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Hi all. I have a leaky shaft seal on my steering gearbox in my '53 half ton. I have read about using corn head grease to help combat the leak, and I intend on trying that method. I figure it's worth a shot, but I don't see a drain plug on the gearbox. Am I missing something here? What Is the easiest way to drain the gearbox? Will corn head grease pour into the gearbox or does it need to be "packed" in? Thanks in advance for any help.

Hy Lemmm117, try removing one of the lowest bolts from the plate at the forward end of the steering box, I'm not sure if the bolts go into the interior of the steering box housing or not, but it's worth a try. I have no experience with the corn head grease, but I think it should flow into the box, hope that helps.

There isn't a drain plug...at least I've never seen a steering gear box on the AD half ton trucks with one. One way to drain the box is to remove the worm gear retaining cap and bearing and let what is in there either run or drip out. But it may not do that easily. You'll find all sorts of things could have been used as a lubricant in there...and you will get lots of different ideas about what you should use. Hopefully for you the original lubricant will still be there. GM was vague about what that lubricant was. People are going to tell you to use everything from chassis grease to a 50/50 mix of heavy gear oil and chassis grease to corn head to straight STP (which probably isn't a bad idea, actually) to very heavy gear oil. Whatever you use it should not get thick and channel in cold weather...which in Minnesota you will naturally get. If you're going to go to the trouble of draining what is in there and cleaning it all out to replace the lubricant, I don't know...I think I might be tempted to pull the sector shaft cover and shaft, clean that up and make a new gasket (cut one out of something thin but tough like a manila folder) and replace the sector shaft seal while you have the shaft out. The seal isn't expensive, isn't hard to replace and the one you get today will be better than what is in there now. If you do this, be sure to clean the sector shaft well where it meets that seal and be sure to use some gasket sealer (I use Permatex 2 non-hardening) on all the threads and gaskets. These have a way of seeping if you don't seal them. Good luck.
Jon

I used John Deere corn head grease in my 55 210 and 55 3100. It seemed to help. It came in a grease gun tube. Used the grease gun
to install the grease in the top of the box in the filler hole.

Open the fill plug and dig around to see what the consistency is of what's in there. It will likely be closer to a solid than a fluid.
I dug as much as I could out through the fill hole, then filled it with new grease. The small amount of crud which you cannot remove will mix in with the new grease, or stay put and out of the way in the small nooks and crannies.
Carl

This is the seal you need if you decide to change it.
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/C...n-Arm-Shaft-Seal/_/R-NOS11055_0439392795

Have you read this manual yet, https://www.flickr.com/photos/advance-design_parts_co/sets/72157632210242370/

Joe

Thanks for all the input. That little manual was excellent. I'll probably put a new seal in it now, I assume that will be better than the original design packing. What grease should I use if I replace the seal? Perhaps since lots of these leaked so much, they could jut be driven around the block a few times to drain them. Haha

Corn head grease is a readily available good substitute for the thickness of the original grease, which is not so readily/cheaply available from Penrite.

I like the John Deere grease, mine hasn't leaked since putting it in and it always steers easy. I had regular gun grease in one for years till it started to get stiff, when I pulled it apart, I seen all the grease was pushed out the top or off to the side, the teeth were dry as a bone.
Any 00 or 000 NGI grade grease will work, its just the corn head grease is what is available at most any John Deere dealer, plus its cheap.

http://lubromation.com/pdf/CONSISTENCYGRADES.pdf

I unbolted the box from the frame and spun it upside down, removed the filler plug, which now acted like a drain plug, but not much oil came out because the plug didn't end up on the very bottom. I then removed the pitman arm shaft and got about a cup or so of oil out. the oil was still in liquid form, but not much was in the box. I don't know if it was the original oil or not though. I also got a new rubber shaft seal to replace the packing. I plan on putting the box back together in the next day or two, but I have to locate the corn head grease to complete this task. I don't think any store near me has this grease being that northern Minnesota isn't exactly the farming capital of the world. i'll probably have to order some. thanks for all the advise guys.