Aftermarket or reman Steering gear box worth it? (1 Viewer)

[LuckyOreo]

Hi,
I am in the process of doing a power steering overhaul. And looking to see if anyone has any experience with aftermarket or remanufactured steering gear box. My three options are rebuild existing steering gearbox, replace with aftermarket/reman, or go oem. But OEM seems a bit too expensive and is last resort. Anybody have any experience with aftermarket? As rebuild kit isn't much cheaper than aftermarket gear box.

Thanks

 

[RustyLinkz]

If you rebuild it you can tap it for hydro assist, I'm considering that route.

 

[LuckyOreo]

If you rebuild it you can tap it for hydro assist, I'm considering that route.

Can you enlighten me on what hydro assist is?

 

[LuckyOreo]

Ah I just googled it. I don't think I'll ever go big enough to need a hydro assist. But learned something new today

 

[jjdeneen918]

I blunt the rebuild kit & had a shop do the work.

it was louder after the rebuild than before.

I bit the bullet & bought a new pump from Toyota. I have yet to install it, but I’m sure there shouldn’t be issues.

YMMV.

 

[RustyLinkz]

Ah I just googled it. I don't think I'll ever go big enough to need a hydro assist. But learned something new today

Ya, bit more complicated but I'd say it's worth it. Had it on another rig and it was heaven, even when turning 39's on the street. Another thing to consider would be the 105 series sector shaft upgrade with a new box or a rebuild

 

[bob82pigdog]

I just had mine rebuilt by Redhead with a 105 series sector shaft and tapped ports for hydro assist. It's not installed yet but based on their reputation, I am pretty confident it will have been done correctly.

My opinion is if you want to be sure of quality, DIY rebuild with OEM parts, buy new OEM, or have it rebuilt by a reputable company such as Redhead or West Texas Offroad. I would avoid purchasing a reman'd unit elsewhere.

 

[coax]

Bit of an old thread but for context my box was out of spec in terms of play, even after a re-seal. I ended up buying a new toyota box and it was one of the best maintenance items i've done. Its far less exhausting to drive on the highway, safer and a bit of a strength increase as the new boxes have the larger sector shaft. Well worth the (large) amount of money.

Same results could be obtained by a DIY with some replacement parts and/or a vendor like redhead. Whatever path is taken, I think the benefits are worth it.

 

[swankstar]

Builds - Recently acquired locked 94 build - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/recently-acquired-locked-94-build.1114432/post-13783617 I'm pretty sure this is why a cheaply rebuilt steering box is going to not last very long. If you were to simply install a new sector shaft and had this much wear on your piston teeth, you would have good contact and preload for a short period of time, but since the contact patch is tiny, the new shaft will likely crush the small bit of remaining piston teeth. Once that happens, you're going to be stuck with a complete loss of preload and actual slop. Unfortunately, the piston assembly is not available in individual parts (that I can find at least), so it's expensive to replace (700+ dollars, depending on source). Key part of good rebuild though.

 

[LuckyOreo]

I decided to rebuild using oem seal kit. Wow getting the pitman arm off was a pain.

 

[MickeyB]

I decided to rebuild using oem seal kit. Wow getting the pitman arm off was a pain.

Bad move, hope it turns out..

 

[LuckyOreo]

Bad move, hope it turns out..

Haha why do you say that? I hope it turns out ok. Wish me luck

 

[coax]

Rebuilding gives you a good starting point before spending a bunch of cash. You can inspect condition when you dive into it and make any needed assesment/adjustment from there. If the box is trash/wear is extreme then you can always rebuild a different box, get new, etc.

 

[Joe Link]

I just had mine rebuilt by Redhead with a 105 series sector shaft and tapped ports for hydro assist. It's not installed yet but based on their reputation, I am pretty confident it will have been done correctly.

Do you remember what you paid?