At a loss..my 98..k1500 has had sloppy steering since it was about 3 yrs old. everything has been replaced, except the steering box. Is there such a thing as an EVO? could this effect things?..Thank you

How To: Adjust Steering Gear Box Play - YouTube

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How to Adjust steering gear box play demonstrated on a jeep cherokee steering box.

Steering Box Adjustment /22re/2wd/Power Steering - Toyota Nation ...

www.toyotanation.com > ... > 89-95 Toyota Pickup/Hilux

Feb 11, 2010 - 5 posts - ‎3 authors
89-95 Toyota Pickup/Hilux Discussion forum for the 89-95 Toyota Pickup/Hilux owners. ... Steering boxes don't have an adjustment to remove free play they have ... When there is excessive play in a steering box it may mean ... steering adjustment
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Mar 30, 2011
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I sounds like your power steering pump may be going out or low on fluid.

sounds like the only thing not checked was the idler arm. Also, have ball joints double checked by a different shop. I had similar issue with 96 Yukon and found ball joints bad on my own. Shop misdiagnosed!

sound like drag link is worn out or lots of free play in gear box
my bet is on drag link (arm that is bolted to steer box)

Leave the return line disconnected from the pump and run into a bucket. fill new pump and start engine have some one keep adding fluid until clean fluid is going into bucket. Caution make sure to secure hose to bucket or you will make a mess. Also turning the steering wheel about a half turn in each direction Will help it to flush out the gear box better.

Have the front end alignment checked as it may the cause of wandering. With the truck parked and the steering centered, but the engine running, wiggle the steering wheel back and forth while watching the left front wheel. It should respond to the steering action without any observable slack. Have someone watch both front wheels while doing this and see if there is slack between the two wheels. Any slack here is indicative of slop in the cross-wheel coupling. Hope this helps!

Take the bolts out that attach the steering box to the frame and pivot the box so you can fit the puller on.
Leave the steering shaft and power steering hoses attached.
Mark the new pitman arm and old one in the same place and mark the pitman shaft to keep the same position of the new pit man arm on the old shaft as the old pitman arm.

Everyone always gravitates to the suspension but folks, it's 99% sure that it is the EVO. The EVO is the sensor built into the steering column that senses movement of the steering wheel then controls the power steering pump accordingly. When it goes out (which is all too frequently) you get sloppy and loose steering at lower speeds and it does tighten up a bit on the highway at higher speeds. This is the way it is supposed to work but when it fails it's downright scary trying to keep the truck straight on a narrow two lane road!

Possible failed bank 1 sensor 1 oxygen sensor..

The problem is your intermediate steering shaft. It runs from the bottom of your steering column to the steering gearbox. While you are in the shop, though, now may be a good time to replace both the steering gear box and pump as a precautionary maintenance measure. It truly isn't necessary if you aren't having issues, but sometimes replacing one old part will open up the blinds to see another worn out part that needs replaced. It's cheaper to have the mechanic replace them while they have everything apart, than to have them take it apart on 3 separate occasions.