2007 F150 XLT Screw

Only started about a week and a half ago but it's really annoying now.

Turn the wheel about 1/4 and the steering becomes very stiff. Feels like your just dry turning without moving. The feel is like almost as if everything is dried out, It doesn't "pull" out from the turns either, I physically have to turn the wheel myself when driving through a turn. If that makes sense?

I checked the Steering Fluid, and it's all full and good.

I have an Appointment @ Ford on the 30th.. thats the earliest they could get me in.

Anyone have any Ideas? Or can you guys atleast tell me if it's safe to keep driving like that? Any chance I'm actually screwing something up more?


Thanks Guys!

 

Could be the power steering pump is going out, which isn't that expensive of a fix, so hopefully so. Is it safe to drive? Probably as long as you pay attention, there is always the chance though that it fails completely, would just make it very hard to turn, but still possible while moving...

 

Does the wheel return to center after a turn or do you have to turn it yourself? A leaking seal/piston in the rack or faulty valves will cause the steering to feel heavy. Under pressure the fluid leaks past the seal and returns to the reservoir causing the rack to loose pressure.
In the picture look closely at the piston in the rack. It doesn't show but it has seals or is of a tight fit so fluid cannot leak past it.




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Put my truck into the garage yesterday, It was my closest appt. @ the Ford Dealer.

Turns out it's very serious (according to them) they said it's far to dangerous to give me back my truck until it's completly fixed, and that I certainly most deffinitly should NOT have been driving it.

I believe he called it my Steering Shaft? is completly wore out.

$1200 to fix it, labour included.

 

Mine does the exact same thing that's talked abt what was the fix does anybody know

 

I wish you would have waited.

Dont let them hose you on this job. The shaft is not worn out it is rusted and binding.

This is a common problem and a little searching would have saved you a lot of money.

Get the truck back right now and purchase a can of you favorite rust breaker, I like PB Blaster, and a can of your favorite lube, I prefer Fluid Film (no solvents and not water based like many others).

Have someone in the truck slowly turn the wheel back and forth while you spray the two u joints on the shaft with the rust breaker. Once it lets loose, do the same with the can of lube. This will last at least a year before needing another treatment.

 

I have the exact same problem going on with what you described. Except, I have a clicking/rubbing going on when I turn the wheel. Mine is going in today to get fixed, hopefully and I also want to say thanks for those that responded with suggestions.

 

I like the clean/lube solution. I had the rack replaced in an insurance job (got lucky). But I had exact same issue before the crash. Now the steering is doing it again. I live in a rural high mud, sand, gravel and grit area so it’s making sense

 

Just spray it with WD40, and order a replacement steering shaft, they're about $100.

 

It is the intermediate steering shaft. WD-40 and PB blaster will fix it for a short period but won't last. Easy job, Good as new now. Mine started suddenly without warning also.