[tcb] Re: Steering Box Rebuild
- From: James Dwan <james_dwan_2000@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2011 08:08:47 -0800 (PST)
The earlier bus is definitely a different animal. I'm still getting used to the
swing axle. I drove my bay for years on regular car tires being blown all over
the road until I found out about the Hankooks. Unfortunately I absolutely have
to have those B. F. Goodrich Silvertown 6.70-15 Load Range B 4 ply white walls
on this Bus so I'm sure I am a bit more wind driven because of it but it makes
me happy to look at them : )
I had thought of getting some Hankooks for the trip down to Fredericksburg and
switching back to the white walls but I haven't been able to find a set of wide
5 Bus wheels. Anyone wanna get rid of any just let me know!
My steering box might be fine. This Bus was only on the road for 11 years
before it was hidden in a barn for 30 years. I think we created the leak when
we ran the new horn wire.
I'll see if I can drive Robb's around in the wind before I go the rebuild
route. I will try and seal up the leak from the horn wire with a thicker piece
of rubber and if that doesn't work I'll try the Hylomar
________________________________
From: Steve Chamberlain <steveraychamberlain@xxxxxxxxx>
To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, November 25, 2011 8:08 AM
Subject: [tcb] Re: Steering Box Rebuild
James, I agree with Will, if you are planning to drive the bus get a rebuilt
one. That being said I replaced my steering box with a WCM rebuilt one that
felt better at first (physiological) but now for every mile down the road I go
1/2 mile sideways. Everything under the front end is new except the center pin
(that is next project) and Hankook tires but Dennis is right this time it's
still an old bus.
Instructions on my 'new' one said to use mixture of 90W gear oil with STP. Gear
oil is too thick but STP thins it down to lubricate without leaking.
On Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 12:35 PM, sammie smith <bugcollections@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Ok James; I screwed up again.
>
>The early steering box DOES NOT HAVE A PLATE DOWN THERE. I have the front of
>my panel up on jack stands doing brake work, so I looked closely and pulled
>the two 10mm head 6mm bolts out. They only hold a small bracket that holds
>the horn cable. The box is all one part there, unlike the later boxes which
>have a removeable plate. BUT, what I did find is that the horn cable appears
>to just have a rubber seal of some sort around the cable that apparently is
>supposed to keep the gear oil from leaking out. Look closely at yours. It
>sounds like to me (after closely looking at mine) that you are leaking the
>gear oil out from around the horn cable. There is basically no other place it
>could leak out down there. If so it looks like you could give it a good
>coating of something like permatex #2 and stop the leak. Or maybe try to cut
>a small rubber tube slit down the side and try to push it in around the horn
>cable and then coat with permatex.
>
>After closely examining the early steering box on my panel I can see only 3
>possible places for a leak: Around the seal for the main shaft going to the
>pitman arm (normal place for a leak), around the horn wire coming out of the
>bottom of the box, and around the side plate of the box (on the left side and
>bolted to the main body of the box. I seriously doubt it could have a leak
>from #3 but you could try tightening the bolts up to proper torque.
>
>Also: If you read the stuff on the Samba about gear oil in the box there is a
>bunch of stuff about guys just filling it with grease from a grease gun. I
>have never filled mine on the panel because it is already full. But I stuck a
>probe in there and it appears to be a really thick grease like a mixture of
>chasis grease and 90 weight gear oil. You might try that also. The VW manual
>does call for regular 90 weight gear oil for the steering box.
>
>
>--- On Tue, 11/22/11, James Dwan <james_dwan_2000@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>
>>From: James Dwan <james_dwan_2000@xxxxxxxxx>
>>Subject: [tcb] Steering Box Rebuild
>>To: "tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2011, 9:21 AM
>>
>>
>>Has anyone had experience rebuilding a steering box on a splitty? Mine is
>>leaking like a sieve.
>>I was told by a local mechanic that there is no literature available on the
>>size of the seals in the box and the best way to do it would be to take it
>>apart and source the parts after removing them to get measurements.
>>
>>
>>Believe it or not this is the last thing I need done on this Bus to drive it
>>long distance!
Other related posts:
