I have noticed some new play in my steering wheel this week (it is starting to be a pretty bad week for the land rover with the flat tire, CEL coming on, and now this) the steering wheel will move pretty lightly from around 11:00 to 1:00 without any resistance and without moving the wheels much if at all. I have read something about tightening a bolt or something on the steering box to get rid of this play, does that sound like all this is? also I do hear some popping noises coming from the steering column when I turn the wheel every now and then and was wondering if anyone had any ideas what that may be.

 

Check your pitman arm, that is the thing that connects your tie rods to the steering box, it is known to fail, and when it does if you are driving you will be driving a 6,000lbs non steerable brick.
Check the nut, check the bushing, hell man, take it to a shop TODAY.
Had mine snap on my FedEx van the other week, luckly I was parked turning the steering wheel to leave a parralle parking spot, the steering wheel just spun in circles with out turning the wheels.

 

checked the pitman arm and it felt tight as did the link bar connected to it and it looked like there was another bar in the back of the axle that connected the 2 sides together, actually it almost looks like it is a little loose where the u joint goes into the steering box (not the u joint itself but from inside the box) and the steering box has started to leak quite a bit more this morning than it usually does.

I wouldn't mind it if these problems came one at a time but this is starting to be too much all at once!!! So why again do we love these trucks so much?

 

These trucks are like women, we love to hate them.

 

X2 tie-rod off the steering box.

 

it is all real tight, the looseness is where the lower steering column goes into the cylinder shaped thing (not sure what it is called) I used some engine degreaser to wash the whole system off to see if I can find where the leaks are coming from, I have a feeling that maybe some air got into the system which is causing my little bit of play, not sure if that is the case but in my small understanding of hydraulics that is what makes sense to me (fluid leaking= displaced by air= play in the steering?)

 

ok guys I looked a little closer and it appears that the play is in the U joint where it clamps down on the shaft that goes into the cylinder. I checked the bolt and it is as tight as I can get it but it looks like there is something in between the clamp and the shaft maybe some kind of metal ring that gets clamped down around the shaft? still couldnt find where the leak is coming from (a little from one of the hoses at the pump but it doesn't look that bad) but it appears to be coming from up near the top of that steering box assembly (couldnt see anything from the bottom other than fluid running down the sides and back)

 

Crawl under the truck while someone moves the steering wheel back and forth and watch every thing to see what is moving too much.

 

OK not sure if this will help anyone but I am not driving the truck until I get this fixed as my steering is actually slipping! I tried to put an arrow in the picture to show where the slipping is but it is the clamp on the u joint that is connected to the shaft going into the back of the steering box. does anyone know if there is some kind of metal tube or something between that clamp and the shaft that needs to be replaced or can someone tell me what parts need to be replaced that is causing this? dont know if I should replace the whole steering box as it is leaking pretty bad (still not sure where from) I am guessing the leaking may be causing the slipping

 

I dont know, sorry.
I am not much of a steering/suspension guy, I am willing to learn though.
If the gears are worn out that will cause play.