drain and refill manual steering box?

[1972hiboy]

How do I drain the oil out of a 72 manual steering box without using a vacula?

[fordman]

its grease not oil. so it cant be drained.

[1972hiboy]

Oh no really? somebody has put a 80w/90 in there or maybe it was grease at one time??? the little bit i sucked out with my turkey baster was of a gear oil kind of viscosity.......

[1972hiboy]

ok, since im still here at work in the shop and have access to my tools can I take off the sideplate with the adjusting screw in it to drain whatever liquid is in there and clean out the box without parts falling out?

[fordman]

yes you can take the top plate off. the adjusting bolt and not is the only thing to watch how it is set and how it goes back together. the bolt slides into a deal inside of there.

[1972hiboy]

interesting, You may be thinking of a differant steering box? The one I have has a fill plug on top and the plate with the adjuster nut and bolt are on the inboard side of the box. I ended up taking one of the bottom four bolts out and the fluid came out of the bolt hole. It was SO dark that when I put my streamlight stinger with a fresh battery to it I got virtually no reflection. It was nasty stuff. Any how logic pointed me in the direction that since the box had a fill plug and had fluid in it that I should put a fluid back in. I ended up using a kendall racing 50wt oil. I literally felt the steering get easier as I rolled out of the shop and turned once or twice. Where all the manual boxes filled with grease?

[fordman]

here is a photo of the only manual sterirng box i have seen on our trucks. is this what yours looks like? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1965-79- ... ccessories

and by your name i see you probably have a 4wd. so no this isnt the box you have. so ignore everything i said.

[1972hiboy]

Hey Fordman, thank you so much for all your input, The box in the link you sent me was not the one I have. I did find a exploded view with the column here...
http://www.fordification.com/tech/image ... column.jpg

It list this box in a truck with a three speed trans, however its in my factory 4x4 with a sm435 trans and im pretty sure they consider granny first gear and not LOW. but anyway that is the one i have, I couldnt find any info on what is sapposed to go into it so I just followed my instinct and put something back in that was similiar. Looking at the articles it looks as though there may be three different steering boxes that could come equiped with these pickups, have you run accross they one I have before?

[fordman]

if it is this one it is called a ross steering box. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TRW-Ross ... 43a0a38fd4