So I get this Red Head power steering gearbox in a group buy a week or so ago. It sure is purdy - even the wife thinks so. Anyway... I finally set aside some time on a cool summer afternoon to sneak that bad boy under Stinky's nose.

First step: Pull the old Mercon V out of the power steering pump reservoir. Funny. When I installed that two years ago, I could have sworn the fluid was red. Stinks, too. Well, we'll do something about that soon enough. Step two: Figure out where the hell the gearbox mounting bolts are. Ah - just behind the front driver tire with uber-easy access. I'm dancin' a jig now. I break the bolts free, just to see if they will - which they do. I'm never this lucky. Now on to the tie rod from the drag link to the pitman arm. I saw a video on this, and it should be out of there in less than a minute.



It's right about now that I get a stern reminder that this is Stinky we're talking about. After the little tap-tap-tappy with a hammer worked it's way into a full-on bang-bash-whammo with a 5-pound maul and every conceivable angle with two styles of pry bars, I started to recognize the beat of this music. This was the same tune I heard with the exhaust manifolds, up pipes, and water pump. It had a certain ring to it, like that of a telephone call to the mechanic.

I don't have the tools, expertise, time, or patience to tackle stubborn steering hardware - but I have a loaded Buck$Zooka. Putting the lock nut and cotter pin back on the tie rod, I move on to making sure the gearbox mounting bolts are cleaned and zip right out for the mechanic when Stinky arrives there later this week. Pull one out, clean, re-install - at least that part was OK.

I go to grab the Mercon V out of the fluids bucket in Stinky's bed, and this is when I see the jug of transmission fluid floating in the bucket. A closer look reveals that the 1/2 gallon of spare Mobile 1 oil had burst during our 110-degree days. I never heard of such a thing. My last project with oil on a cool day must have left just the right amount of air in there with a sealed lid, the heat softened the plastic, or Murphy had a field day in that bucket. Whatever the case, I'm glad I store all the fluids in a square bucket. I can only imagine the sailor-speak that would ensue if I discovered that after fighting the steering box for hours - until dark.

I guess I should keep my day job. Eh?

 

"Your a far better man than I".....I unleash "The Fury" on mine, I adapted a Hydraulic Porta-Ram to a Pitman Arm Removal tool, and pressed them all out in about 10 minutes. Of course I broke the adaptor twice in process...But That's what R&D and welders are for....

 

I cant get through a project without at least a brief visit from Mr Murphy also

 

Umm, as far as that video you linked....... Can you say hopelessly unrealistic fantasy land?
If your steering linkage bolts are ever "hand loose" as he said, you have problems.

Also, WD-40 is a joke, when it comes to any seriously rusty parts. The absolute best thing to use, without question or doubt, is KROIL. It comes in an orange can, and its about $25 for a large can. Yeah, a little pricey, and sometimes hard to find, but it works like nothing else. I like to soak the part, heat it with a plumbing torch, then immediately spray with more Kroil.
https://websecure.cnchost.com/kanola...rs/order.shtml
(You want the AeroKroil, in the 16.5oz can)

Let's see.. Next, (Insert Crocodile Dundee accent here) "That's not a hammer. THIS is a hammer! " - This job is no place for a puny carpentry "hammer". This calls for a 2-3Lb sledge. A pickle fork and/or tie rod end/pitman arm puller is also helpful. But if you're replacing them anyway (screwing up the threads doesn't matter), just give the bottom of the stud a good whack with the hammer, and it will pop out. Pry-bars, as you mention attempting, are nearly useless in this process.

Unless its brand new, don't even bother trying to re-use the adjuster. You're better off the leaving the whole old assembly together for measurement reference. I dropped my entire steering linkage out as one piece, when I did mine. I measured everything VERY carefully, down to 1/16" inch, and matched on the replacement parts. When I took it for an alignment, it was actually in spec. Do yourself, and the future alignment mechanic a favor, and slather the threads with copper anti-seize.

Don't listen to him about the thread count. That can vary with various brands of the same part. What matters is the precise distance, center to center, between the 2 ends. I find the grease fittings to be a good reference point. If you are confident in your overall length measurement, DON'T change it, like he did, to "make it fit". You'll throw away all your hard work and time you spent measuring. Instead play around with pushing the stud to a different angle, to get it started in the hole, or maybe jack the truck up a little and move the wheel. Once it goes all the way in, it will straighten out and be the right length.
When you re-install/torque the castle nuts, never loosen them to make the cotter pin fit. Tighten to the next hole/slot if needed.

 

The castle nut is completely below the cotter pin - I think I'm missing a washer or something. Best I leave it to the guys with Porta-rams, Kroil, tie rod washers, adjusters, and more available time than I.

By the way... I'm soaking the tie rod with PB Blaster daily until I take it in, and I already copper Anti Seized the gear box mounting bolts.

 

Good luck. I installed one yesterday only to find it pouring out around the output shaft seal. I ended up re-installing the original and eating the labor and two quarts of Mercon V.

We'll see how good their customer service is tomorrow....

