power steering problems

Ijust rebuilt my p/s gearbox on my 69 runner it has the federal box with the valve on top for leaks. Got it back together and the steering wheel turns to the left by its self. tryed to adjust the upward but helps some , anybody get it to this and find the problem thanks, glen  

loosen the bolts on the valve on top of the box where the lines connect and move the valve to the right. retighten the bolts and try it.you will probably will have to play with it a little but it should work.i had the same problem years ago  

Because of high mileage and leaks I replaced the power steering box on my '73 Dodge Dart. Right after installing a rebuild box I noticed [when coming out of a turn] the steering wheel would not return to it's center position. At least not as fast as it used to. Even though I had power assist the steering seemed to heavy. Just poor return,even at highway speeds. I replaced the steering box again,this time also a rebuild unit. Now the steering is even worse,no return whatsoever! I know the problem is mechanical,not hydraulic; On the original steering box I was able to rotate the shaft [that slides in the pitman-arm] with just two fingers. On both rebuild boxes this was just impossible,you had to mount the pitman-arm in order to rotate the shaft. So there seems to be to much internal friction. I know I can move the valve body or make an adjustment but both these items are 'sealed'; tampering with them will void the warranty. Any help would be appriciated.  

An update on the steering problem with my '73 Dart. I took the car to the place I bought the steering box from. Their mechanic drove the car and he agreed that there was 'something' wrong with the steering. Because I had a warranty they gave me another steering box. Before installing this one I had the car properly aligned. Ride height,caster,camber and toe-in were all set at factory specs. Also,the complete front suspension was rebuild about 3 years ago,using all new bushings & joints. It's lubricated like it should and everything moves freely. So I'm positive there is nothing wrong with the front end. Long story short: This third [3th] rebuild power steering box is no good either...There is still hardly any 'recovery',also there is clearly some 'play' when driving in a straight line. The car wanders a little bit. Changing lanes on the highway would normally require only a few degrees of steering wheel movement. But right after you steered the car to the left or right lane the wheel would stay in that position;it does not return to center by itself. So if not corrected you would up on the shoulder...Needless to say this is a strange driving experience. Apparantly those 'rebuild' steering boxes are a pile of crap. According to an original Chassis service manual there are actually nine [9] different problems that will cause 'poor recovery from turns'. That makes me believe that whoever put these steering boxes together isn't paying attention. Something must be off,whatever it is. All I know is that the worm shaft on all 3 rebuild boxes were WAY more harder to turn [when holding it with two fingers] than the worm shaft on the original steering box. So somehow these things just have to much internal  friction,for whatever reason. Right now I'm sick & tired of it. The plan for the near future is to get an original/used steering box somewhere,replace the seals on it and be done with it. I would be VERY thankful if anybody can shine a light on this. Thanks!  

Another update on the steering problem with my '73 Dart. Like I said before,my 3th rebuild steering box had to much play when driving in a straight line. It also had almost no 'recovery',just like the first two rebuild boxes. I tried to adjust the gear mesh but the sector shaft adjusting screw just wouldn't go in at all. Turning it tighter wasn't possible but it clearly had some play in it,weird indeed. The second & third steering box came from a company called 'Cardone' and I called their tech-line. I explained all these problems and their first response was that in 99.9 percent of all cases this was caused by a 'mis-alignment'. [This doesn't make any sense ofcourse since these steering problems occurred right AFTER I started switching steering boxes. Besides,my car IS properly aligned.] I asked them why the worm shaft is impossible to turn [when holding it with your fingers] on a rebuild box,yet it turnes freely on a used steering box. They said that's because it is used and it will become a little lose over a peiod of time. There may be some truth in there,but I don't buy this for one second;anything mechanical [be it a rear axle,steering box or whatever] that's almost impossible to turn AFTER a rebuild just has tolerances which are to tight. The Factory chassis service manual talks about five different problems OUTSIDE the steering box that will cause 'poor recovery from turns'. They are: 'tires not properly inflated','steering linkage binding','improper wheel alignment','column coupling bottomed in either direction','column jacket and steering shaft improperly aligned'. I checked all these items and they are OK. The manual also mentioned ten different causes for poor recovery INSIDE the steering box,which are: 'steering gear malfunctions','sector shaft adjustment to tight','loose housing head spanner nut','damaged valve lever','worm thrust bearing adjustment to tight','excessive internal leakage','sticking valve spool','reaction ring sticking in cylinder head or housing head','reaction seal worn,damaged,or missing','reaction oil passageway not drilled in housing,cylinder head,housing head,or ferrule pin'. The items outside the steering box can easily be checked.
However,all the items inside the box should be left to an expert. For example,the people rebuilding these things....Anyway,a rebuild box clearly wasn't the solution here. So I started a search for a used box from a junkyard. I found one on e-bay and it came already blasted & primed. I just painted it black and I replaced both the worm and sector shaft seals and also all the rubber 'O' ring seals on the valve body. So if this box wasn't good,at least it wouldn't be leaking....I installed it,started the engine and added power steering fluid. It needed a LOT of fluid...turned out the worm shaft seal simply popped out after about a minute of idling. [even though I used the correct size seal;1 inch outside,5/8 inside] So out it went again...I glued the seal in place and installed the box again. This time no more leaks. Was this the end of my steering nightmares? Not yet,because now I have good recovery coming out of a right turn,but no recovery coming out of a left turn. I tried to adjust the valve body a million times but I can't get it right.
I've had this car for ten years and made some changes on it,including engine,rear axle,wheels and so on. However,going with different [rebuild] steering boxes has been a MAJOR MISTAKE. I should have kept the original box,but it's to late for that now. If I can find the patience again I guess I will be looking for a 5th steering box...
To be continued...  

Hey guys, new to the forum, looking for answer to similar problem.  Just hooked up power steering for the first time since I've owned my 69 Charger and it yanks the wheel out of my hands to the left when I start the motor.  I'm thinking that this is the same issue that you guys are describing.  Does it sound that way?

I hope the fix is as easy as you say, I really dont want to have to take the headers off again and pull the pump off!