Changing Steering Box Lube (BN2)

[bighealeysource]

Trying to figure out the best way to change out the existing lube in my steering box as putting in the Moss recommended lube by Dynolite. My box has the top filler plug as well as a side grease fitting plug which does make it easier to fill. Any suggestions ???
Thanks,
Mike

 

[steveg]

Mike,
There are a lot of threads here on the subject of steering lube grease.

To drain the old oil, make sure you only undo the front plate slightly - not more than 1/8"+ or you can unseat the rear bearing with destructive results. Ask me how I know. Others have had the same problem.

I see Moss has no info on how to load the Dynolite. I've used both John Deere Corn Head NLGI 0 grease and Stens (sold under several names) 00 grease. The corn head injects from a grease gun cartridge with a grease needle injector on the end of the hose. The 00 comes in a quart squeeze bottle, which is pretty easy. You attach a short piece of clear tube to the bottle which will reach the bottom of the box and fill it from the bottom up. Make sure you've turned the wheel all the way to (IIRC) the left so your tube will reach all the way down.

Microwaving the bottle or leaving it in the sun helps liquify it. You fill the box part way, then run the steering lock-to-lock to work out the bubbles, then fill it a little more - until it comes out the upper plug. Keep working the steering until all the air's out. Jacking up the front of the car makes this easier.

If you must use the Dynolite, you might be able to use a turkey baster with the same extension tube and make a piston from a piece of dowel you could use to force it through the baster into the box.

 

[bighealeysource]

Hey Steve,
Thanks for the reply. I actually have the John Deere Cornhead grease but just said the Dynolite since that was more well known ! I used it on a
BN6 I had, BN6L/964, before I got the 100M. Just never had a reason to change the existing lube out until I messed up my Trafficator and
had to pull it out so lost some of the lube. Anyway, if I just barely loosen the front plate is one way to do it !
Thanks Steve, here's hoping my next thread isn't about the bearing issue !
Mike

 

[Healey Nut]

Just expand on Steve’s how to . It will take several hours for all the old fluid to drain fully as it only has a tiny crack to drain out .
put a drain pan on it for a overnight drain period .
I took my regular grease gun with cartridges of John Deere in it . Took off the flexible hose and added a length of 1/4” soft copper tube with adaptor to the gun . Having the semi rigid copper allows you to get the tube into the bottom of the box so it fills from the bottom up .

 

[bighealeysource]

Hey Healey Nut,
Believe I do not need to loosen the brass nut with olive on the stator tube when I loosen the 3 end plate nuts, correct ? I should have about 1/16 of an inch movement of the stator tube being able to move out and thinking that's enough for the lube to leak out. Does this sound right ?
Thanks
Mike

 

[Healey Nut]

Yes just loosen the end plate nuts until it starts to drip .

 

[bighealeysource]

Thank you sir !!!

 

[steveg]

The stator tube should move a little with the front plate, so undoing the olive nut probably not necessary.

 

[gonzo]

Remove the top plate and pull old lube from the top of the box. Then add new lube from the top. Loosening front plate bolts, if not done carefully, could cause the inner bearings - front and rear - to misalign. Bearing realignment in-situ is near impossible: you'll be pulling the column to fix.

 

[steveg]

Removing the lid would certainly be the belt-and-suspenders method. The grease fitting on the side might indicate a PO had previously filled the box with multipurpose grease, in which case it wouldn't drain out anyway. If it contains gear oil, loosening the bolts slightly should do it. A plastic syringe from Amazon could be used to pull oil out of the box.