question on steering box

[casper50]

I have started to clean and refill my steering box.  According to my shop manual there is a tube labled grease retaining tube.  Is there suppose to be a zert or something on the end of this?  See photo.   If not how does the grease remain inside? My shop manual photos are terrible, reprint.

[Don Coatney]

This might or might not help.

 

[Dan Hiebert]

As Don notes, the steering box uses 90wt gear oil, not grease.  Although some have had success filling the steering box with grease, I would not recommend it, as it does not give full lubrication to the gears.  The fill hole is the one to the right of the big adjustment nut / cover on the photo you attached.  If your worried about it, that hole at the bottom of the worm gear housing, lower right, is actually a tube that runs into the end of the steering shaft, and is to allow the horn button wire to pass through.  It does not leak.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Dan Hiebert

[Dodgeb4ya]

If grease is to be used in a steering gear...

Use semi pourable cotton picker/corn head grease NLGI EP #00 or #000 if you want to change lubricant type.

This grease is typically used for machinery gear boxes with high gear tooth pressure... both fast and slow turning gear sets.

Regular chassis lube grease is EP #2 way to thick and will not flow into the worm and sector gears.

[casper50]

folks I'm not filling the box with grease.  If you look at the photo and see the hole bottom just right of center.   In the parts book there is a tube that goes up there and it's called a grease tube.  How do you put grease in there?  Just pack it in?  What holds it in?

[Dodgeb4ya]

Look again at what Don's picture shows...

Pour your'e 90W down the fill plug hole till the box is full.

Don't use pour-able grease if you don't want to.

[Plymouthy Adams]

folks I'm not filling the box with grease.  If you look at the photo and see the hole bottom just right of center.   In the parts book there is a tube that goes up there and it's called a grease tube.  How do you put grease in there?  Just pack it in?  What holds it in?

Dan covered this for you........this hole is the very one the horn wire routes through..no grease goes in there at all therefore there is nothing to block this hole UNTIL once you correctly assemble the car and want the horn to work you will quickly see how this hole is for the horn wire to route..

[casper50]

#17 is called a grease retaining tube.   does this keep the lube in the gear box or does it hold lube also?

Edited June 26, 2016 by casper50

[Niel Hoback]

  OK, the tube is there to provide a pathway for the horn wire to get through the gearbox. It keeps the gear lube in the box while holding open the wire passage. The top of the tube is above the level of the gear lube so you can fill the box and still not have it drain out through the tube.

[Plymouthy Adams]

look at the associated parts that will connect to this tube and how it fits into the assembly..it inserts into the very lower part of the steering tube that has o-ring seals to prevent the loss of oil as this tube feeds into the main steering shaft and out the bottom cover, again, only the wire goes into the tube..no grease.

[casper50]

Okay.  thanks.  that's what I needed to know.

[Don Coatney]

I suggest you fish the horn wire through the steering column before installing the steering column back in the car.

[casper50]

good advice