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My 85 f150 has started leaking power steering fluid and it only seems to be coming from around the pitman arm area. No signs of leaking anywhere above like pump or lines. What seal am I looking for, how do I go about changing it and are any special tools required before I take apart my daily driver? Thanks
It's not the pitman arm that's leaking. It's a solid chunk of steel with two holes in it, one splined for the steering box output shaft and the other to accept a tapered shaft on the drag link, or whatever proper ford nomenclature designates it is.
I'm seeing a whole lotta sludge all over. Kinda hard to tell exactly what it is. I would try to clean things up a bit and look for a fresh trail. Honestly it looks like motor oil to me, not sure what path it took to get there. Or, more obviously your steering box is shot.
The Sector shaft seal is leaking. Might be time to consider a reman PS box. In my experience once the sector shaft seal starts to leak the sector shaft bushing/bore is worn out. With that sort of drop on the pit man arm it side loads the sector shaft wearing the bushing/bore out , so it is pretty much a given the box is toast with that drop pitman arm.
And IIRC the sector bore is machined out of the housing with no proper bushing or bearings in these units.
The up grade is a Red Head reman they machine out the sector shaft bore and install roller bearings negating the issue. https://www.redheadsteeringgears.com/
My 85 f150 has started leaking power steering fluid and it only seems to be coming from around the pitman arm area.
Pitman Arm attaches to sector shaft (3575 in pic).
Sector shaft seal (black square = 3E501 in pic) is leaking, avery common problem with the Ford/Saginaw P/S gearbox.
The Ford/Saginaw gearbox has a flaw, there are no bearings on the sector shaft, it rides directly on the housing. Before too long, fluid begins leaking from the sector shaft seal.
Red Head Steering (Seattle WA) takes the housing, machines it to install the needle bearings that FoMoCo omitted, so they could sell a gazillion sector shaft seal kits!
So called auto parts store "rebuilt" gearboxes are nothing more than "resealed" gearboxes.
So called auto parts store "rebuilt" gearboxes are nothing more than "resealed" gearboxes.
And, as the guy at Napa pointed out to me last year, some of them have been rebuilt several times now so they find that sometimes you have to go through several "rebuilt" gearboxes before you get one that is OK (as in, only on it's first rebuild...lol). I'm on my 2nd rebuilt box, and it is just as awful as the one before it. Not because it leaks...but because it is so sloppy on the input.
The RedHead boxes seem to be the defacto standard for "premium" rebuilt units, but Blue Top also shows up as a good alternative in some discussions. Not sure if they're using the same rebuild process or not. I plan to buy one or the other myself in the near-ish future.
The Sector shaft seal is leaking. Might be time to consider a reman PS box. In my experience once the sector shaft seal starts to leak the sector shaft bushing/bore is worn out. With that sort of drop on the pit man arm it side loads the sector shaft wearing the bushing/bore out , so it is pretty much a given the box is toast with that drop pitman arm.
And IIRC the sector bore is machined out of the housing with no proper bushing or bearings in these units.
The up grade is a Red Head reman they machine out the sector shaft bore and install roller bearings negating the issue. https://www.redheadsteeringgears.com/
This is one of the rare instances which we are on the same page, I also recommend a new steering box. It drives so much better with a rebuilt box, these trucks are getting pretty old and have a lot of miles on them.
And, as the guy at Napa pointed out to me last year, some of them have been rebuilt several times now so they find that sometimes you have to go through several "rebuilt" gearboxes before you get one that is OK (as in, only on it's first rebuild...lol). I'm on my 2nd rebuilt box, and it is just as awful as the one before it. Not because it leaks...but because it is so sloppy on the input.
The RedHead boxes seem to be the defacto standard for "premium" rebuilt units, but Blue Top also shows up as a good alternative in some discussions. Not sure if they're using the same rebuild process or not. I plan to buy one or the other myself in the near-ish future.
This is one of the rare instances which we are on the same page, I also recommend a new steering box. It drives so much better with a rebuilt box, these trucks are getting pretty old and have a lot of miles on them.
Yup no question the difference in driving with a properly re-manuactured box is night and day. As ND said a lot company's just re-seal them. And you are left with the same worn out box you started with.
