'16 Steering Intermediate Shaft advise

[Oilbrnr]

So starting at about 25k I began to notice a very slight slack feeling in the steering wheel primarily when centered or under light load. Now at 63k it annoys me enough that I'm ready to do something about it.

The U-joint has slack in it, almost as if one of the cups was not pressed into the yoke far enough. ie the slop comes not from rotational force, rather lateral.

Anyone replaced one of these? Does the box or the whole steering column need to be removed in order to get this piece off the splined shafts and out of there? Any better alternatives for replacement/upgrade other than a Mopar replacement?

Thanks guys!

[PWJouster]

did you address the interior part of the shaft? look under the dash with a light, and look at the joint, see if the rubber isolator allows excessive slack when turning the wheel.

EMF has an intermediate shaft bushing to remove this slack, and it certainly does to an extent.
it will feel slightly sharper, but the main issue is the slack of the steering box. the Lash built into the mechanism can be too much from the factory, and only gets worse.

[Oilbrnr]

Ordered the EMF's and there is visible wear on mine. But my lower intermediate needs to be replaced too, and that is ~$160 for what will probably be a 30k mile part.

I agree about the box, she is also sloppy. Any recommendations of anyone that does a good job at tighting them back up?

[PWJouster]

maybe a PSC box but no Hydro?
i dont know the true internal differences or if the lash is addressed with tighter meshing gears, but i assume anything is better then a factory distributed steering box.
Im certainly in the same position as you, at 25k miles its just so slack..i hated it at 10k.
i may work backwards though....ball joints, bushings with less deflection, and then address a hydro system.

[DamageWagon]

How much play do you have in your wheel, and is your wheel dead on center when you’re driving straight?

The factory gearbox must have play in it. When the steering wheel is dead center it will have the least play. There isn’t anything to really wear out in the intermediate shaft except for the vulcanized rubber connector that is used to assemble the shaft and act as vibration damping. The EMF bushings full the gap around the safety pin that runs through that shaft. You might get a tiny improvement, and you might also hear your power steering pump all the time as well.

Make sure all your other steering components are right and healthy.


I developed the hydro assist kit for these trucks using the PSC gearbox. I also carry their non-assist boxes. As far as the internals go, the PSC boxes are physically monsters compared to factory, with well oversized bearings. That said, the gears are still Mopar parts and they won’t necessarily provide any difference in regards to the small lash that must exist in there. They will maintain the same feel for far longer but it still must be there.

[Oilbrnr]

I understand the need for lash. Been around reciprocating ball box's for many years. They are a wear item for sure, some faster than others.

Good to know about the PSC box's. Are the gear surface wear areas larger due to size? Assume these are for the C&C's.

I'm going to address the upper and lower intermediate shafts first, then revisit the gearbox. The rest of the frontend is in good shape.

[DamageWagon]

The PSC gearboxes retain the factory gear sets. The box is a new Mopar casting that is machined for larger main bearings. That is what wears out, the gears themselves tend to not wear unless a bearing or pump fails and you get metal fines in there or if your bearings go out and you adjust the box. Never adjust the box.