Bkennedy's SAS and Rebuild Thread

[BKennedy]

WHAT???!!!! You mean you don't want to cut the ends off your front axle and rotate/reindex them and weld them back up? Chicken!!!! (I don't blame you... LOL)

Ahhhhhhhh, no.. (not right now, anyway)

Well it sounds like you have the suspension dialed in. A 5' tall rock with one tire is outside of my comfort zone but it sounds like you have much more seat time in the rocks. I can't wait to see what you come up with for a new roof rack, it's on my list of things to do with similar requirements.

The rock in the pics I posted is about 5' tall, so I still had a little suspension left. With the coil overs I get a lot of droop that is still fairly stable.

 

[johnny499]

The rock in the pics I posted is about 5' tall, so I still had a little suspension left. With the coil overs I get a lot of droop that is still fairly stable.[/QUOTE]

That makes sense. It is very impressive to see it done.

 

[BKennedy]

The way your bump stops are set up in the center or the coils, did you attach the coils at the top? You can get a ton of droop without attaching them at the top and using the bump mounts as a guide.

 

[johnny499]

I haven't actually mounted them yet and have been debating doing so. Right now i need to get the rear bumps installed before i try going to much further on my exploration for more flex and bigger obstacles. I am also very new to the rock scene and slowly getting used to what the truck can do safely.

 

[BKennedy]

Did some work on the center console today. Removed it, rewired everything under there, and wired it for the 12 volt battery monitors I am installing. I also made a raised metal box that sits on the center console in front of the shifter for the gauges and my torque converter lockout switch. I forgot how solidly I made the center console, and how many mounting points it has. Thought I got it with the four I located, then found two more at the shifter that I completely forgot about. I am trying to make it so I can access the wiring by removing the cup holder and / or the gauge box, without removing the center console.

I am pleased with how the box turned out and how smooth fabrication went. My first attempt at that type of thing. I made a cardboard mock-up, used that for a template and cut the box out of 22 gauge plate with a 4.5" angle cut off wheel. Scored the areas I wanted to bend, bent it, welded the sides and ground it smooth. The paint is drying so I don't want to touch it for pictures. Should have it back together tomorrow.

The separate battery monitors should work well. With the key, in accessory the batteries show separate voltage. Key to start and both batteries are linked with the solenoid. With the engine running the main battery reads 14.2 and the secondary is 13.8 constant (ran the engine at idle for 30 minutes and it did not vary. The secondary battery is showing the voltage drop due to the long battery cable, but still has plenty of juice to keep it charged. It will be nice to be able to keep an eye on them in real time.

 

[BKennedy]

Got the gauges and box all mounted. Did a little work on the center console. Adjusted, and lubed the shifter and linkage while it was apart.

Gauge box

Mounted

 

[Rick]

Cool looking gauge console

 

[RockRanger]

Looks good Brain. Do you have build pictures of your center console somewhere?

 

[BKennedy]

No build pictures of the center console. I built that a long time ago right after I put in the 700R4 trans. Its made from 1/2" Baltic birch plywood. I wish I knew you were interested, I would have taken a picture of the underside when I had it out. I might take it out again in the near future because I got a wild hair to re-vinyl the center top portion in black after I found a bunch of material in my garage. I also am planning on re-doing the seats, so when I pull them, I will pull the center console and re-cover it to match, maybe with some very thin foam under the vinyl to give it a more factory look.

I made the sides first, then put in several braces of same plywood to get the right width. All screwed and glued and about 1/2" lower than the top. I made the top pieces to fit inside the sides and rest on the braces in, I think, three sections. I covered the sides with vinyl, attached with spray on glue and a staple gun. The top section was also covered with vinyl with a small gap between the three pieces so I could mount them at different angles. I mounted the top pieces into the console with wood screws through the cross braces. It was not glued so I could remove it later if needed. The back section was done the same as the top. The stock arm rest holds it down on the stock center console mounts with a flat piece in between. The flat piece has the original console door hinge screwed into it for the door on the new console. It is also mounted in two places to the shifter frame with screws. It has held up very well.

 

[BKennedy]

Went for a drive today through Oraflame Canyon in Julian. I was going to go down through the desert to Ocotillo and if time allowed, across the Cross Over Trail to Borrego and home. Got about half way down the long, steep switch back grade to the desert floor when my near new steering gear box blew the rear seal with great exuberance. Dumped all the fluid in about a minute. I had three quarts of ATF but did not want them dumped all over the pretty desert so I coasted down the grade with the engine off. Made it almost to the highway before I had to start the engine. Highway, no phone service. Crap. Filled the reservoir and drove towards the main highway (SR-78) until I could coast again. Coasted about a mile until I got service and am now waiting for the AAA flatbed to take me the 55 miles home. Good thing I brought a book, a warm jacket and a Subway sandwich.

