Cowboy engineering? Actually slack or cracked Pitman Arm is on Dept. of Transportation list of items for pre-trip inspection on over-the-road diesel trucks.

Adjusting tie rods does NOT replicate movement of the Pitman on its spline, as the arm moves in an arc directly linked to the gearbox... a question of arcs and angles where suspension components interface with gear box.

What the Pitman does is control steering radius. And its S.O.P for trucks to have the arm turned a few splines by certified Pitman specialist after the suspension and box has "settled" on new truck after the first 120k miles. Apparently this procedure is done only once.

With 3 new trucks in the depot approaching 100k+ miles, I've already asked the maintenance shop to tell the Pitman tech to look over my 240D when he shows up.

Otherwise yes, I've heard the 123 steering boxes are junk.... am wondering if steering box from 115 or 114 might solve this problem??

Thanks for the replies, am basically a scavenger when it comes to making improvements on the car.

Excellent bennies driving truck and owning 240D, the crew at work has already installed a water-separator..... am eager to install a fuel heater.... and have even looked into fabricating an exhaust brake to the manifold that can bring the car to a rumbling slow down when approaching traffic.