DIY: Steering Shaft Seal

Can't speak on the rack and LCA's but if your rubber flex disc on the intermediate shaft is severely cracked/ripped, it might be a good idea to replace that. Doesn't look like yours is though.

 

I did this but as soon as I made a few full turns of the steering wheel the fiberglass worked itself out. What did I do wrong? I did not use the OC branded fiberglass; I had some other brand laying around - does it need to be some specific type of fiberglass? (Faced?)

 

I tucked mine in the boot. More than half of what you see that’s exposed is in there. I did wrap it around the steering shaft so that it overlapped though.

 

I hung a work light in the footwell, then I cut a strip of fiberglass 3-4 in. wide and tucked it deep in the boot. Then I crawled under the truck and could still see the light in the cab from underneath. Then I cut another strip and tucked it in on top of the first one. I could no longer see the light from under the truck. I wrapped both strips of fiberglass around the steering shaft (loosely, of course). Started the truck and made a few full turns and almost all of the fiberglass came out of the boot

 

I’m not sure. I think my strips were wider but it’s been awhile since I did it. There’s nothing special about what I did however. I used the small pink ecotouch bag of Owen’s Corning insulation from Home Depot for $5-$6.

 

Yeah, I didn't think there was anything special about it but thought maybe you had a tip/trick to share. It must be the fiberglass then. I'll see if I can get a bag of pink Owens Corning and give that a try. Thanks.

 

No offense to the guy who originally proposed that. But the idea of shoving in some fiberglass is pretty ridiculous to expect to last long term unless you have some way of keeping it in place. It seems like something a used car lot would do on a quick flip.

Not to mention the fragmentation of it from the steering shaft constantly turning and breaking it up possibly entering the cab and getting into your lungs especially if the foot vent is on.

I say do it right and order the damn seal. It's less labor than an oil change + tire rotation.

The most important part of the job is keeping the intermediate shaft and rack and pinion yoke aligned perfectly (by not moving the steering shaft AT ALL) so your steering wheel doesn't sit off center when the job is done. Engrave the fucker with matchmarks using a dremel and diamond engraving bit if you have to.

 

I was concerned about this and was going to fabricate kind of a cover, similar to manual shifter boots, in order to prevent fiberglass particles from flying into my face, lol. It is perfectly safe to be around fiberglass when it's undisturbed but any kind of rubbing or any other mechanical interaction with it will create airborne particles which is not good. However, it turned out that I couldn't make it work so now that's moot.

 

That fiberglass trick has lasted several years now with no issues. It’s not a high speed shaft turning against it and most of the agitation is happening under the boot. That steering shaft seal will only last you to about 100k miles. It’s actually not a bad solution if your steering shaft is corroded in rust like mine.

Perhaps mineral wool is a safer alternative to consider if the microscope particles of fiberglass cause worry to the user.