How to Rebuild a Power Steering Gear Box

The power steering gear box needs to be installed perfectly in order to work well. If power steering problems occur, then a possible fix is to rebuild this box. Gearbox problems can include difficulties steering or even leaking in the gear box. All the gears need to be in the right order and properly adjusted in order for the gearbox to work properly.

Tools and Materials Needed:

• Awl or Pick
• Pitman arm remover
• Snap ring pliers
• Drift
• Hammer
• Spanner wrench
• Grease or petroleum jelly

Step 1. Take Apart Gearbox

It is necessary to take the snap ring on the pitman arm off. Using snap ring pliers is the easiest way to remove this. Then there are four bolts that should be removed on the top cap. Once these are removed, lift out the sector shaft. Another snap ring needs to be removed on the gearbox cover. This is necessary in order to remove the rack piston from the bore. Make sure all the bearings do not get lost, as they can easily fall off. Use a drift and hammer to remove the large nut from the input stub of the steering mechanism. A spanner wrench is needed to remove the plug on the steering adjuster. Remove the roller bearings and the seals from exits of the sector shafts.

Step 2. Cleaning

Once everything is apart then it is important to clean it. Soak the Teflon sealing rings in boiling water but make sure they do not touch the bottom of the pan, because they can melt. Ensure that the proper cleaning equipment is used.

Step 3. Gears and O-Rings

In the rotary valve body is a worm gear. The worm gear with its corresponding O-ring should be installed first. If the O-ring is hard to slide on, some petroleum jelly will help make this easier. Make sure that the two prongs align with the valve body recesses. It is virtually impossible to slide the two parts together if the prongs are not lined up properly. The top of the output shaft should fit very snugly inside the valve body.

Step 4. Bearing Order

Put the ball bearings back on in the opposite order that they came off. If the ball bearings are not installed properly, one can break free and do a lot of damage. Once the ball bearings are on properly, pour some power steering fluid and then insert the entire box into the unit. Tighten everything together with a spanner wrench and then reinstall the snap ring followed by the outside nut. Seals, washers and roller bearings will then be installed in the sector shaft. There is a hole on top specifically to fit onto the pitman arm. Then reinstall the snap ring. Use some grease to install the bearings back on the rack piston.

Step 5. Final Steps

Once the bearings are in place, but the rack piston into the worm bore. Do not lose any of the bearings. Replace the O-ring and cover. Then put the worm gear into the input stub. This makes it possible for the rack piston to be placed on the middle of this bore. Tighten the four bolts to secure the box. Now it can be put back into the car.

Related Questions and Answers

The most common power steering gear box problem is internal damage to the gear box caused by low power steering fluid. Without enough fluid, the bearings and shafts grind, which could permanently damage the gear box and cause it to fail even if fluid is later added. Another common problem with the power steering gear box is dirty or contaminated power steering fluid. This causes the same internal damage to the gear box because dirty fluid cannot properly lubricate the internal components of the gear box.