Hey fellas, I'm pretty sure the bearings in my steering column are shot. How much of a hassle is to change the bearings? Or would it be easier just to replace the whole column?

 

not verry difficult of a job. I did it with the steering colomn out of the truck, so it might be some what harder in the truck...don't think there will be much diff. hardest part is getting the steering wheel off because ford did not give much room for a puller


part numbers

# F4DZ-3517-A, F3TZ-3517-A and a ring kit F0DZ-3L539-F

1st 2 numbers are the upper and lower bearings and the last is the snap ring and bushing that goes above the top bearing. around $20 fof all 3 from ford.

 

Ok, thanks. My ford dealer won't have the bearings till thursday, but I'll let you know how doing it with the column still in the truck works.

 

if your truck in an auto transmission replace the plastic bushings on the shift lever while it is apart. I will look for the part number.

 

remove wheel, remove canceling cam, if it is still installed remove snap ring, you will most likely find a broken tension spring. as you dig deeper you will find both bearings have lost all the *****. ford has a service kit for this. while in there if the truck is an auto i replace the bushings on the shift lever also.

F4DZ3517A bearing
F3TZ3517A bearing
F0DZ3L539F ring - tolerance (This should have the spring and snap ring)
F3TZ7L278A bushing (this should be the bushings for the shift lever)

my cost on all this was $44, list was around $60.

Bart

 

Excellent, I've been hearing a "springing" sound for a few weeks, it's been irritating me, but not as bad as the whole
steering wheel locking up when I'm driving thing it's been doing for a couple days!

 

if it has been bad very long it destroys the aluminum housing, than you get to go to a wrecking yard and get another one and re build it!

 

Like I said the springing for a few weeks, and the bearings a couple days. And I don't drive a bunch of miles, hopefully it will be ok!

 

The column is not that hard to pull out. I broke the end off the shift shaft a few months back. I got a junk yard column and pulled it and swapped the parts. It only took like 2 hours to do the whole thing.