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STEERING GEAR BOX NIGHTMARE

I have 2 stage 3 boxes from FF and they are awesome. FF is a reputable company and if they screwed something up they will own it that said it sounds to me like you have some other issues going on, not saying the box is good but in order for things to work everything must be good.

Do you have aftermarket parts in the front suspension? Altered ride height? Dropped spindles? Was the alignment done correctly? Do you have a print out of the settings?


Something is going on With this car and I don’t fault the firm feel box automatically. I would think that box is a good part and the other parts around it are at fault.

I also have 2 Firm Feel stage 2 boxes and I am very happy with them. As others have said, I think you need to look for other issues like debris, alignment, installation, etc.

Yes, there could be an issue with the box, but it sounds more likely that there are other issues going on.

Good luck and I hope you find and resolve the issue.
 
Find an 'old school' alignment shop in your area and have them look at it. I rebuilt my front end completely and took it to a franchise shop. After 3 tries the idiots couldn't get it aligned and said I needed adjustable uppers so they could get the job done. Got recommendations for a real shop and before I even got to pick out a magazine in the waiting room the mechanic got me. Said that it had a tweaked frame rail that would need to be addressed before he could align it. Didn't even get it hooked to the machine and he noticed it, that is what experience gets you. The body shop took care of the rail and I brought it back and it drives like a dream! FIND SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THEIR ****!
 
Changing the box should not require an alignment.
I don't know why everyone keeps suggesting that?
If there is junk in the centering valve an alignment isn't going to fix that.
It's not good advice.
 
Changing the box should not require an alignment.
I don't know why everyone keeps suggesting that?
If there is junk in the centering valve an alignment isn't going to fix that.
It's not good advice.

Agreed. One point though, if he bought a fast ratio box he would also need to run the FR pitman arm, which would result in lob-sided tie rod settings.
 
I was going to suggest checking the alignment, especially tie rod ends.
 
To jump in and add.. I also have a FF stage 2. It was great right out of the box! However, I found 4 things that were contributing to my issues. A couple of them may be getting at you???

1. someone prior to me shortened the steering shaft, broke those little Bakelite pins so it was too short and not fitting in the coupler correctly and binding and snapping a bit as you turned.. not likely your issue but can’t hurt to look at.
2. Also the guts to the coupler were in wrong! That’s not good!
3. Hydraulic hoses from pump to box were way too long and filled with crap along with the pump! Cleaned all out and shorter hoses and good... maybe the crud issue.
4. After installing the FF box my pitman arm wasn’t even close. I had to get a new one from FF and it was slightly different. With the age of these cars and who knows who worked on them and added what parts, I don’t believe I had the correct arm to begin with! So double check too..

These may not even be in the same zip code as the issues you’re having. But the were ones I didn’t expect and struggled to figure out. Lots of good advice above so good luck!! I’d stick with that FF and go over the rest of the system first!
 
Changing the box should not require an alignment.
I don't know why everyone keeps suggesting that?
If there is junk in the centering valve an alignment isn't going to fix that.
It's not good advice.

Don, you are absolutely right! On a straight R&R no alignment should be necessary. If I was the OP I would do as you said and clean and check the centering valve first. The steering gear should be ready to run out of the box, so the fact that it pulled hard left on startup points to your diagnosis. Hopefully that will resolve the issue.

If it doesn't I would follow my advice to have a seasoned pro look at it. The old worn parts could have been masking an issue that the new parts are bringing to light. That's something that the kid who learned how to put a car on an alignment rack last week wouldn't know to look for nor recognize. Throwing more parts at the problem without first identifying the problem will just add to the frustration.

I would also suggest downloading the FSM here: https://www.mymopar.com/resource-library/
Funny, the first possible cause for the OP's symptoms is 'Tires not properly inflated':lol:
 
Also put a new borgeson pump so I’m lost
The Borgeson pump and the pump Bergman sells both operate at a HIGHER pressure than the stock pumps. The Borgeson gearbox requires a higher pressure than the factory gearbox. You should not be using a Borgeson high pressure pump with the factory gearbox. I did a full Borgeson steering system swap on my car, so I know a bit about them.
 
Changing the box should not require an alignment.
I don't know why everyone keeps suggesting that?
If there is junk in the centering valve an alignment isn't going to fix that.
It's not good advice.
I agree with this. After completing my full Borgeson swap I did not get my front end aligned. The car tracks straight when I take my hand off the wheel. The steering wheel is off center by about 80 degrees. The stock box that I replaced probably was not centered properly. I meticulously centered the new Borgeson box.

Before the steering box swap the car used to veer to the right. The way the torsion bars were adjusted when I bought it, the passenger side was sitting half an inch lower than the driver side. After equalizing the torsion bars, by raising the passenger side a quarter inch and lowering the driver side a quarter inch, the car tracked straight. That was with no front end alignment work.

Now that I am putting new tires on the car, I will be getting a front end alignment and having the tie rods adjusted to center the steering wheel.
 
The Borgeson pump and the pump Bergman sells both operate at a HIGHER pressure than the stock pumps. The Borgeson gearbox requires a higher pressure than the factory gearbox. You should not be using a Borgeson high pressure pump with the factory gearbox. I did a full Borgeson steering system swap on my car, so I know a bit about them.
So I should put back the original pump being that it was working, I was just trying to put in fresh quality components
 
So I should put back the original pump being that it was working, I was just trying to put in fresh quality components

Please take the time to read what has already been posted in this thread. I believe I addressed this twice and linked to an article for more information so that YOU can make an educated decision.
 
Please take the time to read what has already been posted in this thread. I believe I addressed this twice and linked to an article for more information so that YOU can make an educated decision.
I read your posts, I was just asking moparguy68 the question being that he stated I shouldn’t be using borgeson pump on reg box.
 
Moparguy68 said the pump puts out too much pressure for the stock box. I told you the same thing in post #19, and how to fix it. I followed up again in post #33 and included an article on correcting the problem. You have all of the information that you need.
 
Moparguy68 said the pump puts out too much pressure for the stock box. I told you the same thing in post #19, and how to fix it. I followed up again in post #33 and included an article on correcting the problem. You have all of the information that you need.
Damn dude sorry if I’m annoying you. I’ll stop asking questions to other members. I’ll just forward their posts to you if you like ...
 
Damn dude sorry if I’m annoying you. I’ll stop asking questions to other members. I’ll just forward their posts to you if you like ...

Is there something about what was posted that you don’t understand? I’d be happy to help you figure it out, and have been trying to help you, as have several others. You have to meet us half way though.
 
Had a buddy in College that drank that piss...

Haha, it’s better than most of the domestic American beer. I’ve been on a Heineken kick lately, although I did kill a few Coors Banquets this weekend. It’s all good if it’s cold enough.
 
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