As the worm turns

[Highnote1]

I have not sent Core back yet as I am not fully done with project.  I did reach out to them to see what the grease inside is specifically so o could find out if I could add oil to it if needed. The person on the phone was pretty much no help and could not find the answer. I guess I will leave it for now. 

 

Now ow I am waiting on a die to fix the splines on the center link that I bopped with the air hammer and damaged trying to get the pitman arm off... it’s always something. New Steering guibo installed and all new hardware...just need that last nut m10 x 1 nut to go on!

 

 

[RonfromIN]

Recently bought a nice 72tii with less than 90,000 miles. Documented. I have two threads on bolt. No leaks. Should I be looking for a rebuilt box?  Anything I can do as preventative maintenance on the box. I’m not much more than a shade tree. 

[Einspritz]

 After assessing the general condition of the track rods et. al. for excessive wear..... The quick check would be to have the steering wheel at center. then gently move it side to side to see how much play is in the wheel, there should be none if the box was new.

 

Make sure that the box is filled almost to the top with 90W gear oil.

 

If you search for my other posts, I explain that the "screw" is not necessarily for removing slack, though it will to some extent; it is for setting the final friction, or tightness of the box, all else being in specification e.g. the shaft bushings, the ball bearings and shims. The minimal amount of slack is when the roller (height adjusted from the screw)  approaches being tangent to the worm at center. There will always be slack at the steering limits either right or left.

 

The best you may do is to move the screw up or down to find the point of least slack AND with no binding. Remember that you must hold the screw while tightening the nut, as just a small amount of turning will change the setting. It can be frustrating, but keep at it until you are comfortable with the result.

 

Just know that proper settings require a torque gauge to set the shim stack first (without the seals in place)  then the position of the screw, measured at the steering wheel.

 

 

[Vicleonardo1]

So, being a cheap soul, and I have Redline Synthetic 75-90W gear oil left over from my LSD. Would that be suitable lubricant for the steering box, or is that too thin? 

[Einspritz]

I don't know if it is or not.

 

"some" synthetics cause mild seal swelling, BUT if yours are the EDPM correct ones, perhaps not.

 

When you mean "left over" do you mean what you took out of the differential before replacing it or the "left over" in the bottle? If it is the former, then i would say that you probably could use it in a pinch; centrifuging out the particulates would be better (who has one of those?). But new fluid is so relatively inexpensive (I didn't say cheap) why not just go for straight gear oil.

 

As far as the 75-90W goes, probably OK, and probably will not leak out unless the seals are old and hard and prone to leaking anyway.

 

so, in the end, without delving into the chemistry, I don't know, but it probably is a "no loss" choice.

 

Clear as Redline.

 

BUT NEVER USE GREASE!

[RonfromIN]

Great suggestions Einspritz. I’ll also check out your other posts on steering boxes. 

 

Thank you. 

[Vicleonardo1]

Left over means I had to buy two quarts, but it takes only a little over a quart to fill the differential. Just have almost a full quart left sitting on the shelf...Mocking me...

[ray_]

42 minutes ago, Einspritz said:

I don't know if it is or not.

 

"some" synthetics cause mild seal swelling, BUT if yours are the EDPM correct ones, perhaps not.

 

When you mean "left over" do you mean what you took out of the differential before replacing it or the "left over" in the bottle? If it is the former, then i would say that you probably could use it in a pinch; centrifuging out the particulates would be better (who has one of those?). But new fluid is so relatively inexpensive (I didn't say cheap) why not just go for straight gear oil.

 

As far as the 75-90W goes, probably OK, and probably will not leak out unless the seals are old and hard and prone to leaking anyway.

 

so, in the end, without delving into the chemistry, I don't know, but it probably is a "no loss" choice.

 

Clear as Redline.

 

BUT NEVER USE GREASE!

 

 

I use grease

 

VicLeonardo I mentioned it way, way back on page 2 of this thread

 

Cheers,

[Einspritz]

Yes, I know. To each his own.

[BarneyT]

The grease is really only there for assembly to protect the gears until filled with oil upon installation...

[TobyB]

Quote

6 hours ago, Einspritz said:

BUT NEVER USE GREASE!

 

BY ITSELF!

 

If you make a compatible grease and oil mix, your worm will probably turn longer...

I hear molybdenum disulfide is a nice thing to have in places like this, where your

unit pressures go waaaaayyy too far up for standard dead dinosaurs...

 

t

I'm soaking in it

[jgerock]

10 hours ago, TobyB said:

BY ITSELF!

 

If you make a compatible grease and oil mix, your worm will probably turn longer...

I hear molybdenum disulfide is a nice thing to have in places like this, where your

unit pressures go waaaaayyy too far up for standard dead dinosaurs...

 

t

I'm soaking in it

Toby- didn't realize you changed your name to Madge. And your hands should be soaking in Palmolive and nothing else?.   

[irdave]

16 hours ago, Vicleonardo1 said:

Left over means I had to buy two quarts, but it takes only a little over a quart to fill the differential. Just have almost a full quart left sitting on the shelf...Mocking me...

 

It's not mocking you, it's patiently waiting for next time- when you only need to buy one quart.  So drive it enough that you need to change it again!

 

And I didn't hear this from someone everyone on here recommends to do work on their cars- but a little tranny fluid in the tank of a tii maybe helps lubricate the pump more than just the stock set up...

[jimk]

Since the worm gearset in the sector is heavily loaded, slow moving find a gear lube with greater than 3500 lbf as per ASTM D3233 (Falex Procedure B). Most lube suppliers don'e publish this parameter because most are not this high.

If you really want a EP lube, SAE 190 and SAE 250 gear lubes are available but are marketed for shock loaded off road, and certain racing applications.

Moly lubes in std product lines are a bit better, but moly is a flake form and works best in roller applications not sliding applications because the flakes tend to break up.

For this application, a bottle shake test for comparision of the viscosity can suffice because the steering sector stays rather cool.  Other than that compare the 40 degC viscosity ratings because the SAE 90 is rated at 100 degC and doesn't tell much at 40 degC.

So this is enough trivia for now, there is more to a lubricant than opening the cap and pouring.

Edited January 27, 2019 by jimk

[Vicleonardo1]

1 hour ago, jimk said:

Since the worm gearset in the sector is heavily loaded, slow moving find a gear lube with greater than 3500 lbf as per ASTM D3233 (Falex Procedure B). Most lube suppliers don'e publish this parameter because most are not this high.

If you really want a EP lube, SAE 190 and SAE 250 gear lubes are available but are marketed for shock loaded off road, and certain racing applications.

Moly lubes in std product lines are a bit better, but moly is a flake form and works best in roller applications not sliding applications because the flakes tend to break up.

For this application, a bottle shake test for comparision of the viscosity can suffice because the steering sector stays rather cool.  Other than that compare the 40 degC viscosity ratings because the SAE 90 is rated at 100 degC and doesn't tell much at 40 degC.

So this is enough trivia for now, there is more to a lubricant than opening the cap and pouring.

 

So, something like this? 

https://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2498.pdf