Power Steering Gear Box: Disassembly
- Loosen adjusting lock nut and remove. Remove side cover bolts and screw in the adjusting bolt 2 or 3 turns. With gear in neutral position, tap bottom of cross shaft with plastic hammer and remove.
- Remove valve housing nut and bolts. Remove valve housing and rack piston, holding rack-piston up to avoid rotation and to prevent piston from falling.
- Place valve housing in vise and move rack-piston up and down to check backlash between circulator balls and rack-piston gutter. Turn the rack-piston fully into the valve housing and then loosen 2 turns to measure backlash. Backlash service limit should be 0.008" (0.2 mm) for small gear box or 0.004" (0.1 mm) for large gear box. If backlash exceeds limit, replace ball screw unit and rack-piston as an assembly.
- Remove rack-piston by turning counterclockwise. Do not lose circulator balls. Remove top cover and "O" ring from valve housing. Remove input worm unit from housing. Remove circulator, circulator holder, seal ring and "O" ring from the rack-piston. Remove bearings, plates and rings from input worm unit and valve housing.
- Screw in adjuster bolt at tip of cross shaft and remove side cover. Remove "O" ring, bearing and adjusting plate. Do not remove bleeder plug unless necessary. Remove seal ring and "O" ring from valve housing. Remove bearing and oil seal from top cover. Remove oil seal and seal ring from gear box.NOTE: Replace all "O" rings, seal rings and oil seals once they have been removed. When replacing, lubricate with power steering fluid before insertion.