2023 Gen3 37PP-steering wheel thumping/tapping feeling.

[JDMCTR00]

That truck would have been long gone back to Ford if it were mine. Let them have it back and get another one. They are out there.

I would like an R lol.

 

[GCATX]

Here is one more when driven about 5 miles.

View attachment 446196

So we can see the shaft moving in and out on the lower shaft. Wouldn't this indicate that something is loose up top, between that joint with the yellow seal and the steering wheel? It should not move independently just by tugging on it I wouldn't think. Mine does not.

 

[JDMCTR00]

So we can see the shaft moving in and out on the lower shaft. Wouldn't this indicate that something is loose up top, between that joint with the yellow seal and the steering wheel? It should not move independently just by tugging on it I wouldn't think. Mine does not.

No, the lower shaft is a two piece design (one going into the other). One part bolts to the shaft coming out of the firewall and the other to the steering rack. All i'm doing is lightly, with two fingers pulling up to the sky then pushing down to the ground. The noise/thump is coming from that lower shaft with the yellow rubber boot. It almost seems as if the smaller dia. shaft expands from heat and binds inside the larger dia. shaft.

 

[BoostCreep]

No, the lower shaft is a two piece design (one going into the other). One part bolts to the shaft coming out of the firewall and the other to the steering rack. All i'm doing is lightly, with two fingers pulling up to the sky then pushing down to the ground. The noise/thump is coming from that lower shaft with the yellow rubber boot. It almost seems as if the smaller dia. shaft expands from heat and binds inside the larger dia. shaft.

That’s exactly what I was going to say, it sounds like the tolerances are too tight causing it to bind once it’s heated up and expanded. Also why I bet the new greased one is slightly worse. I haven’t looked at mine in person but what makes that part get so hot?

 

[BoostCreep]

Does it take long to get that lower shaft out of the truck? I’d remove it, disassemble it, sand down the inner shaft, reassemble, and see if it goes away.

 

[JDMCTR00]

Does it take long to get that lower shaft out of the truck? I’d remove it, disassemble it, sand down the inner shaft, reassemble, and see if it goes away.

It's not hard to take out. I would rather not mess with it at this point so they don't blame me for anything.

 

[BoostCreep]

It's not hard to take out. I would rather not mess with it at this point so they don't blame me for anything.

I mean how much is the part? If it’s driving you insane and isn’t that much maybe buy a spare one to mess around with?

 

[JDMCTR00]

I mean how much is the part? If it’s driving you insane and isn’t that much maybe buy a spare one to mess around with?

I thought about that, they are $265 retail. The field service tech from Ford is the next step.

 

[SurfRaptor]

That’s exactly what I was going to say, it sounds like the tolerances are too tight causing it to bind once it’s heated up and expanded. Also why I bet the new greased one is slightly worse. I haven’t looked at mine in person but what makes that part get so hot?

In the jeep world, I had to replace the “intermittent steering shaft” on my 08 Wrangler due to a clunking and sloppy steering wheel feeling. It had two u-joints with boots, and the grease inside the boot was fried. The updated design extended it away from the hot engine. The job took 20 minutes and made the truck feel brand new again. Huge difference when I replaced that. There were also non-mechanical guys that didn't want to remove it, and they figured out ways to inject a decent amount of grease into the boot. That solved the issue for some people also.

 

[JDMCTR00]

In the jeep world, I had to replace the “intermittent steering shaft” on my 08 Wrangler due to a clunking and sloppy steering wheel feeling. It had two u-joints with boots, and the grease inside the boot was fried. The updated design extended it away from the hot engine. The job took 20 minutes and made the truck feel brand new again. Huge difference when I replaced that. There were also non-mechanical guys that didn't want to remove it, and they figured out ways to inject a decent amount of grease into the boot. That solved the issue for some people also.

I have no issues with working on the truck myself. We all paid a good amount for these trucks and shouldn't have to.