3 bolt vs 4 bolt steering box

[wjburken]

I don’t believe they are interchangeable.

Have you adjusted the steering box?

 

[OR VietVet]

The pics seem to show a difference in the shaft diameter, where the pitman arm attaches and therefore would not be interchangeable.

 

[S33k3r]

Thank you all for you input. My application is a 2005 Tahoe LT 4x4 5.3 with hydro Boost . I have put 5 steering gear boxes in my tahoe ranging from remas to new ones. and even a Red Head box. but they all develop excessive input shaft play. When you look them up on a parts website they ask you if your unit is 3 or 4 bolt. I was wondering if the two were interchangeable?

Do you have a lift on your Tahoe? That's either causing your rig to eat steering boxes or you have a different suspension problem causing the same effect.

 

[kmccarty515]

I don’t believe they are interchangeable.

Have you adjusted the steering box?

I have adjusted the Box. there is no play in the pitman arm. but there is play in the input shaft. it is ether the power valve or the balls vs input shaft that have play in them.

 

[91RS]

They are not interchangeable. It’s the splines on the shaft not the number of bolts. 4 splines is for a van as far as I know.

 

[houstontaylor]

I have a 3 mounting bolt to frame steering gear on my 2003 Tahoe. A shop noticed a hairline crack around part of the the fillet weld on lower bolt tube that runs through the frame and noticed the gear box mount moved some at that point. I had another shop reweld the cracked mounting bolt tube to frame weld. One shop said Chevy went with 4 bolts later to help avoid that problem.

 

[wjburken]

They are not interchangeable. It’s the splines on the shaft not the number of bolts. 4 splines is for a van as far as I know.

I believe the 32 spline (4 locators) is for 1500's and 33 spline (3 locators) is for 2500 and 3500. At least that is what I came across when buying one for my sons 2500HD which took the 33 spline (3 locators).