Steering box on my BJ8 - filled with grease?

[Randy Harris]

Howdy guys,

Some years ago, after finding a rather alarming puddle beneath the steering box, I had my mechanic take a look. He said it was leaking (duh!) and he recommended either a rebuild or fill the box with grease. He swore by the grease fix so I gave him the go ahead and figured I'd put it on the punch list for later.

Of course with a non-leaking box, I eventually forgot to do this little rebuild. The darned thing has been kind to the garage floor ever since, well until recently. So maybe a steering box rebuild is probably in order.

My question is has anyone else ever heard of filling the steering box with heavy grease? Not sure what weight grease the guy used, but it seemed to do the job nicely. Anyone ever done this?
Cheers!
Randy

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

Howdy guys,

Some years ago, after finding a rather alarming puddle beneath the steering box, I had my mechanic take a look. He said it was leaking (duh!) and he recommended either a rebuild or fill the box with grease. He swore by the grease fix so I gave him the go ahead and figured I'd put it on the punch list for later.

Of course with a non-leaking box, I eventually forgot to do this little rebuild. The darned thing has been kind to the garage floor ever since, well until recently. So maybe a steering box rebuild is probably in order.

My question is has anyone else ever heard of filling the steering box with heavy grease? Not sure what weight grease the guy used, but it seemed to do the job nicely. Anyone ever done this?
Cheers!
Randy

I've heard of and seen it on a Healey. It appeared to be chassis and not wheelbearing grease. I think older cars used it at one time.

 

[John Turney]

Yes, it's the temporary fix for a leaking steering box. Often, as in your case, it's left in for quite a while.

If you do a proper rebuild, there is a heavy oil that should be used. Moss sells the Penrite brand which works fine in my rebuilt box.

 

[57_BN4]

As recommended by another list member, I'll be using this stuff when I am ready to install the steering box

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/products/vintage,-veteran-&-classic/steering_box_lubricant

There's no way that teensy little seal will hold back oil for very long after your rebuild...

Andy.

 

[davidb]

I'll wade in with my two cents.

I had/have a leaking steering box on my BT7, and was advised to not put grease in the box by an English car specialist. Rather, he advised me to try Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak. It's a fairly thick liquid, probably about 60 weight, judging by its rate of flow. Apparently it swells the seal. Haven't tried it as yet so I can't comment beyond this. It might buy you (and me) some time until we get around to skinning our knuckles.

The bottle does say it "renews worn rack & pinions, etc..." You can read a bit about it from the website

https://www.lucasoil.com/pages3-2/FAQ

DB

 

[tahoe healey]

I was told not to use grease because it just gets pushed out of the way and stays there. It will harden with time and reduce the lubricating ability because it is no longer in the grove that the pin rides in. This will cause undue wear of the pin.
Before you start messing with things, determine where the leak is. It could just need the olive nut tightened or the filler cap. There are screws on the case you might tighten up.
Some guys on this forum use athletes foot spray on their trans to see where the leaks are from. This should work on the steering box too.
On a BJ8 you have to take the grill out to get the steering box out. A real pain so I'd check for loose nuts and bolts first.

 

[Fairview]

Let me pitch another idea in the mix. I recently rebuilt the steering rack for my little red Italian car. This originally was filled with 90w oil, like our beloved Healeys.

The general concensus among those who rebuild those racks was to not go back with 90w again, but to use a zero weight grease. This grease is flowable, but thick enough to resist leaking as readily as 90w. Engine assembly lube available at NAPA is such a grease.

I'm trying to think of a way to describe the consistency of zero weight grease. The closest I can think of is dessert from a Mexican restaurant- imagine a flan a bit on the runny side.

Anyway, that is the route I decided to go, rather than suffer the greater possibly of 90w leaking out.

Jeff

 

[bighealeysource]

Hey Randy,
I would go with the Penrite brand available from Moss. It is extremely thick and heavy and I found best way to actually get it into the box was to heat it up in
a small plastic squeeze bottle and then attach clear plastic tubing over the end of the squeeze bottle ( mine was for syrup-wife never missed it !) and put the tubing into the fill hole and then squeeze away. The hole is not the most accessible so the tubing makes it easy to get to.
Regards,
Mike

 

[glemon]

I agree, get the Penrite. My BN1 leaked, I rebuilt the steering box, still leaked, filled it with Penrite, problem solved. Usually don't recommend "fix it in a bottle" type stuff, but this one works.

