It turns out that my stearing gear box is starting to go, according to a the mechanic I took it too today. I told him that the stearing was getting a little loose and he said this is the problem. Correct me if he is wrong? Anyways since this is going out, and I do take this up some trails every now and then I was curious if anybody knew of a Heavy duty gear box that was meant for off roading and other strenuous (sp?) activities?

It is a 2000 Blazer 4dr 4wd auto, with push button 4wd LT model, car is stock for now adding some rancho RSX shocks soon. Thanks for any and all help.

 

loose steering can be caused by a number of things. get a second opinion... take it to a reputable alignment shop (some do free checks), they should be able to tell you what's wrong.

 

This was a reputed alignment shop. It was Big O tire. And it kinda makes sense because I have been noticing a leak on the blazer for a little while now, but have not been able to pinpoint it down.

 

I have to agree with magtec, get a second opinion. It's far more common to have loose steering due to ball joints or idler arm wear than steering box wear.
What is leaking from your truck and where is it coming from.
The steering box can be adjusted, if nessessary, but it needs to be done correctly. If it's not done in the very center position (the high spot) of the gear, it will just wear out a lot faster. I can explain how to adjust it, but do yourself a favor and get a couple of more opinions. Even a very good mechanic can have a bad day.
Keep us posted.

 

I just replaced the lower ball joints and the idler arm. But it did seem to be more noticable after that, although after having them recheck their work they said it was all tight.......

I will try and have someone else look at it, and maybe while they are at it they can find the leak. It would be power steering fluid that was leaking if it was the gear box right?

Well I just had a different shop redo some of their work, but Big O is paying for it. Had to have a wheel speed sensor replaced. Turns out that my upper ball joint on the passenger side is in need of replacing, and I will probably do both sides at the same time. Could this account for the sloppiness in the steering wheel while driving at highway speeds?

Turns out I have a small leak that seems to be coming out of the oil pan drain plug, any ideas on a quick fix (other than making the hole bigger and getting a different drain plug)?

Man for a 2000 blazer with only 75k miles I sure am having a lot of issues with this thing.[:@]

 

Yes, your worn upper ball joints could cause some looseness in the steering. It's not a bad idea to have them both replaced if one is worn...then you know it's all good.

For your oil drain plug, replace the plug and "O" ring seal.


(Man for a 2000 blazer with only 75k miles I sure am having a lot of issues with this thing. )
I won't even tell you how much $$$$ I put into my 1974 Blazer...lol

 

Ha ha ha ha ha. The o-ring is probably the right idea considering when I looked at it there was not an o-ring there.

Chevy Lover you seem to be pretty knowledgeable on this, so what do you think about the Rancho RSX shocks for the blazers? Because that is what I am planning on replacing my current munroe shocks with soon. And I liked the polyurethane bushings on them plus the off road and on road versatility.