cleanTRDmachine

This is my first adventure to a F150 forum from my Tacoma forums and I'm in need of some help...

(Yes, I did use the search button first, with no help)

My dad has a 04 F150 FX4 with 82,000mi. It is very hard to turn. The power steering pump is ok and the fluid recently has been flushed. Could it possibly be rack and pinion?
Any ideas?

Thanks

gone postal

There are 2 U joints in the steering shaft, start with those. The lower one has a tendency to go bad.

cleanTRDmachine

Easy to repair?

Costly to repair?

gone postal

AFAIK, the lower shaft has to come out as one unit, and the part is a FOMOCO only (If I'm wrong, someone please correct me).

Hard to steer can also be front end issues, but if the front end is okay, it's more likely to be the ujoints in the steering shaft than the rack.

cleanTRDmachine

Thank you very much for the help, I'll pass it along to him.

MTM Ford

I'd also check the lower shaft. My truck (04) had it replaced around 50,000 miles. My dads truck (07) had it changed at 15,000 miles.

06H0040

Took my 04 to the dunes last year. Shortly after that my steering started to get stiffer and harder to turn. It was the lower U-joint in the steering shaft that everybody has spoke of. I priced one out at the dealer and I cant remember how much it was but we were going on a trip and the shaft was a few days away. I took a can of sea foam aerosol called deep creep. Sprayed both of the U-Joints in the steering shaft and there was a noticeable difference after driving a short while. Sprayed them down a second time and no more issues. I never did replace it and that was a year ago. I have had no issues since then and it has been thru a Michigan winter with snow,salt,ice,etc. I would try that first before replacing it.

James

GATORB8

Ford has a pinpoint test for it, but here is what they recommend looking at:

mborso1029

i just got one of these and my price with discount was 180 for the shaft with ujoint...kind of rediculous

bobkyle2

Haha.. i deep creeped mine awhile back just for the hell of it .. And it changed it.. Its alot better now