How to change steering shaft input seal??

[slow_90firebird]

Hey guys after I did just a very little bit of 4 wheeling last night, noticed a puddle in the driveway today and it looks like I lost the seal at the steering gear input shaft...

How hard is it to change this seal? Can it be done with the box in the truck? Also, the P.O. that sold me this truck said he put in a borgeson (sp?) steering shaft a while back. I am not even sure how the proper way to remove the shaft off of the steering box.

I found a kit at autozone's website that looks like it would do the job... part # 8525


Heres my deal:

[CumminsPower59]

Easy as pie. First, clean everything thoughly with whatever you choose, I use brake cleaner. Make sure to tie off the steering wheel to something inside the cab and reference mark the shaft to the splines. To remove the steering shaft, loosen the set screw with a jamb nut holding it in place. Unscrew it and slide the steering shaft of the splines. Next, use something soft, as in a brass drift to knock the six sided lock/nut counterclockwise. Once that is off, use some snap ring pliers to remove the snap ring, pull the center section out and you can replace the o-rings holding it in place. Re-assemble, check the oreintaion of the steering shaft, making sure it's all lined up. It is easier to replace the seals when the gear box is off the truck, but it can be done on the truck. Removing the tire and wheel makes life a whole lot easier

[CumminsPower59]

Here is a link to RCC, pictures included

http://ramchargercentral.com/index.php? ... article=15

[slow_90firebird]

Thanks guys...

1) how to I slide the steering shaft back? There's no slip joint. Do I unbolt the rag joint?

2) my big hex nut on the box is rotted to shreds. Anyone sell a replacement?

3) that tutorial only shows the big o-ring replacement. What about the other 2 small seals?

Thanks again! Tomorrow I will get a price on a whole new reman box just to weigh my options...

[CumminsPower59]

There is a slip joint, it should be under that shock boot looking thing. If not, unbolt it at the rag joint.

I dunno where you could get a new nut...

I believe the other seals are on the inside of that pice that is removed.

FWIW, the last time I had a nasty leak on the gearbox, I eneded up replacing the box as there was a good amount of slop in it. On and off in just over an hour.

[m880cummins]

I did this on my truck but the only issue was I was not sure of preload on the shaft when you put it back together. The manual gives a rube goldberg approach. Is there a number to use? I just guessed but have a little more play then I would like on the input shaft in terms of rotation not end play.

Charlie

[oldestof11]

Slip joint goes up into the cab. Has a spring above the rag joint that you should see.

[slow_90firebird]

Ok guys thanks for all the info!! I actually misspoke there IS a slip joint on my shaft, right north of the u-joint, excppt it falls about 1/8" short of getting the shaft off the steering box... I just had my dad pry on the rag joint a little to get that extra room...

I ended up just replacing the whole steering box. I got hooked up on a friends account at Advance Auto, got a fenco brand reman for $143 plus $80core. I must say I am glad I did, the steering on this truck is PERFECT now its like a whole new truck on the highway. 100% improvement. The box look to be good quality, except its raw cast so its already rusting. Oh well.

The job was a nightmare. I ended up changing the gear box, both lines, and the pump. Whole new system! The flare nuts at the old box were rotted to the lines, and trashed them trying to loosen them out. Luckily a borrowed pitman arm puller made quick work of that task. Overall the job took me 2 days working 8hrs each day. The main reason being, that there was like 9 nuts I could get the impact on, and 8 were the lugnuts. The rest of the job was done mostly with a large crescent wrench.

The pressure line is still available at autozone, premanufactured. Cheap too. I had bought that and the reman pump like 2 years ago and was just waiting to put them in.

The return line I was lost. Went back to autozone and found something that actually worked perfectly- just needed to be trimmed off below the bend, flared just a bit, and bent a little