Power Steering Box Advice (2 Viewers)

[Fieldtester96]

Alright, so my steering box on my Cruiser has been going for a while. Its been leaking and is in a serious need of a rebuild. So i recently was able to get a used box from a 87 Cruiser of un-known miles. The problem i am having is trying to figure out which way to go forward. I want to send one box out to West Texas to get rebuilt but the other i am either going to rebuild myself or leave it alone to keep as a spare. The problem is i am not sure which one that is going to be.

My old steering box has 200K plus miles and i know needs new seals. The new box i have no idea about other than the fact that all of the splines are in good shape, and it had something other than ATF being used as the power steering fluid. I know this because i was able to work some fluid out, although it was dirty looking, it had no metal shavings or debris in it. What my thoughts are, i can either put this box on my cruiser until i get my old box back from West Texas, i could rebuild the new box i got and put it on till my old box gets back, or i could send this box out and get rebuilt and swap it for my old one. The only problem i have with the last one is the fact i have no clue about the mileage on the new box, at least with my old one i know what i am getting myself into.

What is your all's advice? Also since i plan to rebuild one myself anyway ( i have already done research and know what im getting into) should i try it out on the new box and if i did a good job go ahead and rebuild my old one myself? Also is there anyway i can test this new box for leaks? If it doesnt leak i might be able to get away with only rebuilding my old box.

 

[cruisermatt]

if you're going to rebuild a box yourself why are you going to send one to Texas. Confused.
Put the new box on the truck, if it works run it and rebuild the old box yourself. Not sure why this needs to be a giant operation.
Or just rebuild the box that's on your truck. It should only take a day including removal and reinstallation.

 

[Fieldtester96]

if you're going to rebuild a box yourself why are you going to send one to Texas. Confused.
Put the new box on the truck, if it works run it and rebuild the old box yourself. Not sure why this needs to be a giant operation.
Or just rebuild the box that's on your truck. It should only take a day including removal and reinstallation.

From what I read it's easy to mess up rebuilding a box. Since my cruiser is my DD i wanted a second box so I wasn't SOL. I figured I would only pay to get one fixed, but if its as easy as you make it out to be i might as well rebuild both.

 

[cruisermatt]

From what I read it's easy to mess up rebuilding a box. Since my cruiser is my DD i wanted a second box so I wasn't SOL. I figured I would only pay to get one fixed, but if its as easy as you make it out to be i might as well rebuild both.

West Texas isn't going to do anything to the steering box that you're not going to do when rebuilding it so why not give it a shot. Have some confidence in yourself. Rebuild kit is $20 on Rock Auto. You have a spare box to throw on if you fail so you're good to go. Get yourself an OTC 8150 Pitman arm puller ahead of time. it's probably easiest to pull the pitman arm while the box is still mounted the truck. Just mark where it goes on the sector shaft before you pull it.

 

[Fieldtester96]

West Texas isn't going to do anything to the steering box that you're not going to do when rebuilding it so why not give it a shot. Have some confidence in yourself. Rebuild kit is $20 on Rock Auto. You have a spare box to throw on if you fail so you're good to go. Get yourself an OTC 8150 Pitman arm puller ahead of time. it's probably easiest to pull the pitman arm while the box is still mounted the truck. Just mark where it goes on the sector shaft before you pull it.

Alright, I guess I just have spent so much time researching ive scared myself. Is a 20 dollar rock auto kit actually good? I'm not sure if there are different grades when it comes to seals.

 

[cruisermatt]

It's fine. Gates is a multi billion dollar company that manufacturers thousands of parts for various OEM applications

 

[Fieldtester96]

It's fine. Gates is a multi billion dollar company that manufacturers thousands of parts for various OEM applications

Any other advice for a rebuild? I know there are some specialty tools that are needed. Are there any tools can I buy to make installing the seals easier so I dont accidently mess them up?

 

[cruisermatt]

Power Steering Gearbox Reseal

So, hopefully this is useful! I had the thought to write this up when I was determining how to fix a leak and spent some time searching before I found everything kind of spread around mud in various places. This is more a consolidation of info rather than something new. I had a seal go bad on...

forum.ih8mud.com

I forgot about the two teflon rings that don't fit great in the kit.
Read this thread and the FSM and you'll be fine

 

[Fieldtester96]

Power Steering Gearbox Reseal

So, hopefully this is useful! I had the thought to write this up when I was determining how to fix a leak and spent some time searching before I found everything kind of spread around mud in various places. This is more a consolidation of info rather than something new. I had a seal go bad on...

forum.ih8mud.com

I forgot about the two teflon rings that don't fit great in the kit.
Read this thread and the FSM and you'll be fine

Thanks man, I really appreciate it.