Why is my truck so hard on steering intermeadite shafts??

Truck has 154k on it now.

original shaft went bad around 95k.
I replaced with an aftermarket. It started getting slop in the u joint in less than a year.

Replaced it with another after market.

Replaced that with the all ballz mod. That really lasted all of 4K miles.

Replaced again. And it has slop again.

Only good thing about this is I’m getting good at swapping them out now. ‍♂️

Is there something I need to check or do I need to pony up and buy the factory part? It’s $210 vs $40 on Amazon.

 

It’s called OEM quality never fails, you can only bang your head off the tree so many times before you actually realize it hurts

try Rockauto

 

95k on original, then 4 replacements in 60k... I think that’s all the proof you need. Kind of like ball joint and bushings, go OEM. You’ll get what you pay for.

 

Isn’t OEM rubber bushings?

replace it with welded metal to solidify the connection and no longer have a problem of rubber bushing wearing out

 

The U Joint is what is wearing out. The oem one rusted. The replacements have all just got sloppy in the u joint.

 

Are you running oversized tires and turning your wheel while the truck is stationary? Both are hard on steering components. OEM is best.

 

As labeled on the image below:

You are talking about the rag joint inside the cab on the # 2 Steering Intermediate Shaft.

He is talking about the universal joint outside the cab on the Steering Intermediate Shaft.

 

No. My truck is about as stock as it can be

 

My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be.

Took my truck over to a buddy’s house.

He crawled under and watched while I moved the steering wheel. He thinks the play is in the rack and pinion.

That takes it to a level that I’m not sure I want to handle on my own.

I watched a YouTube video and that swap looks like a giant PITA.