steering woes

[91expy]

Hey just got a couple of questions the output shaft gasket on the steering gear blew, so i yanked the whole gear box out. I had no problem taking out the pitman arm and the unit. When I try to reassemble im caught in a pickle.... when i pulled the unit the steering shaft came off in 2 pieces, the upper connected to wheel and the u joint and below is still on the car. The bottom portion where the rubber disk and above is off the car. Is there a trick to connect them back? Is it possible to bolt the box to the frame then connect the lower shaft? Any tips would be great its a 91 eb 4x4 thanks alot

 

[Maniak]

Its been a while since I had to put the steering shaft back on.. But if I remember correctly, you need to release the pinch bolt that held the shaft together..

I'm 99% sure i was able to put it on w/out messing with the steering box. I do remember having to compress the steering shaft to make it fit though and having a real paint to get it back in (the 3 shaped piece with the bolt gave me fits for a few)

~Mark

 

[91expy]

ok guys im still baffled on this problem. This truck needs to get on the road..... I tried to take off the upper shaft from the column but the dam thing wont budge. The bolt is removed but the shaft seems seized, i have soaked it in pb blaster and krano kroil with no luck. Here are a few pictures can anyone help me out

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/22907/2306794810048960053S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/22138/2429805860048960053S600x600Q85.jpg

 

[Maniak]

The pics you have linked are thumbnails, I can't see it well enough to know what I'm even looking at.

~Mark

 

[91expy]

mark i was editing the size when you posted..... bad timing let me know what you think

 

[Maniak]

I'm a little confused now. As I undrstand it, your trying to take "off" the sheering shaft, but the 2nd picture shows it off already...

The pinch bolt which is just "up" from the rubber u-joint thingy (technical term) needs to be removed. Once its removed I remember having to stick a big screw driver in the slot of the upper point to spread it apart. Once I did that I used a prybar to pry it down a little (the entire shaft goes down some at that point). Once it was down enough I could pull the upper piece (the part that had the bolt) sideways and get it out.

~Mark

 

[91expy]

well the upper portion with the u joint and the reciver is still on the truck..... the lower portion with the rag joint is off the truck, and i cant get that damn thing to plug into the upper so i was going to take it all off and put it back together then put it back on as a whole. this has been a royal pita

 

[Maniak]

Oh.. your tring to get the upper portion off.. I thought you were trying to get the intermediate shaft (the one with the rag joint) off. That intermediate shaft should back back on somewhat easily.. you push it down (towards the steering box) and then slid the upper portion (the piece with the pinch bolt) back on.. If you spread apart that pinched section at the top of the intermediate shaft it will be easier to put on.

Just to make sure we are talking about the same thing now...

The part I'm talking about taking off/putting on is between the red lines (intermediate steering shaft).

The bolt I'm talking about is circled in blue.

~Mark

 

[91expy]

that picture is different style but the rag joint is on the bottom of the 92, but the bottom shaft is where its at..... is there a way to compress that clip on the shaft i have removed to put it back into the part thats still in the car

 

[Maniak]

Thats why it wasn't making sense.. My pic is from our '92 which aparently is a different style than a '91 (I had no idea that changed)..

I don't think you can pre-compess that clip.. I looks like its more of a tap it into place type thing.

For better info, we are going to need to find somone that has done this on a '91 since the '91 is a different style.

~Mark

 

[91expy]

ok mark I think the few days of kroil soaking paid off..... The upper part of the shaft slide right off today. Now the lower portion with the rag joint slides into the upper shaft and is held on by a rubber collet. The metal tab keeps its from sliding out and its pretty much a primitive collapsible column. heres some pictures thanks for trying to help now anyone with a 91 in the future can figure this out BTW the rag joint side goes to the gear box and the ujoint side goes to the coulmn

http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/22467/2414302790048960053S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/22203/2601794490048960053S600x600Q85.jpg

 

[91expy]

dbl post