DonaldSmith Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 My steering gear, as with other postwar Mopars, has the sector shaft pointing down and back, with the pitman arm down and front, with the tie rods connected to the pitman arm. (The 49-on have the shaft coming out sideways. My manual shows the 49- on.) I looked into replacing the seals. The pitman arm area was grungy, but not appearing to leak. Up higher, the steering shaft bottom area seemed to be wet with the oil. So I left the pitman arm alone and took off the plate at the bottom of the steering shaft. When I removed the first bolt, oil came out. This must mean that there is no significant leak at the pitman arm, or there would be no oil left. When I removed the bottom plate, I could see that there was a small diameter tube attached to the plate, for the horn wire. The tube must go above the oil line, so the wire can come through without a seal at the end of the steering shaft tube. Someone had posted some Plymouth parts diagrams, one of which shows the small tube. If I luck out, I'll just apply sealant to the gasket and button up the bottom plate and top up the oil level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey beard Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Those shims on the inside of that bottom plate are the box adjustment for the lateral - vertical up-and-down - movement of your worm gear that is connected to your steering wheel. If you're down there fixing leaks, it would be a great time to check that up-and-down play. There should be zero play there. And yes, you are correct about the tube for the horn wire. Sorta' primitive, but it kept the oil in the box. After all, who among us wants an oily horn wire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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