What kind of grease do I use in the steering box [Archive] - Chevelle Tech

: What kind of grease do I use in the steering box


jmhardin
Apr 18th, 03, 3:43 PM
What do I use in the steering box on a 1967 chevelle manual steering. How much is full? looking in the check hold I don't see any. Also, I took off my center link to feel the steering and it is hard in the middle when I pull/push it side to side. ANy adjustment needed?

Follow up: the EP chassis lube is no longer a valid number at GM. GM parts guy says no superseeded number. Now what?

chev64
Apr 18th, 03, 4:28 PM
I used Moly chassis lube in mine. take out the center bolt on the cover and the uppermost bolt, insert the grease gun in the center hole and pump until the lube comes out of the uppermost hole, reinstall both bolts and torque to spec. Hope this helps.

It should be just slightly tight in the center of travel and maybe feel too tight without using the steering wheel to check it.

JIML82
Apr 18th, 03, 6:18 PM
One thing to watch, don't overfill your manual gear with grease. There are two reasons:
1). When the gear warms up from underhood heat, the grease will expand and will need some air volume (or air pocket inside the gear) to expand into. You can actually blow out the pitman shaft or the input shaft seals if there is too much grease with no place to go.

2). Also, as you steer back and forth the ball nut inside the gear doesn't need to be plowing through layers of grease. It just needs to be lubricated. Just give it a couple of good shots through the one bolt hole.

Lube for the manual gear can be a good grade of lithium based ball joint grease.

jmhardin
Apr 18th, 03, 10:43 PM
Thanks. It is possible I have unadjusted it from what I just read. I took off my center link and already had off the rag joint. I had free travel of the pitman arm. I did this to find center to remount to rag joint. As I was moving it side to side to find the number of turns of the steering shaft, it sounded like grinding or rolling gears without much grease. I opened the check bolt and did not see any grease but could see the gears and saw a little between the teeth as I moved it back and fourth. There was about one full turn in the middle that was very hard to get thru. I adjusted the adjustment screw until it barley caught in the middle and seemed to have a small about of slack there between two slight catches. This point was exactly in the middle of the turns. All this is with no rag joint and no drag link hooked up. Have I loosened it too much?

chev64
Apr 19th, 03, 11:45 AM
probably, but wait intil you have reinstalled it in the car and with the front end jacked up, turn the wheels back and forth thru the center of travel and check the tightness of the box just as it centers and adjust it to just have a little bit of tightness at the center of travel.