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Steering box oil

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Bob Hughes said:
I have now converted to Penrite, but also adjusted the steering box so can't tell how effective it is against the 'slop'

:cheers:

Bob
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Well...I guess for the fun of it I will remove the 90wt. In my steering box and pack it with Penrite grease to see if it has any affect in taking up some play in the steering box and idler as well, before I make another adjustment to it.
 
drambuie said:
Well...I guess for the fun of it I will remove the 90wt. In my steering box and pack it with Penrite grease to see if it has any affect in taking up some play in the steering box and idler as well, before I make another adjustment to it.
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While the Penrite is thicker than 90 wt, it is still a heavy oil and not a grease. I really don't think it will do anything to take the play out of your box. For that matter, any grease thick enough to do that, probably isn't going to be aces at lubricating the box.
 
I tried getting it to flow like an oil by heating it up way hot in the micro, but was never able to get it to flow much. Still had to pump it into the box with a turkey baster.
PenriteGoop.JPG
 
the Penrite bottle with the applicator spout makes filling the steering box easy with no mess. One poster said it is the "old" bottle I must have and not the new container. I'll keep that bottle! My long-stored Healey had an obvious steering box oil leak that persisted for many years. The leakage coated the entire driver's side undercarriage and front suspension (not a bad thing). When putting this car back on the road I wanted the leak "fixed" without mechanically working on the steering box. A recommendation was to use Penrite steering box fluid. I did and it looks to be working well, nothing significant coming from the steering box after filling with Penrite. I could only get in about 1-container with a bit left over. My guess is any residual leakage (minor) is coming from the oil I could not extract from the steering box to make room for the Penrite
 
I just purchased the John Deere Corn Head grease from my local JD distributor and plan to install it in the gearbox tomorrow. I recently refreshed a 1989 JD lawn tractor for my Son that was planted in a field for the past 8 years and, upon opening the 5-speed transmission case, was very surprised to find the lubricant clean, the cavity still full, grease flowing easily, and no sign of water penetration or corrosion on the inside of the aluminum case. I later found out the transmission had been rebuild by the distributor about 15 years ago and filled with the JD Corn Head grease. I guess if it did such a good job in this lawn tractor transmission, I am confident it will do OK in my steering box.

I have noted the suggestions and comments on filling the box with this viscous oil/grease. Since the JDCH grease comes in a tube, I plan to fill my grease gun and install an extension, without the grease connector, to reach and fill the box. I also plan to jack up the front so that I can easily turn the wheels from side-to-side during the fill in order to make sure I properly distribute and completely fill the cavity.

Is there anything I am forgetting?

Thanks
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
Ok I finally found it . After going to lots of bearing supply/lubrication shops and getting the WTF !!!!! deer in the headlights braindead look I went to the local JD retailer and they knew exactly what I was asking for . So this weekend the leaky steering box is history !!!!!!!
Im going to M'Guiver a caulking gun and make a nozzle to fit in one end of the grease tube and pump it in that way . I dont have all day and several hundred pumps on a grease gun to bother with .
I may even post pics and take out a patent on my corn head grease caulking gun if it works lol.
 
Healey Nut said:
Ok I finally found it . After going to lots of bearing supply/lubrication shops and getting the WTF !!!!! deer in the headlights braindead look I went to the local JD retailer and they knew exactly what I was asking for . So this weekend the leaky steering box is history !!!!!!!
Im going to M'Guiver a caulking gun and make a nozzle to fit in one end of the grease tube and pump it in that way . I dont have all day and several hundred pumps on a grease gun to bother with .
I may even post pics and take out a patent on my corn head grease caulking gun if it works lol.
Click to expand...

Will look forward to hearing how it went.
 
The previously fitted grease nipples have been removed because the heavy non flowing greases caused the boxes to fail.
Earlier on the forum some one mentioned that placing the penrite lube in hot water allowed it to improve its flow for filling purposes.
 
Penrite Steering Box Lube (NLGI 00) and John Deere Corn Head Grease (NLGI 0) are quite similar greases. The Penrite is not an oil, it's a grease and says so on the packaging and in their materials.

From Wikipedia:
NLGIchart.jpg
Here in the USA, the JD is quite inexpensive and the Penrite is difficult to come by. The JD has a long history of being used in vintage car steering boxes.

For specs, see:
https://www.penriteoil.com.au/pis_pdfs/STEERING BOX LUBE OCTOBER 2013.pdf
https://jdparts.deere.com/partsmkt/document/english/pmac/8180_fb_GreaseSpecialMultiPurpose.htm#_Special-purpose_corn_head

 
steveg said:
Penrite Steering Box Lube (NLGI 00) and John Deere Corn Head Grease (NLGI 0) are quite similar greases. The Penrite is not an oil, it's a grease and says so on the packaging and in their materials.

From Wikipedia:
View attachment 32311
Here in the USA, the JD is quite inexpensive and the Penrite is difficult to come by. The JD has a long history of being used in vintage car steering boxes.

