I've not been happy with my 2000 van's steering, even after doing all the front end suspension rubber components. Nobody seemed to have an answer, often got told "It's a Dodge thing..."

But I could see there is a problem - when you saw the steering through an arc of about 30 degrees, you could see the movement going into the steering box and nothing coming out. Clearly there was something wrong / worn in there, but the local Chrysler dealer didn't see anything wrong, the local steering and suspension specialist shop didn't see anything wrong, and even my friend the mechanic didn't see anything wrong. "It's a Dodge thing"...

So somebody told me there are specialists out there who rebuild the steering box, and I think they upgrade bearings, and re-engineer the whole thing, etc. and I got in touch with them and ordered a rebuilt box. But my steering problem has been sorted out,and the van drives a lot better. There still is a bit of instability, a sort of lateral sway, which I think is related to the extended van's wheel base, but I can now drive with 1 hand and drink coffee with the other hand and keep the van straight. Might look into aftermarket rear suspension mods now...

Anyway, I just thought I would share this experience with all of you out there who think "It's a Dodge thing" is the way it has to be.

 

That's an interesting bit of information. BTW, how much did you pay for the rebuilt steering gear and how long did it take to get?

 

It was CAD1060 with a 300 core charge when you return the old part, so call it 800 with postage. It took about 2 weeks to get it here, but we are out in the sticks here and things usually take a while :-)

 

Ouch. You could have bought a brand new steering box for less...... Several companies make them......

 

With a 2001 DRV 3500 extended high top I have the same type of problem. When I first started driving it I was very concerned but buying into "it's a Dodge thing" never tried to or knew what to "fix". 2 years later I'm pretty used to it. As a semi passes me on the highway I know it's air "wake" is first going to blow me away from the semi and adjust. Just after I'm passed I get a fairly quick rocking left to right I'm sure is caused by the "wake".
Recently I checked my strut rod bushings and they were pretty bad- could rotate them by hand. I have not put them in yet but ordered Mopar replacements. I found it very interesting that they came with a note from Damian Chrysler that said the bushings were shaped differently than original equipment to improve control. Could OEM strut rod bushings be the cause of that "Dodge thing"?

 

Interesting. I think there are many things that cause it. I had a local private mechanic change all the rubber in the front suspension - at least that's what I asked him. After my new steering box, I am still feeling a slight sway around twisty roads, so I have been excluding the front suspension from my analysis. So, eventually I crawled underneath there and the sway bar bushings and end bushings and upper control arm bushings have not been replaced. So I'll do it myself.

I kinda wonder if these (especially the extended van) have ever been stable on the road?

 

I understand these steering boxes have been re-engineered to finer tolerances and beefed up bearings yadda yadda. But I could not find a new box anywhere, and my searches on this forum only showed responses that you can get maybe a reconditioned one, where they change all the seals, etc. but not the actual gears where the play is. So I went for the big bucks :-)

 

I had loose steering too so I replaced the steering box with a rebuilt unit from Oreillys auto parts. It was not that good and I ended up replacing it again after about 6 months (under warranty). That first one was sloppy after just a short while. Anyhow, the replacement unit was really good and now the van tracks straight down the road with no slop in the steering. It's actually fun to drive again! I did make the mistake of turning the steering wheel too much while it was disconnected from the box. That ripped the cable off under the steering wheel so I had no cruise control function. I ended up taking the unit apart (better known as the clock spring) and soldering the bottom 4 wires of the flat ribbon cable back onto the tabs on the printed circuit board. It's all working great again.

 

I have a general question about the steering gear box. I have a 97 that has front frame rust but the gear box looks ok. Does the gear box sit at an angle or should it be straight up and down flush to the frame rail? Im trying to figure out if my gear box pulled off but on jack stands everything seems not to wiggle - nothing moves when pryed on with a long screw driver.


or move.

 

canyou let us know the name of the company where you bought the steering box from, Im interested also,,,thanks,,,,