 

We used to 'internally lube' DC-8 50 series thrust reversers with Kroil. Best stuff on the market.

 

Please post back with your experience. Their CS was way good to me a couple years ago, but things change over time.

 

Please forgive this "testimonial", and also please know that I have nothing to gain from offering it.

When I was selling high end synthetic lubes, I did a LOT of testing on friction machines with both conventional (box store) AND industrial grade penetrating oils. Below is what I learned...

BOX STORE OPTIONS

WD40 = almost junk, but very, very available (can you spell "m-a-r-k-e-t-i-n-g" ?)

PB Blaster = a little better than WD40, but stinks like crazy, and very available

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS

Justice Brothers = cannot find in a store, expensive, good stuff

AeroKroil = easier to find than Justice Brothers, very expensive, very good stuff

Penetro 90 by Schaeffer = best stuff I've found anywhere to-date, not as expensive as either Kroil or JB, as easy to get hold of as Kroil, but hard to find in "less than 12-can case quantities" unless you find a private auto parts or industrial parts store which serves as a source for Schaeffer products.

Personally, I suspect that Kroil and Penetro 90 will each do better than the other in various applications, so I personally keep both on hand. At this point, though, for me at least, I've found that the Penetro 90 is the more typical go-to product.

Here is where I've seen the biggest real world gains from my use of Penetro90.

1) The flip top keyed cylinders on my Undercover truck bed cover. I tried WD40 when the locks stated sticking due to moisture intrusion (they are vertically mounted on top of the cover's two rear corners, one each side). I had to re-treat with WD40 every 30 days. Then I treated with the Penetro 90, and it was one year before I needed to re-treat with two more shots of spray. After those two treatments with Penetro 90, it's now been over three years since the last treatment and they are still working perfectly.

2) Similar to #1 above, my exterior garage door hinges and lock cylinder was always getting sticky and squeaky and required regular treatment with WD40. I've treated them only twice with Penetro 90 in the past 4-5 years and they still do not need any re-treatment.

3) I replaced my stock, never been touched Y-collector and up-pipes this past January. With 260,000 miles on these components, the bolts wold not budge, as expected. I gave each a shot of Penetro 90 and only 5 minutes of wait time, and all eight bolts came right out with absolutely no trouble (aside from balancing the long ratchet extensions from underneath the truck on the collector bolts).

Like I said, based on feedback I've heard across the board about Kroil's products, I expect they may in some cases offer some better penetration, but I have not found ANYTHING to compete with the Penetro 90's ability to maintain its lubricating properties in wettable conditions, and it has shown itself as a premium penetration tool as well, for me at least.

Yes, I used to sell the stuff, but no longer represent Schaeffer (in any manner) for reasons which have nothing to do with their product quality, so I have nothing, absolutely nothing to gain from saying any of this... nothing, that is, except for the personal satisfaction of recommending an excellent product to my brothers here who could make excellent use of it for their own personal benefit.

 

thank you for sharing that information and i will defifnitely give penetro a try

 

I've never heard of Penetro, but as far as AeroKroil is concerned, they (Kano Labs) will even tell you its NOT intended as long-term a lubricant, which is why it didn't stick around on your lock. It a rust penetrant oil to break loose frozen/stuck things. If you want something that will also act as a lubricant for an extended period, they offer what they call SiliKroil, which is Kroil, but with a silicone lubricant added. They also have a graphite lube version, as well as an entire line of lubrication products for various specific applications.
Penetrating-Lubricating Oils

As for WD-40, I wouldn't say its useless, just in these types of situations. Its good for light duty indoor type stuff. Its also good as an engine compartment "shine" Spray everything down under the hood. It will help keep water out of the electrical connections, and when it dries its non-flammable and makes everything shiny (obviously avoid the traction side of your belts) Interestingly enough, you can also use it a s a tire preservative. It help to restore some of the light aromatics that outgas from the tire rubber overtime. It helps to keep the sidewalls pliable and prevent dry rot. While I wouldn't recommend it for street use, I use to soak the tread of dirt track tires in wd-40 (in the gallon jug) Once it soaks in and dries, it restores some of the softness and grip to otherwise worn out and heat cycle hardened tires.

 

He never said he used Aerokroil in the locks, he used WD-40, which I have never real considered a lubricant. As a lubricant I consider it only slightly better than spit.

 

Oops, you're right. I was reading/typing quickly. - as evidenced by the many typos/grammatical errors I just noticed in my last post. Uggh. I hate when I do that.

 

Try a mix of ATF and acetone, 50/50. Shake it up each time before use since it is immiscible. It will emulsify long enough for you spray or squirt it onto a stubborn fastener, but will eventually separate. It works better than any penetrating oils I've ever tried, it's relatively cheap, and most of us have atf and acetone around anyway. A few years ago, a machinist journal tested it against all the brands mentioned above, plus a few others. Their tests showed it beat all of them by a big margin.

 

I spoke with "Joel" yesterday. I'll be shipping it back Saturday. I'll update whenever there is a resolution.