For specs, see:
https://www.penriteoil.com.au/pis_pdfs/STEERING BOX LUBE OCTOBER 2013.pdf
https://jdparts.deere.com/partsmkt/document/english/pmac/8180_fb_GreaseSpecialMultiPurpose.htm#_Special-purpose_corn_head
Click to expand...

Yep inexpensive for sure ...less than 10$ CAN for two tubes
 
Keith_M said:
I've been following this post with interest. Am the only one who uses 90W oil in the steering box and idler box with no leaks?
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NOPE;
I do too Lucas, If your box is right it ain't gonna leak
 
Last year I was servicing my front end and, since at least 10 years had passed since I last looked and 25 years since replacing the seal and filling I definitely expected the fluid to be quite low. Having just completed a restoration of a John Deere lawn tractor for my son and learning of the use JD Corn Head grease in the box, I decided to take this path and purchased 2 tubes as recommended. Finally getting around to the task, I was quite surprised to find that I hadn’t lost a drop of fluid over the 25 years and placed the 2 tubes on the shelf.

By the way, the transmission, with this grease installed around 25 years ago when new and, sitting outside all year round under a tarp for the last 7 years, showed no internal signs of deterioration and no external leaks at any seam or seal and no corrosion on its internal components including its aluminum housing steal gears or alloy parts.

A Great alternative to recommended gear oil in my opinion,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
 
I have steering box drip from the 80/90 gear oil I have used for many years not realizing I was not using recommended grease. Today I procured some of the JD Corn head grease and will do the swap. Couple questions though, any suggestions on an easy way to get as much as possible of the old gear lube out? Also can the Corn Head grease be also used on a the numerous grease fittings? Replies are appreciated. Thx
 
RAC68 said:
Last year I was servicing my front end and, since at least 10 years had passed since I last looked and 25 years since replacing the seal and filling I definitely expected the fluid to be quite low. Having just completed a restoration of a John Deere lawn tractor for my son and learning of the use JD Corn Head grease in the box, I decided to take this path and purchased 2 tubes as recommended. Finally getting around to the task, I was quite surprised to find that I hadn’t lost a drop of fluid over the 25 years and placed the 2 tubes on the shelf.

By the way, the transmission, with this grease installed around 25 years ago when new and, sitting outside all year round under a tarp for the last 7 years, showed no internal signs of deterioration and no external leaks at any seam or seal and no corrosion on its internal components including its aluminum housing steal gears or alloy parts.

A Great alternative to recommended gear oil in my opinion,
Ray (64BJ8P1)
Click to expand...
I assume you're referring to the tractor transmission with the Corn Head grease, not your Healey. Grease would present an interesting problem for the OD!
 
Wausau 911 said:
I have steering box drip from the 80/90 gear oil I have used for many years not realizing I was not using recommended grease. Today I procured some of the JD Corn head grease and will do the swap. Couple questions though, any suggestions on an easy way to get as much as possible of the old gear lube out? Also can the Corn Head grease be also used on a the numerous grease fittings? Replies are appreciated. Thx
Click to expand...

The corn head grease is not a factory recommended product . Its an alternative lubricant that can be used in a leaky steering box to cure the leak . Its a semi-solid grease and can only be used in worm gear type gearboxes and tractor applications . It is not for general use on suspension etc as its not thick enough .
To drain the steering box , loosen the bolts on the end cover and the compression fitting and let it drain overnight . You will never get it all out with the steering box in the car .
 
Healey Nut said:
The corn head grease is not a factory recommended product . Its an alternative lubricant that can be used in a leaky steering box to cure the leak . Its a semi-solid grease and can only be used in worm gear type gearboxes and tractor applications . It is not for general use on suspension etc as its not thick enough .
To drain the steering box , loosen the bolts on the end cover and the compression fitting and let it drain overnight . You will never get it all out with the steering box in the car .
Click to expand...

I was originally touting the corn head grease as a cost-effective western-hemisphere replacement for the Penrite Steering Box Lube. They are roughly comparable.

FWIW - I did this draining procedure a couple of months ago and found it convenient to temporarily insert longer bolts (5/16 fine as I recall) in two of the holes so was able to withdraw the end plate to a 1/8" gap with the steering box body - without any problems with the gaskets or shims. With adjustable steering, didn't find it necessary to undo the olive - the stator tube moves with the end plate.

Had been running STP in there for several years (another story) and seems like it all drained out overnight. Moving the steering wheel back and forth probably helps get it all out.

Of course, once we put Penrite or corn head in the box we'll never get it all out on the car as it doesn't drain by gravity.
 
Well I finally got round to doing the steering box today . I drained it a couple of weeks ago but other jobs got in the way of the refill . I cleaned out and modified my grease gun .I removed the grease fitting end off the flex tube on the gun and used a piece of 1/4" copper tube attached to the flex pipe . I could then push the 1/4" copper through the fill hole right down into the base of the steering box allowing me to fill from the bottom up . Pumped for a good while before grease started to back up out of the fill hole . Removed the copper fill tube and cranked the steering back and forth several times . The grease didn't settle . I opened up the gun and about 90% of the tube was now in the steering box . I will drive it as is and see if the grease settles out once it gets some use and some heat . I can then top it off as needed .
 
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