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Stator tube lost in steering box

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Jeffry

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The PO changed the steering wheel on my new BJ8. He was good enough to tell me there was a leak in the steering box. After educating myself on this wonderful site I discovered there was no stator tube end coming out the box so oil just fell out. I am thinking to take the plate the tube goes through off the steering box to fish it out. Any thoughts on this problem?
Aloha, Jeffry
 
Theirs a compression fitting at the end loosen the nut and then pull the trafficator out the tube should be attached to it
 
Jeffry, the stator tube could be missing. It runs the entire length of the column and protrudes out the end of the box. Sure , just take the end plate off and see what's up.
 
Yeh Jeffry, As Brinker says, the stator tube is one long piece extending down from the trafficator. I don't know how it could be lost inside because the trafficator at the steering wheel would be sticking up proud of the steering wheel center if the tube were pushed inside the box. unless it was broken off at the top then just pushed inside to get it out of the way. If it was completely removed that would certainly leave a hole at the bottom/front plate of the steering box. If that is the case and you don't intend to restore it to original design, then the hole at the bottom can be filled with a similar diameter solid rod just about an inch or so long. The compression sleeve and nut at the bottom of the box will tighten around the solid rod and plug the whole. Dave C.
 
Brinkerhoff said:
Jeffry, the stator tube could be missing. It runs the entire length of the column and protrudes out the end of the box. Sure , just take the end plate off and see what's up.
Click to expand...

On the cars with adjustable steering, the stator tube is two-piece with the upper part sliding into the lower part to allow for the movement of the steering wheel in and out.
 
Jeffry said:
The PO changed the steering wheel on my new BJ8. He was good enough to tell me there was a leak in the steering box. After educating myself on this wonderful site I discovered there was no stator tube end coming out the box so oil just fell out. I am thinking to take the plate the tube goes through off the steering box to fish it out. Any thoughts on this problem?
Aloha, Jeffry
Click to expand...

Note If the trafficator works you have a tube installed if it is leaking at the bottom around the harness you will need a new Onion to seal it back up. In any case the trafficator will have to be removed to solve this problem.

IF the onion replacement can solve the problem You may be able to replace it by unplugging the harness and lifting the old one off and putting the new one on Tricky oily problem.:encouragement:
 
Last edited:
Thank you all. PO confirms there is a lower stator tube in there. My guess is he did not tighten the brass donut tight enough and it pulled up with an adjustment at the wheel. So I will take the plate off the steering box that the tube runs through without fear!!!

Aloha all,

Jeffry
 
Jeffry said:
Thank you all. PO confirms there is a lower stator tube in there. My guess is he did not tighten the brass donut tight enough and it pulled up with an adjustment at the wheel. So I will take the plate off the steering box that the tube runs through without fear!!!

Aloha all,

Jeffry
Click to expand...


Pulling the plate will not help you the nut and onion are captured on the wiring harness. Additionally, you will disengage the top section of this tube attached to the traficator from the bottom half of thhe tube..--Keoke
 
Some success. Found the end of the stator tube just inside the steering box. Got small vice grips on it and got it loose and sticking out a little with some banging. My guess is the tubes were locked together. Or it was installed that way. I think the latter as the PO could not understand why the oil ran out the hole!
Really glad to have this service. Back in the 70s when I last drove Healeys all we had was a book!!
Thanks,
Jeffry
 
My guess is the tubes were locked together. Or it was installed that way--

Yes the tubes are designed with interlocking keys, moving the lower tube or the one attached to the top Horn trafficator assembly will disengage the key and the trafficator will no longer work when reassembled.
 
The stator tube...

IMG_2654.jpg



If it's an adjustable steering column, the stator tube is in two (2) pieces.

IMG_2672.jpg


If you're willing to take the time to browse through this album ( https://www.spcarsplus.com/gallery3/index.php/reMKIII ) you can see the stator tube being extracted, the trafficator being cleaned and rebuilt, and all being reassembled. The cleaning/rebuilding of the trafficator is in an embedded album, but with persistence, you'll find it.
 
Total success. If your traficator is spinning and fluid is leaking out by the wires that come out the steering box it's probably because the stator tube has come free where it comes out of the bottom of the steering box. The alternative is the tube is broken in the steering column but that would not cause a leak. The tube is one piece on older cars and two pieces on others. It's two pieces to allow the wheel to be adjusted in and out. In my case it appears the steering wheel was adjusted out but the tubes were somehow locked together. The result was pulling the tube up into the box by pulling the "olive" off the tube.

Thanks for giving me the go ahead to pull the bottom cover of the steering bos to look for the tube.

Aloha,

Jeffry
 
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