Can’t Solve Ford F250 Steering Box Problem– In Depth Details

Most F250 models are fantastic overall, but once they catch a problem, it takes time and patience to work on them and find a suitable solution.
For example, the f250 climate control problems, something people with less knowledge in vehicle repair and the fix would find pretty hard to understand.
That’s why we are targeting everyday major components of popular trucks and exploring as many as possible problems that users often face. To share some details and give you an idea of what to do next.
And today, we have a ford f250 steering box problem set to discuss. What are the common issues that take place with the steering box and how do you get rid of those, let’s find out!
Most Common Ford F250 Steering Box Problem Types
Being able to turn the steering wheel too easily, not seeing any movement of the tires along with it, no response by flow control with steering wheel input, wandering vehicle, and rid the controversial power steering system problems are a few of the most common ones with f250.
Too Easy Movement of The Ford F250 Steering

This is something most noticeable in the 2002 Ford F250. The steering wheel, all of a sudden seems way easier to turn. And also, it refuses to come back to the center. The running is really loose, making it just like one of the playground’s findable kids’ wheels that they play with for fun.
Now here most would blame the power steering pump and guess that’s what gone bad hence the issue. But actually, if that part was at fault, then instead of spinning it so easily, you would have found it hard to speed. The next most probable culprit, the steering box.
If The Front Wheel Does Not Move
It can also be possible that with the steering will turning so easily, there’s actually no movement or turning off the front wheel whatsoever. And if this is happening then one of these could be causing it:
- The gearbox leading steering shaft must be having trouble.
- A part inside the gearbox is having an issue or broken.
- Or it’s a faulty sector shaft, the part where steering linkage and pitman arm would connect.
The Easiest Way to Determine it Would Be
- Have someone else turn the wheel.
- Now you have to observe the linkage to the gearbox.
- The part should be running with an exhaust manifold available on the driver’s side.
- In case of a turning linkage, check the gearbox-connected clamp, and make sure it’s tight.
- Also, you want to ensure there are no stripping splines.
If that’s doing fine, it’s quite surely a problem with the gearbox. And also, the sector shaft could be broken, you just have to look at it for confirmation.
But If the Front Wheels Are Moving
Now, if the front wheels are turning, then the process of detecting becomes a bit trickier from here. It’s possible that happens, in fact, you may notice the wheels moving lock to lock. And if that’s the case, then the steering linkage should be just fine.
In such a scene, the next part to blame would be the stuck pressure relief valve. It might be allowing the pressure of the system to become too high. This also accompanies a weird sound from the pump and affected braking.
The high pressure may cause the steering to go this easy. And if that happens there’s a good chance of a hose facing burst.
Steering Wheel Input Not Responded by Flow Control

From the previous situation, if the steering wheel is easy turning and the wheels are also moving on their own, then there’s a chance things are not happening simply from high pressure in the system. The other reason could be a responding flow control.
With the steering wheels input, there’s basically no action done by the flow control. And usually, this takes place when:
- The rotary valve is malfunctioning.
- The metering valve is damaged.
For Your Information – Both of these parts are located inside the steering gear.
The simple solution that we see would be changing the part that is having trouble or getting new steering gear for your system.
Badly Wandering F250 From One Side to Another

This is something that a 2012 F250 super duty user is more likely to face, the problem basically is a bit weird. On any surface that is a bit poor, not smooth, the vehicle just wanders from one side to another as if there’s a part inside the steering box broken. As long as you don’t stop the truck it keeps happening.
Or maybe you have to put the vehicle on 4wd to make the problem be gone. As soon as you switch back to 2wd, the problem reappears. Most of the time the vehicle will be fine, just once in a while, this happens. And it’s actually pretty scary.
Here are a few things you should check to find how what’s happening and the possible solution to it.
Shock Absorbers Up Front
First of all, you want to consider the age of shock absorbers upfront. If it’s too old, then spend a hundred dollars and get it replaced. Should not take more than a couple of hours.
Sway Control Arm
For the rubbers on the arm or connections to it, you have to check if there’s any visible wear or tear. We are talking about the sway control arm. Some also call it death wobble fix.
Now if there are worn parts, those will need to change with a new one. And this is going to cost you a little bit more than the 1st solution. Also, the process is slightly time-consuming.
Steering Wheel & Tire Movement
Next, you want to check the play of the steering wheel along with the tires. This means you want to lift the vehicle a little bit, move the steering wheel and check if the tires are also moving along.
If the tires are moving but your steering wheel doesn’t, then a part between the steering box to linkage is probably worn out. And you just need to replace that part.
Wheel Bearings & Ball Joints
For the final check, you need to observe the ball joints and wheel bearings basically. It’s a rare one to be at fault, but there’s a chance. If you find out more than one set of ball bearings is almost or completely damaged, then that’s the reason behind such a messed-up ride.
If you are dealing with this one, unfortunately, your wallet will have to contribute a lot. Just for the wheel bearings, you’ll need to spend around 1200 bucks. Then for both the ball joints and wheel bearings, the cost can go up to 3000 dollars.
You can save a bit here by choosing the locally advanced auto parts though. In this case, you will be spending 200 dollars almost for the ball joints on both sides. And another 700 dollars for wheel bearings.
The Power Steering System Issue of F250

