[tcb] Re: Steering Box Rebuild

  • From: "chuck" <sukchew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:19:40 -0600

I don't think the 15 inch tires are available anymore from Hankook.
oleblue
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: James Dwan 
  To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2011 10:08 AM
  Subject: [tcb] Re: Steering Box Rebuild


  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! 





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