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durango box leaking, now has a clunk

Vanimal

NAXJA Forum User
Location
escondido, ca
i have a rebuilt durango steering gearbox. right out of the box it started leaking out of the pinion shaft seal. the seal was indented on the side, like the shaft wore into it somehow. i assumed it was just installation error as it's possible the oil pressure pushed it partially out if the snap ring wasnt in all the way.
i changed the seal and it was all good for a couple months maybe, and now it's leaking again. it seems to leak most when it's turned lock to lock, so the box is "fighting" the steering stops or whatever.
there is also a decent sized clunk when i turn the wheel one way or the other. not all the time, probably moreso when you turn the wheel hard. i looked underneath while someone steered it side to side, nothing is loose, and the clunk is coming from somewhere maybe towards the top of the gearbox.
there is not really any play in the wheel, but the box never really had a good "return to center". at first i chocked it up to caster, but now i have a new axle where the c's are rotated for perfect caster so it isn't that. the toe is good as well. neither caster or toe seem to be effecting return to center. wherever i turn the wheel, it pretty much stays. i have no steering stabilizer, but it feels like i have an oversized one in there. steering is slow and dead feeling.

i could pull it all apart but i was hoping someone had similar problems and knows where to start in the box.
 
so i pulled the seal out and it was full of metal. the bearing just above the pitman shaft seal was toast and the bottom of it was broken. awesome...... probably the bad bearing took out the last seal too.
 
yep. i should have just rebuilt it myself in the first place. now i know better......
 
looks like someone pounded the bearing in (or out) and cracked the cage during rebuild....
 
box works better than ever now. apparently it was screwed from day one. now i can steer with one finger and it actually returns to center.
 
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