Is it possible to change the seal on the output shaft of the steering box without disassembling the box? It's on the Grand Cherokee box that's going in my '69, if it's not a PITA I thought I would just to be safe. I though I saw this posted a while ago but can't find it and don't remember the answer. Thanks in advance for any help.

Mike try this thread might help you?
Click Here (http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81710)

And this thread (http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=82305)

Here are some instructions on removing and replacing the pitman shaft seals on a Saginaw power steering gear with the gear in the car.

http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/01/RBGDisassembly&RepairPics1.doc

JIML82

Yes, remove the pitman arm, remove the clip. Put a large wide conatiner under the steering box, and start your car and crank the steering wheel to full lock and hold it there. At full lock you are producing full power assist in the steering system and should blow the seal out of the steering box. Its messy but works

Thanks for those replies. I might have forgot to mention the box hasn't been installed yet. Can I just remove the retaining ring and pry out the old seal or do I have to install everything and blow it out as per the corvette and hobbiesracer method?

If you try to pry the seal out, it is very likely that you will score the housing and that is not a good result if you want the replacement to be leak free...

The thing that kills the pitman shaft seal is usually corrosion on the pitman shaft itself. Corrosive products tend to work themselves up the shaft and errode the sealing lip on the seal. If the pitman shaft (just above the pitman arm) on your Jeep Grand Cherokee gear is relatively corrosion free, I wouldn't mess around changing the seal.

If you still want to change the seal, be sure to thoroughly clean and polish the pitman shaft area between the pitman arm and the area where the seal rides. You will be sliding the new seal onto the pitman shaft and up into the gear housing. If there is any corrosion on the pitman shaft it will tend to cut or wear the new seal as you install it.

It doesn't hurt to heavily grease up the face of the seal and the pitman shaft once you have the new seal installed.

JIML82

Instead of prying the seal out you can pull it out easily by carefully drilling a hole in the seal with an 1/8 inch drill bit and then installing a screw into the hole. Grab the screw with your side cutters and pull/pry it right out no hassle.

Thanks to all who have responded. Since the first post of this question, I've given the box a good cleaning to get what residue from the wreckage off of it and the shaft & housing are nice and clean, and the rubber on the seal is still soft and plyable (when I gently touch it with a blunt piece of popsicle stick) so I think I'm going to go ahead and install it as is and hope for the best. If it leaks, it seems the easiest way to change it, albeit the messiest, is to crank it to the lock and blow it out any way, so there's not much to lose. But I didn't see a retaining ring on the bottom of the seal, is that something that might have been changed on the newer GC boxes, or am I missing something?

Mike, I think there should be a snap ring that retains the seal. What you may be seeing or looking at is the dust seal, it helps keep some of the dirt away from the main seal. If it is just a dust seal it will be just pressed into the gear housing as there will be no pressure on it. The main fluid seal would be under this seal.

Thanks,Steve, that makes sense. I will try to find a exploded view of the GC box to see what's going on down there, I still think I'm in better shape than I first thought because the shaft and housing was dry above the pitman when I took it off and cleaned the box up. I'm fairly sure the oil I saw on the box came from the pump reservoir, as the jeep was hit high on that side and it was cracked.