Directions on how to adjust the steering gear box on a Ford F250 4x4?

Answer 1

If you are referring to the slop in the steering wheel. If the rack is not loose, you just need to loosen the nut on top of the steering box and turn the Allen screw located above the nut about a quarter of a turn clockwise. Tighten nut and test drive. You will have to hold the nut when turning the Allen, otherwise it will just lock it back down. If the quarter turn nearly got all the slop out but you need more still, you should give it 1/16th turn more. I have heard that you should not over tighten the adjusting bolt� I�m not sure what will happen if you overdo it.

Yes, actually, if you over-tighten the Allen screw, it could potentially cause too much drag on the steering and thereby potential driveability problems, or, if you tighten it too much right away, it could even lock the steering gear so tight that it would be almost impossible to to turn the steering wheel.

I have a 1999 F350 with 'slop' in the steering, and have tightened the screw down very close to 'too much.' For a while it helped, but it has now loosened up again to the point where I will need to do something more involved.

At around 30K, Ford had to replace the steering gear box, because of extreme slop (4-5" in the steering wheel), but within another 40K or so, it started to go again.

I will be looking for an aftermarket 'fix' for this, or an updated gear box I guess.

Bol

The aftermarket fix is called " red head steering box " search them out , will fix the box proeblems once and for all.