steering gear seals

[jpungarcher]

my steering gear on my 1948 dodge business coupe is leaking bad. where can i get seals and how hard are they to replace?

[alan32433]

The seal that's leaking is most likely the one that fits into the bottom of the housing. You will have to remove both inner tie rods from the pitman arm, then remove the pitman arm from the splined shaft using a puller. Make sure you mark the pitman arm so you can reassemble it on the shaft exactly as it came off. Once the pitman arm is off you will have to carefully pry the old seal out without damaging the shaft or the seal seat. You will need a section of pipe about 6" long that will barely fit over the splined shaft in order to tap the new seal in. The job can be tolerable if the tie rods and pitman arm are not too frozen, which is sometimes the case. Make sure you have the proper pullers for both and don't even think about using a hammer unless you have extra tie rods. I bought my seal ($10) from Vintage Valley.

[DLK]

The seal that's leaking is most likely the one that fits into the bottom of the housing. You will have to remove both inner tie rods from the pitman arm, then remove the pitman arm from the splined shaft using a puller. Make sure you mark the pitman arm so you can reassemble it on the shaft exactly as it came off. Once the pitman arm is off you will have to carefully pry the old seal out without damaging the shaft or the seal seat. You will need a section of pipe about 6" long that will barely fit over the splined shaft in order to tap the new seal in. The job can be tolerable if the tie rods and pitman arm are not too frozen, which is sometimes the case. Make sure you have the proper pullers for both and don't even think about using a hammer unless you have extra tie rods. I bought my seal ($10) from Vintage Valley.

Well I got my 50 Wayfarer on a hoist finally and got good news and bad news. The good news: The front suspension appears tight and solid. There is very little free play in the steering compared to similar cars I have driven. The brakes are free of any visible leaks.

The bad news - first the steering box appears to be leaking like a sieve. Reading the instructions above for replacing the seal it sure doesn't look like a job for a tenderfoot like me.

The front trunion has a torn boot and the driveshaft has some serious vibration. I have changed plenty of regular cross joints but never one of these trunions with the boot and reading some of the old posts that also looks like a challenge.

At least the car came with a shop manual so it's time to start some serious reading.

[55 Fargo]

Grease is the word, till you can repair the leak....

[DLK]

I had unhappy visions of pulling the steering gear and column and hauling it to a rebuilder in Cambridge, MN. Going back with a search I see the suggestions like yours to substitute gear lube or a heavy steering gear lube first. I will be happy if one of these slows the leak for now. Someday maybe I will feel up to pulling out that column but not now.

[Young Ed]

My suggestion use grease until late fall pull the column over the winter. Have it back together by spring.

[DLK]

My suggestion use grease until late fall pull the column over the winter. Have it back together by spring.

Don't forget Ed I am many years removed from major car work. This week I am putting in new front shocks and draining and refilling the steering gear.

Just the thought of pulling the steering column with the wiring issues (including added turn signals), the shift linkage to unhook, then reattach and adjust sounds too compilcated for me. I hope this Penlube at least reduces the leakage. Since I have other minor leaks from the engine and differential a little steering gear leak would not be that big an issue for me. I'll just put a couple large pans of kitty litter on the garage floor.

[grey beard]

STP will work in your leaky steering box, too. AND it might mix with whatever lube's still in there better than old lithium grease. JMHO

Anything's better - and safer - than a dry steering box!