Ball Nut & Worm Shaft Assembly

Ball nut disassembly is not necessary unless there is indication of binding or tightness when rotating worm. If disassembly is required, proceed as follows:

1. This step will let loose about 50 ball bearings; be ready to catch them ALL. Remove clamp that retains ball guides and pull guides from ball nut while catching balls in clean pan. Turn nut over and rotate worm until all balls have fallen into pan.
2. Remove worm from ball nut. Wash parts and inspect worm, nut grooves, and ball bearings for indentations. Check ball guides for damage at ends where they deflect or pick up balls from helical path on worm.
   Fig 1: Removing Worm Shaft Bearing Race on Sector Shaft Gear

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   Fig 2: Filling Ball Circuits Through Holes in Ball Guides

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   Fig 3: Exploded View of Recirculating Ball Steering Gear

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3. To reassemble ball nut and worm shaft, insert ball nut over worm so that shallow end of ball nut teeth are on left side (looking from steering wheel end of worm shaft). Align grooves in worm and nut by sighting through ball guide holes.
4. There are 2 types of ball guides: those with holes in middle and those with no hole. If ball guides have hole in middle, insert ball guides into holes in ball nut. Divide balls into 2 equal groups and insert each group into a ball guide, while slowly turning worm shaft.
5. If guides have no hole, separate the halves and fill half of each set with balls. Cover filled half with the other half, and plug ends with grease to prevent balls from falling out. Fill each circuit in ball nut with half of remaining balls in one circuit, and half in the other while slowly turning worm shaft. Insert ball guides. On both types, install ball guide retainer.
   Fig 4: Filling Ball Circuits Through Holes in Ball Nut

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