I thought I had a brake problem. The left front pads keep burning off. I finally replaced the whole assembly for the front brakes and the problem still persisted. A few days after this I got caught in a tight parking space and I had my light duty trailer attached to the van. I was pinning the wheel left and right and final noticed the streering radius was getting worse. I got out of the van to check the clearances of the other cars and I noticed fluid dripping from the engine. I popped the hood and found the steering lines leaking and the steering box partly disengaged from the rusted out frame. Days earlier I did notice a rusty discoloration on the frame near the steering box, but dismissed it because frames always have rust on them. after a closer look at the frame I discovered the frame was manufactured in the style of a unibody car. It was light gauge steel , bent, formed and tack welded for the job.
At this point if I had to guess I would say the metal was between .062 and .093 thick. Most other truck frames I have seem were much thicker . I tried to find a frame guy to fix it but no one would touch it. Liability I guess. I was also told the book on this truck was 2k and it would cost that much to fix it. So needing a truck for work I had to junk it. It was a real waste of a good truck I bought new for 32k. This truck had at least another 50 k miles left on it, which would have been 5 years with my driving. My guess is the frame was lightend up for gas milage. I would advise anyone near the ocean or salty roads to check that area for excessive rust. This steering box could have broken off if I hit a large pot hole.
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I thought I had a brake problem. The left front pads keep burning off. I finally replaced the whole assembly for the front brakes and the problem still persisted. A few days after this I got caught in a tight parking space and I had my light duty trailer attached to the van. I was pinning the wheel left and right and final noticed the streering radius was getting worse. I got out of the van to check the clearances of the other cars and I noticed fluid dripping from the engine. I popped the hood and found the steering lines leaking and the steering box partly disengaged from the rusted out frame. Days earlier I did notice a rusty discoloration on the frame near the steering box, but dismissed it because frames always have rust on them. after a closer look at the frame I discovered the frame was manufactured in the style of a unibody car. It was light gauge steel , bent, formed and tack welded for the job.
At this point if I had to guess I would say the metal was between .062 and .093 thick. Most other truck frames I have seem were much thicker . I tried to find a frame guy to fix it but no one would touch it. Liability I guess. I was also told the book on this truck was 2k and it would cost that much to fix it. So needing a truck for work I had to junk it. It was a real waste of a good truck I bought new for 32k. This truck had at least another 50 k miles left on it, which would have been 5 years with my driving. My guess is the frame was lightend up for gas milage. I would advise anyone near the ocean or salty roads to check that area for excessive rust. This steering box could have broken off if I hit a large pot hole.
- Henry R., Little Egg Harbor, NJ, US