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Grrrrr- Steering Box

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J

JBlubaugh

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Hi All -

Had to fix a problem with my stator tube after the car came back from the paint shop. I had taken the end plate off the steering box to thread the wiring through and bumped the left wheel with my leg. This caused the wheel to turn and the worm inside the box worked its way down. I was able to get everything back in place or so I thought. Now when I turn the steering wheel it gets really tight when the wheels are straight but its nice and loose when the wheels are turned to either side. The wheels go the full stop both left and right.

The tightness started after I torqued down the endplate bolts.

Do you think this is something a resolve with the adjustment screw?

Thanks,
Jim
 
For what it is worth, I did take a BN4 box apart about a month ago to inspect the internal parts and change the seal. Everything was in excellent condition, except for the seal. On reassembly, everything works smoothly without touching the adjustment screw.

Assuming that you did not have this issue before, you may now have a problem inside the box. Did you tighten the adjustment screw, or is it at the same setting as before? If you have not adjusted that, possibly a bearing is not properly seated, or something else is not fully back in place. To turn the steering wheel against unusual resistance may cause, or have caused, damage to the bearings, bushings, seal, or ??. Unfortunately, this may be much easier to fully disassemble and inspect with the steering column out of the car.

Hopefully, someone with more experience with these steering boxes will chime in.
 
Do you think this is something a resolve with the adjustment screw?

This is normal for the box however if it is too tight over center you may be able to change it by backing off on the adjustment screw.
 
Ok - So tonight i took off the top plate on the steering box to look inside. Didn't see anything out of the ordinary with the exception of some old grease that I cleaned out. Probed the rear of the worm to see if the bearing and keep were jammed up and blocking but from what I could tell everything was flush. Put in some new Penrite and closed it up while opening up the adjustment screw. After that, it moves freely from left to right with no problem other than a click every once in the while up near the control head. Tightened down the adjustment screw right at the point of feel some resistance on the wheel while turning it. Will put some casual miles on it and see if it works out.

On the off chance that I will need to rebuild it, is it possible to pull the entire unit out through the grill opening , after removing the radiator?

Thanks,
Jim
 
On the off chance that I will need to rebuild it, is it possible to pull the entire unit out through the grill opening , after removing the radiator?

I think you can remove it once the grill is out there is just enough room to sneak it by the side of the radiator.
 
You should adjust the steering bolt with the wheels turned to one side. Then tighten the bolt so you can just feel it touch, then back off a smidge.
It wears on center, so if one adjusts it there, it will bind on turning.
 
The steering box is designed in a way that it cannot bind to either left of right from the center position. Adjust when the wheels point straight ahead.
 
johnea said:
The steering box is designed in a way that it cannot bind to either left of right from the center position. Adjust when the wheels point straight ahead.
Click to expand...

This information is correct .
 
johnea said:
The steering box is designed in a way that it cannot bind to either left of right from the center position. Adjust when the wheels point straight ahead.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected. Paraphrasing, the manual says you should feel the slightest binding at the center position and not on either side.

When I had my steering out on the bench I remember the reverse to be true, but that was several years ago and evidently I remember incorrectly.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. Got it back together and will see what happens. If I feel anything wrong will just plan on pulling it. Was looking over the shop manual and it doesn't appear to be to bad, at least not pulling tranny bad. Thx Jim
 
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