The biggest thing to ask the re-manufacture when shopping around for one (after the installation of the needle bearings on the sector shaft) is if they machine the sector shaft ball nut rack and worm shaft back to factory tolerances across the full travel.
Since most of the wear occurs in the strait ahead position the sector and the ball nut rack wear most in that position. You can preload the sector shaft to have no play at strait ahead but then they will bind at full lock.
The other bit that wears is the worm shaft and the interface to the ball nut you can have no play in the sector to ball nut rack but if the interface between the worm shaft and ball nut is not to spec you end up with sloppy steering.
On a properly re-manufactured box there should be zero play between the input and out put shaft.
The one thing that still annoys me about most all rebuilt boxers is the continued use of the crappy square faced O-rings for sealing the housing components and piston. This is antiquated technology that fell out of favour during WWII. The Manufacturers used it just due to cost not reliability or durability.
I have popped the square faced O-rings in a few Red Head reman boxes in extremely cold weather. Usually it is the sector shaft cover seal that fails. The last box I had done I supplied the re-manufacturer with X -Ring's to replace all the square faced rings, they were a bit hesitant at first but eventually relented.
The X-Rings or Quad Rings are designed for static and dynamic applications have better sealing (static and dynamic) and lower friction in dynamic applications both rotary and linear.
In fact any application that used to have an O ring when I replace it now gets an X -Ring instead . The one application they really fixed up was the CDR Valve on the Mercedes no matter many O rings went on that thing of varying materials they all eventually leaked, the installation of an X-ring solved it once and for all. I have never popped an X ring in a steering box. In fact I have never had an X-leak in an application that replaced a square faced or round O-Ring.
My box is original from the factory I'm sure. The last few years of daily driving it with a 4 inch lift and 35" tires has me worried that the box is worn out or has play in it somewhere. It also leaks a lot one day and nearly zero the next, completely random. I picked up a junkyard one for 40$ from a truck I know was driving good before.
I think I will pull the seal off the old box and if I see evidence of the old box being worn or having play anywhere I will put a new sector shaft seal and hose orings on the junkyard box and use it for now. I will look into one of the rebuilt boxes with the added bearings down the road since I live in Canada and its not going to be cheap to get my hands on one now.
Anything else I should add to a junkyard box other than a sector shaft seal and o ring for the high pressure hose?
My box is original from the factory I'm sure. The last few years of daily driving it with a 4 inch lift and 35" tires has me worried that the box is worn out or has play in it somewhere. It also leaks a lot one day and nearly zero the next, completely random. I picked up a junkyard one for 40$ from a truck I know was driving good before.
I think I will pull the seal off the old box and if I see evidence of the old box being worn or having play anywhere I will put a new sector shaft seal and hose orings on the junkyard box and use it for now. I will look into one of the rebuilt boxes with the added bearings down the road since I live in Canada and its not going to be cheap to get my hands on one now.
Anything else I should add to a junkyard box other than a sector shaft seal and o ring for the high pressure hose?
The inside scoop on junkyard boxes is to get one from a little Ranger pickup. They used the same box as the large trucks, and they would be in better shape guiding the smaller pickup around for years.
And Red Head say they’d swap the square ring for an x but it’s unnecessary.
Ya tell that to the half dozen or so boxes I have popped the square faced O-rings on.
The stock ones are likely fine in most instances but they can fail under severe operating conditions, been there done that.. nothing sucks more than having it happen when it is minus stupid and you are in the middle of nowhere.
You can't find X rings at the hardware store . You need to go to a seal supplier to get them.
Luckly here in town we have an excellent one Fluidseal. Sealing Solution Group - Fluidseal AB
My 85 f150 has started leaking power steering fluid and it only seems to be coming from around the pitman arm area. No signs of leaking anywhere above like pump or lines. What seal am I looking for, how do I go about changing it and are any special tools required before I take apart my daily driver? Thanks
That's is your PS box I just had to replace mine on my 86 Ford F-150 I purchased mine from rock auto and they are pretty good about refunding your money on the core I got my money back in about 3 or 4 days...I recommend going the FORD MOTOR CO. part its a little more expensive but at least you know its not a Chinese part...
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