Will I need to get this boot replaced?

[Plum Ranger XLT]

I noticed this just a few minutes ago while checking the fluid levels in my Ranger and happened to look down at the boot on the steering shaft where it connects to the power steering rack and was wondering if I need to have this replaced or is it something I can ignore?

 

[adsm08]

If it is the one on the shaft, which I think it is, you can ignore. It's purpose is more to keep things away from a u-joint on the shaft so it doesn't grab wires or get bound up.

 

[Plum Ranger XLT]

Okay. The steering on this feels fine as of right now and will check on it from time to time to see if it gets any worse and have no idea as to how long it has been like that.

 

[adsm08]

Nah, you will know if a problem starts. It will all of a sudden feel like you have no power steering on two opposite quarters of the turn, and it usually happens over night. Newer trucks are more prone to it because the shaft is aluminum and the joint is steel and the bi-metallic corrosion gets inside the caps.

 

[gw33gp]

If that were mine, I would use a little silicone to seal up the cracks and openings. I think it helps to keep dirt and grit out of there which can accelerate wear. I did this on my upper ball joint boots to get another 5 years life out of them. I did eventually have to replace those ball joints but they were still in decent shape when I finally did. The lower ball joints are still solid and they have over 220K miles on them.

 

[55trucker]

I have that very same issue, I noticed that split in the boot approx a year ago, I did fill the boot with wheel bearing grease to the max, seeing as I wash my engine bay down on a regular basis I didn't want to cause damage to the u-joint.

Ford is the only place you can get a replacement (at least here), there's no aftermarket item.

 

[Plum Ranger XLT]

Last Tuesday I got some krazy glue and was able to glue the boot together where it was separating and so far it has been holding together. Only time will tell how well this is going to work and hopefully it does work.