Intermittent steering play

[Achromious]

Hey all I've got a weird one and I'm pretty sure its the steering box just wanted to see if anyone else had ideas. Occasionally like every couple days out of nowhere I'll have a good 3-4" of play in the wheel, once youre past that the steering is perfect. It can last for a couple minutes or a couple days but so far has always gone away again. Has a new ps pump, ball joints, and a couple new tie rod ends the steering box has already been tightened.

PS. I looked around to see if there was another post on this and didn't see one so my bad if I just missed it.

[NW99XJ]

COULD be air in the system somewhere...
If you replaced the pump recently, and the system was never flushed properly, then there's a chance you might have an air bubble trapped somewhere.
I would also take a look at the fluid itself... see if it looks "foamy" or aerated.... I would also check to see if its burnt. If PS fluid gets too hot, it looses its viscosity.
But yes... the possibility of the actual gear box being bad isn't out of the realm of possibilities.... But I would go thru as much troubleshooting as you can, before throwing a new box at it.

To flush/burp the system after a component change....
With the engine running... turn the steering lock to lock... really focusing on pushing it to its limits... you WANT to hear the pump whine a little in this case... holding it for a few seconds at each lock. You'll need to do this (seriously) like 40 times or more.
Take a break every so often, and visually inspect the fluid, for both level, and consistency. If you see a lot of foam/bubbles... then you know you either have a leak somewhere, or its the trapped air working its way out... Let it sit overnight, and repeat... examining the fluid before you start again for a baseline point of reference.
This may need to happen 2 or 3 times before regular use will take care of the rest.

As a last resort, there is a backlash adjustment screw on the gear box... This CAN but not always, tighten up the response a little in worn boxes.... A quarter turn would go a long ways with this, so dont go crazy with it.
Here's a video that does a decent job of explaining this procedure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtXQvVNg6vI

[Achromious]

Really appreciate the detailed reply. I'll double check but I did bleed the system when I installed it. It also just doesn't feel like it's a pump issue. The steering goes from normal to having play but still turns normally with no indication of a power steering issue (which it had earlier) I can also confirm that the shaft from the wheel to the steering box does turn when it's doing this.

To clarify: When the play is there the wheel is slack for about 3-4 inches before it engages and turns. once engaged the steering feels normal until you reverse direction and then you hit the play again.

[4.3LXJ]

One other thing to check. When it has the play in it, lift the hood and check the sector shaft U joints. They have plastic inserts in them instead of bearings. Also check alignment. If your tires are cupping badly, you are probably steering past the bad alignment until it can turn.

[Achromious]

Ok thanks will do. As the the alignment I had one done after the front end work so i know its good now even if it wasnt before.

[4.3LXJ]

Well, rules that out then. If bleeding the system doesn't work, then likely what is happening is that the "brain" in it is not functioning correctly. This is a valve that senses movement of the steering wheel. It then opens a valve to the piston in the box and allows movement. They allow about an 1/8 turn either way before positive contact with the rest of the guts inside the box. When they start to go, this can happen

[Achromious]

Just an followup-
I did double check the fluid and its not bubbling so the PS fluid system is fine. Been looking around on here for ideas about what to do and I think I'll just keep my eyes open for a durango steering box. I didnt see a year range mentioned in the other posts about them so I was wondering if it makes a difference?

[Achromious]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/01/30/b997c1287cdd084f42b4aff2a0d6722b.jpg
Alright I found it! The play appears to be in the lower joint there so now the question is what all do I have to replace to fix it or does anyone know a tweak/tighten/botch fix for this?

[4.3LXJ]

The best thing to do is get a whole sector shaft from the pick and pull. Those little U joints are not repairable. You can buy a new one from a place like Summit racing, but they are not cheap. When you replace that shaft, you will have to take the steering box loose to do it

[Achromious]

Sounds good. Really appreciate all the help