 

[NIB]

Also used it on my BJ8, seems to work perfectly.

 

[Ed_K]

I have been using 60w Vavoline VR1 in my steering box which brings up this question after reading this post;

What is the relative viscosity of all of the above mentioned
products ?

.. Lucas power steering stop leak

.. Penrite steering box oil

.. Valvoline 60w VR1

.. Napa " assembly lube "

.. Chassis grease ( not wheel bearing grease ).

Is there a lubricating grease that will run / flow say at

90 to 100 degrees F ? If so, that would be the ideal product

to use in our steering box.

Ed

 

[Ed_K]

I found this today on the web. Looks like it is just the thing for the inside of our steering boxes and only $4 a tube.
It is NLGI " naught " grade grease

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEwk_sYP6A8

And I just bought two tubes for $3.57 each here

https://greenpartsstore.com/

It is item AN102562

Ed

 

[BoyRacer]

I dunno, but I think that everyone is missing the point. The problem (other than leaking) is that the bearings in the steering box needs lubrication. These are the two caged roller bearings at the top and bottom end of the worm gear in the box. These two places are where the bearing races are ground into the worm gear and where the pitting occurs that makes steering "rough". The other side bearing races are the removable pieces that never seem to pit. The peg and worm gear interface are not the problem. They never wear out.
So, if you want to put heavy grease into your steering box, be sure to remember that you need to be lubricating some very small roller bearings. I believe the factory manual calls for 90 wt. oil and that's what I use.
If your box is leaking it is probably more than just the seal. The shaft can also be grooved and even a new seal may not stop the leak. That's why the addition of a second seal works -- it contacts the shaft at a different point where it is not grooved.

 

[bob hughes]

Yup

90wt, same as in the back axle, for all conditions down to 12 degrees C



Bob

 

[Fairview]

I found this today on the web. Looks like it is just the thing for the inside of our steering boxes and only $4 a tube.
It is NLGI " naught " grade grease

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEwk_sYP6A8

And I just bought two tubes for $3.57 each here

https://greenpartsstore.com/

It is item AN102562

Ed

Ed,

Thanks for sharing this- that looks like some useful stuff.
The engine assembly lube I mentioned above is a zero weight (naught?) grease, looks like the same consistency. However, this John Deere grease may have waterproofers, etc., that the other does not.

Perfect.

Jeff

 

[vette]

I have to agree with Boy Racer. Also, the packing of a steering box with grease is an old, old trick usually used when you want to sell the vehicle and hide the leak. It gives temporary relief, but does the steering box no good.

dave C.

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

I have to agree with Boy Racer. Also, the packing of a steering box with grease is an old, old trick usually used when you want to sell the vehicle and hide the leak. It gives temporary relief, but does the steering box no good.

dave C.

I agree! Kinda like putting bananas in the differential pumpkin to quiet it down before you sell it.

 

[elrey]

Throw a little sawdust in with that banana.

 

[Ed_K]

The Penrite web site shows the steering box lube in a grease tube, not an oil dispensing container like NIB's photo ?

The product info says the Penrite product is an NLGI 00 grease,
not an oil.

https://www.penriteoil.com.au/products/vintage,-veteran-&-classic/steering_box_lubricant

The John Deer grease is a NLGI 0 grease.

I know normal wheel bearing and chassis grease is NLGI 2 grease and would not be suitable for the steering box.

The Penrite product is a grease...

So much for the " never use grease in a steering box " adage !

 

[abarth69]

I use this
Special-Purpose Corn Head Grease (AN102562, AH80490, TY24428)
A John Deere Corn Head Grease video is now available. To view the video, please click here.

Applications
· Formulated for John Deere corn head and other slow-speed gear cases

· Extra-soft grade of lubricating grease, required for row-unit gear cases of John Deere corn heads

· -30 to 330°F (-34 to 165°C)



Service rating
· NLGI grade 0

· JDMJ13A5, J13E6, and J25A



Physical properties
· Green color

· Contains extreme-pressure additives

· Excellent at high and low temperatures

· Resists moisture and water washout

· Polyurea thickened

· Contains anti-rust properties

Cheers
Mark