Steering gear.

[Schurkey]

the original rag joint has lasted 180k.
Good enough for me.

Are you certain? Failure is so epidemic that I just assume they've ALL failed. The worst of them are so bad that the metal "safety stops" get polished from banging against the metal reinforcements of the rag joint as the steering wheel is turned.

Removing the rag joint and installing a steering shaft with a U-joint was one of the best things I've done for the steering precision of my '88.

 

[Lou Merrell]

Are you certain? Failure is so epidemic that I just assume they've ALL failed. The worst of them are so bad that the metal "safety stops" get polished from banging against the metal reinforcements of the rag joint as the steering wheel is turned.

Removing the rag joint and installing a steering shaft with a U-joint was one of the best things I've done for the steering precision of my '88.

No, I'm not certain I have the original factory one. I have yet to inspect it. All I know is that my steering gear is leaking slowly and when I do that everything in the system will be inspected.
Shoot as far as I know it could have already been replaced with the upgrade shaft.

 

[1998_K1500_Sub]

I think I'll stick with the rag joint if or when I need to change the intermediate.
The truck is not taken off road and the original rag joint has lasted 180k.
Good enough for me.

I used to think the same thing. My joint looked good and showed no obvious play or deterioration, so all's good. At the time I had maybe 250kmi on the truck.

Then one day I did a test... I clamped a vice grip on the rag joint at the PS gear input shaft to keep it from turning, and I got in the truck and turned the steering wheel side-to-side just to see how "stiff" the rag joint was. Well, it wasn't stiff at all. I was quite surprised how little torque it took to cause lost motion in the rag... play in the steering. So that was that; out with the old rag, in with the U-joint.

This post shares my perspective:

1998 to 1996 Vortec 5.7 power steering pump swap

I think my '97 K2500 has EVO, but either it works good or I'm too stupid to see/feel how it's broken. The truck had a huge PS leak when I bought it (failed "ps cooler" tubing inside the frame horn by the front bumper) so having functional ps and hydroboost is good enough for me. Far as I can...

www.gmt400.com