need steering help

[gregamorton]

Guys I have been getting to drive my mercury finally. I will be having the gears changed out in the next week or so but for now the steering is a little squirmy. Every thing on the truck is new or rebuilt but the steering gear box. When I go down the road it has a lot of play in steering. If I get over to let someone by it seems like it wants to go off the road and I steer the other way and seems like I am going to run over the people passing me. I got home tonight and turned the screw in on the steering gearbox a little and drove it and it still seems the same. How much can you go on the screw with out damage and what else can I do?

[fordman]

the screw only goes so far to adjust it. if it goes to far it will go out of adjustment again. you can try adjusting it again. you may not have gone far enough. or the wrong way who knows.

[BobbyFord]

If you go too far in on the adjustment bolt there will be no "center" feel to the steering.

[gregamorton]

I thought there was a spiral gear and the bolt going down has a rounded edge that rode in the gear?

[70_F100]

There are two adjustments on a steering gear.

One is on the input shaft. The bearings on this shaft have to have the proper preload. Thankfully, these seldom need adjustment, because you have to partially disassemble the gearbox to properly adjust it. You can check it by having someone turn the steering wheel back and forth a couple of inches while you watch the input shaft. If it has any in-and-out movement, you need to adjust the bearing preload.

The other is on the sector shaft (also known as the pitman shaft). There is a block with "teeth" on one side and the inside is "threaded" so to speak. This part, along with the input shaft, are known as the rack and worm. The worm is also "threaded" to act as a screw to make the rack move back and forth. The rack is not cut square in the "gear" part. It's cut at an angle, as are the teeth on the sector shaft. Tightening the adjusting screw pushes the teeth on the sector shaft into tighter contact with the teeth on the rack, thereby eliminating clearance between the two.

Have someone move the steering wheel back and forth while you tighten the adjusting screw. Make sure you count the number of turns on the screw in case you have to start all over. If you overtighten the adjusting screw, it will lock up the gearbox, but won't do any damage. Just loosen the screw to get it unlocked.

If this doesn't eliminate the free play, the problem is in the adjusting screw itself. It is nothing more than a screw with a semi-rounded "ball" on the end that goes into the sector shaft. There is a locking ring/nut that holds it into the sector shaft. This locking ring also requires a specified clearance. Generally, if this screw wears enough to need replacement, the sector shaft is worn beyond use, but not always.

I don't think I saw anything in your post that tells whether you have power or manual steering. Which is it?

[gregamorton]

It is power steering. I need to take out of truck any way for new gaskets(leaks on bottom output shaft). I have hydroboost for brakes and if I run out of fluid I will have very little brakes. Can you get a new adjuster screw and nut assembly?

[70_F100]

Why not just get a rebuilt box? If you've never rebuilt one, they can be tricky.

[gregamorton]

where is the best place to get one with the best price? The ones in lmc are $300 or so with out a core.

[70_F100]

I didn't think about it until now, but yours probably has the Bendix box. Those are about the same price at Advance as what you say they want at LMC.

Mine has the Saginaw box. I picked up a Cardone rebuilt unit at Advance for about $139 plus core charge. The core was only $30, so I kept my used unit and plan to ship it to Cardone for a rebuild and return. I'm doing a total restoration, so I kept it so that I could keep the casting numbers correct.

Since you've got the one on your truck to use as a core, the $139 should cover it.

They had to order mine, but it came the next day, so there really wasn't a wait.

Nice thing is, they repair and/or replace all of the necessary parts.

I used to run a shop for a grading contractor, and we had a fleet of mid-70's F350 service vehicles, all of which had power steering. I did all of the rebuilds on the steering gears, and I don't ever remember seeing one that wasn't severely pitted near the bottom of the pitman shaft. You could put in $60 worth of seals and a couple of hours labor, and plan on it lasting about 2 years before the pitting caused the lower seals to fail.

Since the Cardone units have a limited lifetime warranty, you won't have to worry about spending that money again.

If yours is, in fact, a Bendix box, it might be time to change out the steering column and install a Saginaw box.

[gregamorton]

where is this cardone? Why do you have to change columns if you change gearboxes and how do I tell what I have? My column is a 4speed version and it already has been painted and in truck.

[fordman]

if you are swapping in a saginaw box and had a manual or bendix power steering box the column woul dbe too long. with the saginaw box. the saginaw box is longer where it meets the steerign wheel. if yo uge the same box swapped in that is all yo uhave to do is swap the box.

[70_F100]

Cardone is a remanufacturer.

They are ISO 9000 and TS 16949 certified for their quality. I personally know the auditor who audits their quality procedures, and he says they are one of the best.

He's been doing ISO 9000, QS 9000 and TS16949 audits for the company I work for for at least the last 7-8 years. He's now our ISO 14001 Environmental Management System auditor.

He recommended Cardone to me, and I have the utmost respect for his opinion.

Cardone is sold by most of the chain auto parts stores, including Advance, NAPA, Carquest and AutoChina.

Fordman is correct, changing from a Bendix to a Saginaw unit requires a shorter steering column, because the top of the box (the area behind the mounting holes) is taller on a Saginaw unit.

[cdeal28078]

I took my power steering gear to the local truck shop and had it rebuilt for $125. That was several years ago but it is great now.
I have not messed with them in so long I cannot remember which box I have. It is the one most seen though and out of a 77 I think
clint