Manual Steering Box Help

I've got about 2 to 3 inches of loose play in my steering wheel. I've talked to several people (including the previous owner of my rig) who say to tighten the screw on top of the steering box. I've also had a friend tell me that's a bad idea because of possible damage to the box. Anyone had this problem? How did you tighten it or did you just replace the box? Any and all help is appreciated.

I'd say rebuild it.... but easier said than done....<br><br>I've also read mixed things about tightening the bolt on top. if you do it too much it could mess it up.. and so on. wait for some pros to chime in...

we tightened the screw on our '75 and it tightend the steering right up. no problems at all. just do it in small increments like a 1/4 turn at a time. turn the screw, try the steering. repeat until it's just right.

For some info and help with steering boxes, etc. Contact Matt Hodges at http://westtexasoffroad.homestead.com/index.html<br>He is a nice guy to work with and for $250 he rebuilt my power box and shortened the ratio to 3.25:1.

After I rebuilt my manual box I adjusted it by jacking up the front so both tires were off the ground. Then I grabbed the front tires and turned them back a forth while watching the steering shaft to see how much slack there was between the two. I then tighted the top screw 1/4 turn at a time until the slack was taken out. You can check to see if its too tight by turning the wheels all the way to one side. If the steering gets hard to turn near full lock then the screw is too tight and you'll need to back it off until you can turn the wheels freely from lock to lock. You may also want to check the joints on the drag link and tie rod to make sure these aren't causing the loose steering before trying to adjust the box.

Simple Jack up the front end turn the steering wheel all the way left and unlock the jam nut then tighten the adjustment screw using the right size allen wrench using just your finger tips. Adjust to lightly snug. Hold the allen wrench while locking the jam nut down. It is adjusted as tight as you should be if you go tighter you risk damaging the box and parts inside. With your wheel turned left this is the only spot in the gears with the least amount of wear. with wheels straight this is where the most wear is and turned to the right is mostly curb damage to the gears. If you adjust anywhere else when you turn left you may jam the box. If your truck is really squirelly check the track bar bushings also. Adjust the front tires to 3/16 toe in at the max tire Dia and you should be good to go.