I have been thinking if there was a way the SAS was effecting the steering gear boxes but I don't see how. The first one pulled out the rear bolts threaded hole and now this. It must just be dumb luck.

 

[sirhk100]

May be stupidly obvious but gonna say it anyways just in case...

When you setup the suspension, I'm assuming at ride height'ish, full droop, full bump, one side stuffed/other drooped and vice versa... In each one of those scenarios you swept the steering from full lock to lock left to right to check for all clearances, binding, etc? Steering should be smooth.

Beyond that, I can't imagine the linkage, steering arms, or anything else related would've been changed so much that it would be affecting anything.

Just my personal thoughts on it...

Hope you got home safe and no worse for the ware other then a little more work again! LOL

 

[Kirby N.]

I had my ranger blow a rear seal in the steering box when I had it on a car dolly. Everyone told me I needed to leave the steering column locked when using the dolly. It actually just unscrewed the box out of the worm shaft and popped the c clip that holds it in. I doubt you are that hard on yours. I would blame the rebuilt one you got? I got my replacement from ford new. You probably got the core I gave back! LOL!

 

[johnny499]

If it was the input shaft seal, something probably happened to the spool valve. The re builder may not have gotten the lock nut tight or a teflon seal may have failed and then there's no way the dust seals would hold full pressure. At least no crash ensued from the failure. I bet your heart sank a little when you discovered you had no cell service the first try, i know mine would have.

 

[BKennedy]

Thanks for the input folks. For some reason I quit getting email notifications of postings in thread subscriptions. I got home okay, but it took a while for the tow truck to arrive. Two hours. I was in an area where AAA only has one tow company operating, and I insisted on a flat bed, so it was not their fault.
There is no binding of the steering. In fact, it steers much easier and smoother now with the SAS than before with the TTB and that Superrunner Steering set up. I have yet to need to force the steering and I did it all the time with the TTB.

I knew where I was and how far I needed to go to get to the highway, and that it was mostly down hill, big time. Double footed the brake pedal down the grade. I thought I was set when I made it to pavement until I realized I had no phone service. I also knew how far it was to a community that should have service. I actually had to go past that community until I got service, but it was all part of the adventure.

I haven't pulled it apart, or even opened the hood today. I will get to it later and see where it is actually leaking from. It is from the rear of the box, I think, because that is where the fluid was pouring out from and there is nothing else in that area to leak. When it went, it blew fluid all over that side of the engine compartment from the inside of the hood to the firewall to the radiator support. Its also all the way down the underside to the rear bumper. I have to pull the skid plates and power wash the underside to get that stinky stuff off. My entire garage reeks of Mobile 1 ATF.

I called the manager of my local Autozone who told me that he would warranty the box and the pump, since both were ran dry and are fairly new reman's. Part of the reason I buy parts from them, is that manager is very easy to deal with and warranties anything I bring in.

 

[DB_1]

Bummer to hear about this Brian, Hope the next box works out better.

 

[james t]

Ive had some bad luck with Autozone steering boxes. You may have to go through several before you get a good one. (not an Autozone hater- it just is what it is)

 

[BKennedy]

I guess I just got lucky with the first replacement box, it lasted about ten years.

Anybody know how to reset the instant email notification for the site? I am no longer getting notified when someone posts on a subscribed thread.

 

[Maniak]

I guess I just got lucky with the first replacement box, it lasted about ten years.

Anybody know how to reset the instant email notification for the site? I am no longer getting notified when someone posts on a subscribed thread.

Who is your email provider? (e.g. Cox.net, gmail.com etc)? Sometimes EF emails get caught up in spam filters because people subscribed to threads, then left EF and mark the email as spam instead of telling the site to stop sending email. [MENTION=1515]tdavis[/MENTION] should be able to check the logs.. I don't know if [MENTION=71]Rick[/MENTION] can see that.. Add the email address the EF messages come from to your white list or to your address book usually helps keep them from being being blocked/sent to spam.. (provider dependent)

You can check your global setting by choosing the "Quick Links" drop down in the bar above, then "Edit Options". In there you will find the default email notification but I don't think that changes threads you already are or not not subscribed to.

 

[BKennedy]

I use Time Warner Cable, Road Runner and Windows Live Mail for email. I have had it like this for years. All of my subscribed sites stopped sending me notifications at the same time for unknown reasons. I got them all back by resetting the email notifications, but EF is still not coming through. I will try adding EF to my contact list. Rick said everything is working on EF's end, so it must be my email.

 

[BKennedy]

Back to the steering gear box. Found the leak, its at the bolted rear housing seal. I added some fluid and I could see it dripping without the engine running in that area. Started the engine and it turned into a stream of nice, new, $9.99 a bottle synthetic ATF. Pulled the box to return, along with the new pressure hose (it has a one time use Teflon seal), and the power steering pump. While I have it apart (again), I am going to order the return hose so everything is new-ish.