Shaft seal on hydraulic steering box

billpatterson

billpatterson

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HI

I would use the rebuilding skills of Jay Stratton if I did not leave in Canada (read expensive shipping). So I am wondering if the shaft seal (32131111871; #16 below) is replaced from the exterior or the interior of the steering box? Advise on the other 'seal' will be appreciated. BTW - there is lil or no 'slop' in the steering box and the seals are not showing any sign of leaks; just be precautionary.

Regards,
Bill

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Hi Chris,

Steering box is out; it came out quite easily; its cleaned and repainted. Disconnecting the pitman arm from the steering link was a bit of a challenge; I had to drill the castle nut once the friction joint was free; the ball joint and castle nut were turning together...A few bucks for another ;)

Regards,
Bill


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HB Chris said:
I need to pull mine and I’m worried about Pittman arm to track rod too. I will send to Jay.
Click to expand...

I use two hammers; the large one is placed behind the joint and the smaller one hits the opposite side; it 'squeezes' out the ball joint pin. There must be a puller that is small enough to grab under that joint though?

Maybe,
1602465356842.png

Regards,
Bill
 
Why not buy a repair kit from Jay and try it yourself? He gives instructions I believe.
 
bavbob said:
Why not buy a repair kit from Jay and try it yourself? He gives instructions I believe.
Click to expand...

Hi bavbob,

Jay does not sell kits or provide tutorials for this steering box. He may for other steering boxes however his reply to my email was explicit.

Does the seal (#16 above picture) install from the outside OR from the inside of the steering box?

Regards,
Bill
 
Hi there
Its not impossible! I was able to reinstall the rollers of the roller bearings into both roller bearing races (#10 in above pic). I have also confirmed the seal (#16 above) is changeable from the exterior of the hydro steering box (in a around about way ;)). I used very sticky grease to hold each roller in place in the more internal roller bearing then inserted the segment shaft (#11 above) to hold those rollers in place, then reinserted the rollers into the race of the other roller bearing (the bearing under seal #16) and finished by completely inserting the segment shaft. I'll replace seal #16 when it arrives from Maximillian.

g3q0JwImSTa3iJmTwvbzpg.jpgfullsizeoutput_bdd.jpeg

Regards,
Bill
 
Hi Bill
I am about to try and replace the seals on my steering box and if you don’t mind I am looking for a bit of advice from you before I start .
I have the box on the bench ready to go.
So if I remove the pitman arm and nut ( did you use a puller on the arm itself and / or heat to remove the arm )
Is the pitman arm bore tapered and splined or just splined ?

Then remove the 4 bolts on the alloy end plate / cover plate.
Then does the shaft just tap out with a mallet ?

Should I dot punch each shaft to help re align everything later ?

As the shaft is removed do the needle bearings “ fall out “ ?

Then with the shaft out is it easy enough to get the seals out ?

If I use grease to hold the needles in place is it straight forward to put them back in ?
Or do they have a special taper on them or something ?

Anyway apologies if my questions seem daft , I’m just looking for a bit of insider knowledge before I get started.
Thanks again.
 
Hi Barry!
No prob! Happy to be what help I can be.

I pasted in your questions for easier navigation,

So if I remove the pitman arm and nut ( did you use a puller on the arm itself and / or heat to remove the arm)?
- yes remove, its on tight, the best is to apply lots of heat and use a puller.

Is the pitman arm bore tapered and splined or just splined ?
-both; there are markings on the arm and shaft. I have center punched my own markings just to be sure.

Then remove the 4 bolts on the alloy end plate / cover plate.
Then does the shaft just tap out with a mallet ?
-careful here! I believe I screwed myself by doing this. There is a ball bearing in the other shaft and if it falls you have slop in the steering box. If you can, have J. Stratton rebuild/reseal/adjust your steering box. Consequently, I replaced my steering box with known low mileage one (got pressure tested and replaced #16 seal)

1684863320046.png


Should I dot punch each shaft to help re align everything later ?

As the shaft is removed do the needle bearings “ fall out “ ?
-yes. when i did mine I used sticky grease to hold them in place, as in the above post. Again use J. Stratton's services.

Then with the shaft out is it easy enough to get the seals out ?
-only changed the #16 seal and #6 o-ring (NLA). It comes off from the outside. Remove circlip, drive a self tapping screw into the seal, and use a prybar to leverage it out. Gently tap in new seal after applying some sealant (I only use Hylomar Universal Blue) wit ha large socket

If I use grease to hold the needles in place is it straight forward to put them back in ?
Or do they have a special taper on them or something ?
- no taper, just need to account for them all as they may fall into the steering box. I suggest sending box to J. Stratton.

