Steering Gearbox Leak: Help, Mike Boyle

[shawnbru]

My explorer has always leaked PS fluid, but a couple of week ago it started like a sieve, I sprayed everything off with degreaser to see where it was coming from and it appears to be from the top of the box where you can adjust the tightness of the gears.

I pulled the gearbox out and took the top off. There is a rubber ring that that forms the seal. Can I buy a replacement for this seal?? I didn't see any mention of it when I did my searches.

Also now my setting is all messed because I took the cover off and undid the bolt that hold the adjuster thing. Horwitz posted something on here about how you actually adjust it based on torque settings.

Am I screwed??? Do I have to buy a reman gearbox or and AGR or can I put this one back together??

All help will be greatly appreciated

 

[shawnbru]

Found the answer

Since no one was willing to give me any advice, I solved the problem on my own.

My power steering gearbox was leaking from the top seal where you can remove the cover of the box to take the sector shaft out once the pitman arm is pulled.

Autozone had various seal kits, one for the sector shaft where the pitman arm attaches, one for the input shaft where the steering goes into the box, both of which where in the $15-$20 range. They also had a complete rebuild kit which was around $60.

I called my parts buddies at Dean Sellers Ford in Troy, MI who give me between 20%-30% off of parts because I buy so much crap from them. They told me that they sell tons of sector shaft seal kits and hardly ever sell the input shaft seal kit. I bought the sector shaft seal kit for $12

I took the box out of the truck, what a mess. I tried to drain things cleanly but it just didn't work.

I took the nut off that secures the adjustment of the gears and then took the cover bolts out and unscrewed the cover off of the adjustment bolt. Pulled the pitman arm with a puller and then removed the sector shaft.

I removed the snap ring with pliers designed for the job and then used my slide hammer bearing and seal puller to pull out both seals.

The new seals were then pounded back in with a hammer and a socket that was just small enough to fit in the bore. I then put the snap ring back in and reinstalled the sector shaft. Note: steering has to be centered to get the shaft in or out.

I then replaced the cover seal and put the cover back on. I preemptively ajdusted the lash? on the steering to one full turn looser than where it became tight to turn it by hand and put the box back in the truck.

Since I had the steering taken apart I installed new hoses at the same time even though my old ones were not leaking. (Don't want to go back).

When took the box out I made sure my steering was centered and the wheels were straight. With the box back in I reconnected all of the steering linkage and will adjust the gearing on the steering after bleeding the PS and taking some careful test drives.

 

[RangerX]

Very good writeup, Shawn.

 

[mrboyle]

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but it was a busy week at work and I wasn't on the board form Tuesday on. Glad to hear you were able to fix your problem though and I just wanted to let you know you are a braver man than me. I hate working on steering gears and avoid tearing into them as much as possible.

 

[lonestar]

OK, it doesnt' seem to hard. I am having some wired probs. In very minor accident, turned wheel, slammed brakes, clipped taillight, no damage, but now my steering is out of alignment, visibly, and my gear box is leeking bad around the pitman arm shaft, might as well just pour it out.

It almost appears the pitman arm shaft is coming out, about 1/2" splines showing. I don't understand why the alignment would be off so much though. Maybe when I cut wheels and hit brakes it knocked something loose.

New gearbox is like $160, Autozone has a full rebuild kit for like $15, I'm not sure what is included, it was quoted at $60 above.

So how much trouble is this?

EDIT: another Autozone quotes $55 for a complete rebuild kit.

 

[mrboyle]

Did your tire contact anything? It sounds like (from both your posts) that your tire took the majority of the impact and either bent someting and or jarred the gear box hard enough to break something inside.

 

[lonestar]

that's what I don't understand. I don't believe there was ant contact with the tire. The only damage I received was a scuffed bumper pad with peices of his taillight stuck in it and a slight dent in the trim peice between the bumper and headlight. I woudn't think there would be enough penetration into th vehicle to hit the tire. I'm thinking the quick turn broke something in the gearbox. It seems to have much more slop in it, like an old boat were you can turn the wheel 1/4 turn before any movement occurs at the tire and it also seems to turn farther left than right.

I still don't see why the alignment would be messed up, unless it did contact the tire bend something. The other weird part is I hit on the left, but when the wheel is straight, it looks like the right tire is the one kicked out.

 

[joshbus]

leaking steering gearbox

thanks for posting your problems shawn. My explorer is leaking from the pitman seal. Now I'm thinking if I don't mess with the adjustment screw , and leave the box in the truck I can just keep the wheels centered , remove the pitman arm ,remove the top cover ,slip out the sector, replace seals ,and reverse procedure [reassemble , and I'll be all set. You think this will work , thanks ,

 

[ld50]

I recently replaced my steering box because it was leaking.
It is normal for some of the shaft to be visible between the pitman arm and the Box. It is also the only way to have a pitman arm puller to be able to pull it off - the claw fits in that gap.

Also re-aligning is a snap, There is a flat spot on the pitman arm shaft so once you set the steering to straight ahead, where you put the pitman arm is obvious.

To center the box, you turn the input shaft all the way to one side and count how many turns it takes to get it all the way to the other side. My input shaft only turned four times I think, so two turns from one side centered it.

when you hook the steering linkage back onto the input shaft you have to eyeball it where your wheel is straight. I hit it on the first try. I think it might have had a flat spot as well. Sometimes these things seem more difficult than they are.

Make sense?

 

[kdogg212001]

i also have kinda the same problem as shawn did, every time i look under my hood i look at the hood its self and i see power steering fluid but then i check my hoses and every thing is tight i dont knwo what it could be any help?

 

[mrboyle]

Originally posted by kdogg212001
i also have kinda the same problem as shawn did, every time i look under my hood i look at the hood its self and i see power steering fluid but then i check my hoses and every thing is tight i dont knwo what it could be any help?

First, use degreaser or brake cleaner to clean off as much of the mess as possible. Next, (make sure there is fluid in the pump) have an assistant start your X and turn the steering to full lock and hold it (don't hold it there for a long time [30 sec at a time]), while you watch to see where the fluid leak is coming from.

 

[Turbo]

My son's '94 explorer is leaking from the sector seal above the pitman arm. I read in your post that you were thinking of trying to replace the seal without actually pulling the steering gearbox out of the vehicle.

Did you try it? How did it work?

I would like to avoid the $150+ expense of a new steering gearbox.

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[kdogg212001]

ok i think i found out where my leak is coming from, the hose that is going into the bottom ofo the powersteering pump is like detereirating(how ever you spell that) but i am not sure if i will have to pull that pump to change tha hose!! any one know?