steering box question for fj40 (1 Viewer)

[chloemaye]

I just refilled my steering box with 75w-90 gl-5/gl-4 rated gear oil.
There is a little play in the steering wheel. When I rock the steering wheel slightly back and forth I am hearing a knock in the box. There is the slightest resistance as the steering wheel begins to rock the opposite way I was rocking it. Is the oil wrong or do I need to replace the whole box? Does anyone else hear the noise or is it normal?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Bruce

It is a stock manual steering box.

 

[cruiser_guy]

I just refilled my steering box with 75w-90 gl-5/gl-4 rated gear oil.
There is a little play in the steering wheel. When I rock the steering wheel slightly back and forth I am hearing a knock in the box. There is the slightest resistance as the steering wheel begins to rock the opposite way I was rocking it. Is the oil wrong or do I need to replace the whole box? Does anyone else hear the noise or is it normal?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Bruce

It is a stock manual steering box.

Oil is fine but the box is probably worn. They can easily be rebuilt if you want.

 

[74fj40]

Supposedly STP Oil Treatment is the best thing that you can put in your steering box. so try that and see if theres still resistence.

 

[PabloCruise]

Bruce,

Not sure what year 40 you are dealing with...

My '78 has an adjustment opposite of the sector shaft output. I had to remove the heat shield, but that tightened things up nicely!

 

[PabloCruise]

PS: I overfilled mine after replacing the seal. When It got warm and I parked downhill I had gear oil coming out my breather!

 

[Racer65]

Re-invoking an old thread with a new question. Did anyone find it extremely difficult to remove the steering box filler plug (with the steering box in the car)? I sprayed WD40 already, but it won't budge.

 

[DSRTRDR]

Re-invoking an old thread with a new question. Did anyone find it extremely difficult to remove the steering box filler plug (with the steering box in the car)? I sprayed WD40 already, but it won't budge.

what year steering box ?

 

[Racer65]

1980. Manual steering.

 

[Racer65]

Just finish the job. What was needed to open the fill plug was a ratchet with a longer handle to provide more leverage. You can see a photo of the plug; there is breather cap on top of it.

Really glad I opened it up because the oil level turned out to be way low. Likely due to the fact that the plug was hard to open, the oil in there may be 30 years old. I filled it up with the latest synthetic gear oil, so it should be good for a long time.

 

[sggoat]

Take note of PabloCruise's comment--
I had the same issue-a small adjustment to the steering box backlash fixed the problem. You have to remove the heat shield to get to the adjustment screw. It has a lock nut on it that needs to be loosened. Take a small 1/2 turn on the adjustment screw(CW), then tighten the locknut. Take it for a ride and see how the steering feels. If you still have play, do the same for another 1/2 turn-check again. Note: the locknut does not need to be torqued excessively, just enough to keep the screw from loosening.
Somewhere I read that if the screw needs more than a couple of turns to get it tight, the box needs an overhaul soon.

 

[Gusb]

Be careful adjusting the screw - it's been said on here many times that too much can lead to a dangerous situation on the road.

 

[sggoat]

Gusb is correct--you don't want to overdo it---just take up as much as the steering will accept without getting "tight". Leave a 1/4" in the steering wheel.