if it takes 5&3/4 turns to turn the st wheel from lock to lock, go halfway which is 2&7/8, which is centered. at that position wiggle the st wheel or the box splined input shaft at the coupler (my preference) R&L very slightly back & forth from the centered position like the hands on a clock not in/out & see how much play there is & I like a very small amount. then turn the wheel or input shaft from lock to lock both ways & it should be smooth with no binding from lock to lock. there is a FSM procedure for adjustment (recommended) which iirc you adj the big front locknut first then work with the slotted bolt on top with the 5/8 locknut but this'll get us started to see where we are at. Open the fill nut & see if it has lube.
Okay. And yes I've read the adjustment procedure in the service manual where you are supposed to adjust the worm bearing preload first to 1 1/2 - 4 1/2 inch pounds then take up the rest with the cross shaft adjustment to total 8-11 inch pounds total worm shaft bearing preload.
I just don't want to pull the pitman if I don't have to, and also honestly can't figure out how and where I'm supposed to put the torque wrench to take the readings?
I will do what you say and report back, as I understand where you are going with this.
For the other posters, the box is tight to the subframe... Stay tuned
