hello I'm new here. I have a 1997 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 short box which had quite a bit of steering play and the previous owners let the front hubs completely fell apart before they quit driving it. Now this is what I've put into it for front end parts:

upper ball joints - both sides
lower ball joints - both sides
new hubs - both sides
new U joints - both sides
new stabilizer links and bushings
brand new track bar

( tie rod ends were okay )
Now this is the problem. There is about a 1/4 turn in the steering wheel of play which makes the truck tend to wander left to right or vice versa. When the front axle is up on jack stands and I turn the steering shaft on the top of the gear box, there is almost half a revolution of turn before the pitman arm moves. When the vehicle is on the ground and you turn the steering wheel agressively from left to right with the vehicle not running, I can hear a clicking noise inside the steering gear box. When I looked at the pitman arm, it did not seem to be lose or to have any play, but I will check again tomorrow. Any thoughts anybody?

Any ideas will be appreciated.
Thanks
AMP

 

Check the DIY section for Steering Gear box adjustment. That is only a partial procedure, but to do the whole thing, requires removing the gear box from the truck. That procedure is detailed in the Service Manual, the 2001 version of which is also available on the DIY section. (see link at top of this forum.)

Other (more expensive) alternative, is to replace the steering gear box......