I just relplaced the power steering gear box in my 99 5.2. Couldn’t believe how easy it was to take out, so I figured putting it back in would be a breeze. Definitely wrong, I can’t get the linkage back onto the box to save my life. This is as far as I can get it to go down, is this even correct? Does it go all the way down?

https://imgur.com/a/Vf4d2sh

 

Nope, the bolt hole needs to go down so the bolt rides in that groove cut in the shaft coming out of the gear box. I *think* the splines are finicky about how they line up..... Though it looks like it has started on there fairly well......

 

Any tip on getting it in there more lol, I have tried all my might to get them down and they will not go

 

Take it back off, clean it to within an inch or its life. make sure the splines on the box are clean to. Even the paint will give you grief. Smear some anti-seize, or grease on it as well, and make sure the splines aren't keyed. (sometimes there will be a 'slot' in the splines that you have to line up.

Also, be careful you don't let the steering wheel free spin, that'll trash the clockspring in short order.

 

Yeah there’s a flat spot that you line up with, I already have the wheel tied up so it isn’t moving. Just gonna have to give it another to in the am.

 

Ok it’s on, I noticed the pump comes with fluid in it, do I have to bleed this system? If so how do I go about doing that? Loosen a line until nothing but straight fluid comes out?

 

Jack up the front end, both front tires off the ground. Fill the p/s reservoir, start the engine. Shut it back off, recheck fluid level, top it off. Start engine and turn steering wheel from lock to lock several times. Shut off engine. Check fluid. Top it off. If it's foamy, let the truck sit for 30 minutes, for the air to work its way out of the fluid. Keep doing that until the fluid level stays where it should be, and the fluid is not foamy. Generally takes 3 or 4 iterations of sitting and waiting for it to be clean.

 

Should really turn lock to lock a couple dozen times with the engine OFF. Then check and start it.

 

I like to have the fluid circulating when I do it.....