warder around (it is a Directional Stability Angle). If the Caster Angle is inadequate it may be due to one or more suspension parts needing replacement due to normal or excessive wear.

There are Rag Joint kits available to let you rebuild the Rag Joint, or for many Rag Joints new parts are still available. Be aware, if you have a factory Tilt Wheel option on your Mustang or Cougar, the Rag Joint is likely not the same as for Fixed Wheel Steering Column vehicles. The spline count and design is different.

Good suggestions, all. I replaced the rag joint with a genuine Ford part about 20k miles ago, so I doubt that's the issue. Alignment is perfect. The car tracks straight as an arrow, doesn't wander by itself, and the tires wear normally. Tie rods and ball joints are all fine. New shocks, too. But there is a lot of slop in the steering, typical of a worn-out gearbox.

I'll probably pull the gearbox and send it to Redhead. I'm already planning to send them the steering gear out of my '73 F100. The dentside guys all recommend going with either Redhead or Blue Top, although it appears that Blue Top is closing down their business.

 

[Sheriff41]

Good suggestions, all. I replaced the rag joint with a genuine Ford part about 20k miles ago, so I doubt that's the issue. Alignment is perfect. The car tracks straight as an arrow, doesn't wander by itself, and the tires wear normally. Tie rods and ball joints are all fine. New shocks, too. But there is a lot of slop in the steering, typical of a worn-out gearbox.

I'll probably pull the gearbox and send it to Redhead. I'm already planning to send them the steering gear out of my '73 F100. The dentside guys all recommend going with either Redhead or Blue Top, although it appears that Blue Top is closing down their business.

If you pull the gear and your gear isn't leaking, try going through the procedure to adjust preload. You may find you can do the repair yourself and save time and money.