Steering Shaft Compatibility?

[Raptor_]

So, I'm having the issue with the intermediate steering shaft starting to bind up and I was looking for replacement parts and WTF?! This part for an F-150 is about $40. For the Explorer, it's $300, and the only perceptible difference I can see between them is that the Exp version has a rubber boot covering the lower U-joint!

Why such a big price gap, and would any other model shaft work? Even if it'll age faster without the boot, I doubt I'd go through enough of them to make up the price difference.

BTW, the official Ford pricing is $513.12, around $300 is just the best I could find aftermarket
.

 

[Raptor_]

Oh, and this is an '05 with the V-8.

 

[Donystoy]

I bought a used one on eBay about five years ago when the joint on mine started to develop an intermittent click It has not gotten any worse and still have not installed it. Coincidentally just today I put the car in my shop to work on the door hinge and thought that since I have to remove the wheel and inner fender that I might see how difficult it would be to replace the shaft. The one I bought looks almost new and only cost around $65. When I was searching for it, it appeared that it was unique to 2002-2005 4.6 liter Explorers. Hopefully this is not correct.

 

[Raptor_]

Mine isn't loose or clicking, it's got the problem where the "permanent" lubrication in the joints has dried up, and they're starting to bind, so about every 1/8th turn of the wheel I hit a stiff spot, then it loosens up, then binds, etc., and the problem worsens with cold. The last thing I want is to hit a slick spot and have my steering bind unpredictably when I go to correct. To exacerbate the issue of finding the right part, Ford doesn't list the full part # on their website, and there are a dozen or so steering shafts with the short number they give it (which includes the significantly cheaper F-150 shaft).

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and 46° (about 8°c), so I might hit the local self-serve junk yard, where I've actually got a credit, and see how easily I might be able to grab one, and if it's in decent shape. That lower bolt just seems a PITA to get to.

 

[Donystoy]

Hopefully you will find a good one. Let us know how difficult the lower bolt is to remove. Would be nice if one could compare the F-150 shaft to these. The only necessary features should only be the attachment ends and length.

 

[Raptor_]

So, this particular steering shaft seems specific to the gen 3 with the V-8, which means that there's only a one-in-three chance at best that a gen 3 in the junkyard has the right part (mine doesn't list specs, just year, make, model, and a photo of the front and dashboard). Of all the Explorers in the yard today, only one had the right shaft, and it was in poor condition (though not quite as bad as mine, so I still took a shot at it). Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get it out with the tools I had on hand. The accessible upper bolt was seized, and it didn't look like I'd be able to get the lower bolt with a standard ratchet. At the best angle I found, it was a 90° angle to the bolt at the bottom, and I wasn't going to have enough room to go more than a click or two on the ratchet. A power ratchet would probably have been able to get it without much difficulty though. I looked for an alternate way to reach it, but there was a steel plate in the way from the wheel well, no access from the front (even without the front bumper), and it didn't look like a way from the bottom.

 

[Donystoy]

You would think that it would be more economical for Ford to use the same part in multiple vehicles. Considering the amount of work involved you certainly want to install a reliable part so might be better off trying to source a new shaft. If the local Ford dealer or other auto parts store has other shafts in stock you might be able to compare them to yours. If the connection points are the same and the location of the joint is approximate on another shaft it should work.

I just randomly looked one up that is for a Ford F150 (Dorman 425-361). The ends look identical. The column end has a 9/16" x about 3/4" square hole that is rounded on one side. The rack end has a 3/4" round hole that is bulged out on one side. The original Explorer shaft extends from a minimum of 17-1/8" to a max of 19-5/8". Not sure why the original has the rubber boot but none of the others seem to have it.

 

[Raptor_]

I had seen a complaint that the lower joint was subject to corrosion from salty road spray, and I also noticed on the junkyard part yesterday that the boot area was covered in grime as it was directly below the oil fill, and next to the exhaust manifold. I think the boot was an attempt to protect the joint in that particular installation.

I've actually been quite surprised at the variance in parts on the Ford trucks. For the last 20 years or so, I'd been dealing almost exclusively with Ford Panther platform vehicles, and on those, across three badges and 15 model years, parts were almost entirely interchangeable. On these, even the front bumper towing "hooks" are an entirely different part number than the almost identical ones on the F-150 (I wound up getting a pair of those at the yard yesterday), and I really can't understand that. They were almost never installed from the factory, and the hooks from both fit each other. I don't know why they didn't just make the bumper opening a fraction of an inch larger on the Ex, and use the same part.

BTW, the steering shaft's mounting point on the steering column end is entirely different on the V-6 engine configurations. There's no U-joint up at that end, and it attaches with a solid bolt, which means that even the steering column itself would have had to be a different part. :/

 

[Donystoy]

Maybe the F 150 shaft will be a better bet to compare if unable to find a good one from a 4.6 liter Explorer. If concerned about salt or grime you could cover it with some vinyl or try to re-use the original somehow. Puzzling why Ford would not us the same set-up for all Explorers considering that when they owned Volvo that some parts were interchangeable.

 

[Donystoy]

Just wondering how you made out with the replacement of your steering shaft. I removed the trim and fender liner (what a pain) on mine today to adjust the door hinge. I should be replacing the hinge bushings and pins but this is good enough for now.

The bolts on the steering shaft seem to be a bit more accessible with the liner removed. Would still need a ratchet wrench or air ratchet for the job but since mine is only intermittent I decided to leave the original one in the vehicle for now. I am now wondering if the clicking feel that I occasionally detect on the upper universal could just be something that is originating in the rack and transferring along the shaft. You would think that if it was the joint itself that it would always be there and only get worse. I might just hang onto my spare shaft in case I need it later.

I have had the vehicle almost since new and only found out today that the front fenders and hood are aluminum.