All the best,
Bill
 
How difficult is this box to remove? My engine is out so contemplating having Jay rebuild it, I don't want to take this one on myself.
 
Stevehose said:
How difficult is this box to remove? My engine is out so contemplating having Jay rebuild it, I don't want to take this one on myself.
Click to expand...
Hi!
Very easy w engine out. It is attached to the subframe with 3 bolts (1 longer than the other 2) and a lock nut and bolt on the universal joint immediately above the steering box.

Oh ya...you have to disconnect the pinion arm from the centre link too. Undo castle nut, use puller or the 2 hammer method. Protec the threads with the nut and replace it the castle with new afterwards.

Cheers
Bill
 
Last edited:
Stevehose said:
How difficult is this box to remove? My engine is out so contemplating having Jay rebuild it, I don't want to take this one on myself.
Click to expand...
Hi there
The dashboard is out of my car at the moment, so I removed the steering column first .
Then I removed the hydraulic hoses.
Then I removed bolt marked number 1
Then I disconnected both track rod ends
Then I removed the 3 bolts holding the steering box to the crossmember .
Then I removed the assembly from the car
Then I was able to split the joint between the pitman arm and the steering linkage.
My engine is out also, so I want to get it all sorted while I have access to it.
 

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billpatterson said:
Hi Barry!
No prob! Happy to be what help I can be.

I pasted in your questions for easier navigation,

So if I remove the pitman arm and nut ( did you use a puller on the arm itself and / or heat to remove the arm)?
- yes remove, its on tight, the best is to apply lots of heat and use a puller.

Is the pitman arm bore tapered and splined or just splined ?
-both; there are markings on the arm and shaft. I have center punched my own markings just to be sure.

Then remove the 4 bolts on the alloy end plate / cover plate.
Then does the shaft just tap out with a mallet ?
-careful here! I believe I screwed myself by doing this. There is a ball bearing in the other shaft and if it falls you have slop in the steering box. If you can, have J. Stratton rebuild/reseal/adjust your steering box. Consequently, I replaced my steering box with known low mileage one (got pressure tested and replaced #16 seal)

View attachment 162583

Should I dot punch each shaft to help re align everything later ?

As the shaft is removed do the needle bearings “ fall out “ ?
-yes. when i did mine I used sticky grease to hold them in place, as in the above post. Again use J. Stratton's services.

Then with the shaft out is it easy enough to get the seals out ?
-only changed the #16 seal and #6 o-ring (NLA). It comes off from the outside. Remove circlip, drive a self tapping screw into the seal, and use a prybar to leverage it out. Gently tap in new seal after applying some sealant (I only use Hylomar Universal Blue) wit ha large socket

If I use grease to hold the needles in place is it straight forward to put them back in ?
Or do they have a special taper on them or something ?
- no taper, just need to account for them all as they may fall into the steering box. I suggest sending box to J. Stratton.

All the best,
Bill
Click to expand...
Hi Bill
Thanks for all the advice !
maybe I should not take the box apart myself .
My car has been off the road since 1989 so the box has only ever seen 16 years of wear.
The clock says 81000 miles
I am not sure if that is actually correct to be honest, maybe it’s 181000 :oops:
So I suppose, I am really only worried about leaks
So I might get away with just replacing seal number 16 and O-ring number 6 as you suggested.
And then maybe get it pressure tested.
I think less is more when it comes to this job .
Thanks again !!
 
My steering box is out,of course, but what criteria indicates this needs to be done? Play in arm? Age? What is Jay,s cost for rebuild? Thanks
 
Frederick said:
My steering box is out,of course, but what criteria indicates this needs to be done? Play in arm? Age? What is Jay,s cost for rebuild? Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi
Here is Jay's new site https://www.jaysbmwparts.com/ In it he details everything you need to know.

Why do it? Because we love to keep these cars on the road, general improvement, they have amazing driving and performance characteristics when things are just right, they're cool, we love to repair and get into the minutiae of these cars, the peace of mind a $16 seal offers, etc.

Cheers
 
Well I pulled this out of my car today and I can definitively say there would be NO WAY it would have come out with the engine in place. The three bolt mount holes were rust-welded onto the dowel pins, as was the u-joint. Took 3 hours of sitting on the ground in the empty engine compartment with penetrating oil, blow torching, hammering and chiseling, and lots of cussing. It finally separated.

So now I’m wondering if the seals can be replaced DIY? This thing probably weighs 40 lbs so on top of $400 for it to be resealed by Jay, add another $200 for shipping there and back. It’s not leaking now but I bet it will start shortly after the engine goes back in.

Someone talk me out of this and just tell me to send it off. Next up, off with the master cylinder.

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