There’s no doubt that most full-size pickup trucks from Ford are fabulous with hardly anything to complain about for performance. But occasional problems popping out of nowhere will happen no matter how good the brand is. And with Ford f250, one controversial issue was related to the power steering system.
Until the last of 2020, there was not anything weird about the F250 regarding the steering stream. But suddenly users figured out a number of concerns with the F250 and this mainly includes two big steering ones. These are:
- The power steering pump failure caused the loss of assist.
- High-speed rides have the steering wheel along with the front end vibrate too much.
Here the power steering pump issue was a highly noticeable one that users of models from 1996 to 2014 faced with the f250. And in most cases, the pump would fail out of nowhere, without any symptoms.
As a result, drivers were left without the power steering assist. This definitely made safety a huge concern, because the steering wheel would become extremely hard to turn.
Another problem with f250 was constantly facing death wobble. If you don’t know what that is, a violent vibration of suspension parts on the truck due to groove at highway speeds. This also occurred during hitting bump as well as an expansion joint.
Because of the dreadful death wobble, the steering wheel would vibrate as well. And that’s terrible news for drivers’ safety. As it can lead to losing the control wheel riding at high speed. Track bar bushing, control arms, and steering linkage damper are the areas that could be worn or faulty causing this death wobble.
Solution To These Things?
The death wobble issue was acknowledged by Ford. And they provided a solution of replacing the steering linkage damper. This was applicable or then affected models. And the models from 2017 to 2019 are included in this list.
About the power steering pump issues, the only sure way to get rid of it would be a replacement of the entire pump.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long do steering boxes last?
For most of the Ford 250 models, the steering boxes should last you at least 100 thousand miles. Yes, there could be some errors or repairs that it’ll need. However, it should not complete fault before the benchmark.
But then again, your maintenance habits, driving conditions and a lot of other things will impact the long-lastingness of parts, and that includes the steering box.
What does a bad steering box sound like?
Steering rack mounting bushing been broken or facing failure would make noise. And that can be a good way to early detect a steering box problem. The sound it makes is like a clicking noise. In some cases, you may hear popping sounds. Especially when you try steering wheels to the right or left.
What happens if the steering gearbox is bad?
You’ll feel a great amount of looseness in the steering wheels if their internal gears are worn out. And that will make driving really uncomfortable. Not to mention the dangers it brings. There are even chances of pulling the vehicle to one side, sometimes it becomes adrift too.
How do you adjust the steering box on a ford f250?
Use an Allen wrench to grip the adjusting bolt and try loosening the steering box. You want to not turn the wrench more than 1/8 portion in a clockwise direction. So that it receives all the slack in the worm gear.
Then you can go for a few short stabs left and right. Which means you move the wheel in that direction. You need to observe how the response of the wheel to decide if it needs any more adjusting. Overtightening is not going to help here at all, so stay away from that.
How much does it cost to replace a steering box?
If you plan to go for a steering box replacement then it shall cost you around 600 to 850 bucks in total. The labor cost need 150 to 200 dollars. While purchasing a part, you need 460 to 630 dollars.
Wrapping Up
And that was all about ford f250 steering box problems. We tried to gather all the most complaints about issues with this particular system and tried to break down the scenes for you to decide on what to do next.
Of course, it’s not a part you will feel easy to repair. And if this seems like too much work, you always have the option of hiring an expert. Not only will they quickly find out the problematic cause but also a specific solution will be much faster to decide.
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James Noah
Ah! Driving your King has no twist when you have zero knowledge! Yes, Noah is here with his core experiences about trucks, cars, suvs and atvs. Working as a cheif editor for Automasterx to make you satisfied with solid data driven post.