The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop power steering takin' a leak on my garage floor.

When I put this thing together, I replaced the rag joint with a U-joint, 3/4" pipe about 2 feet long and another U-joint at the steering column. The steering gear box has started leaking at the seal behind where the rag joint used to be. Is that seal replaceable, or should I start looking for another gear box? Is my solid steering linkage causing this leak? The angle to the steering column was too severe for using the rag joint, I tore the 30 year old original within a few trips around the block.

I also noticed when inspecting for the leak that the whole gear box moves when I steer back and forth. Is that normal? It's not much movement but you can see it with the naked eye. I checked the three bolts that hold it to the frame and they are all nice and tight. I'll have to go to the car wash to get all the oil off to inspect for cracking.

Vern,I imagine the rag joint is/was there for reasons other than steering vibrations,it probably serves to allow a little flex between the cab and chassis too.
Maybe things are a bit too solid now.

I wouldn't think the steering box should move in any way,so like you say it might be prudent to clean things up and give things a really good check over.
Hopefully the solid mounting of the steering hasn't caused any stress cracking in the chassis.
Keep us posted of your findings.

Radical angles and single-cross U-joints do not work well together. The parts will get into a severe bind at certain points, and something has to move, or break. If you're willing to go to a 2-cross U joint called a "constant velocity" unit the binding can be avoided, but the shaft will need to be supported on the upper side of the joint above the steering gear by some sort of bracket or pillow block. If the steering gear is moving as the shaft turns, there's an extreme amount of stress involved, enough to flex the frame. That's also probably the source of your leak. Time to re-engineer things!

Search Ebay for "steering universal joint" for examples of the double-flex joint I'm talking about. There are several listed there, with a very wide spread of prices.
Jerry

Will do Jerry. I'll try to get some pictures maybe even a movie of what I have going on some evening this week. I should have plenty room to install something as the pipe passes right over the truck frame.

This isn't the right one for the application but is it what you are talking about?

Shafts like this wouldn't hurt!!!

http://www.borgeson.com/xcart/catalog/Telescopic_Steering_Shafts-orderby_0-p-1-c-22.html

That's exactly what I mean. By having two crosses in the joint instead of one, the angular velocity of the upper and lower shafts never changes. A single Cardan joint has unequal velocities at certain points in its rotation, and it's subject to binding at extreme angles of operation. That's why front drive axles need CV joints. Ever tried to make a tight turn on hard pavement with a 4X4 truck with the front axle engaged?
Jerry

Vern,
"Is that seal replaceable" Yes. the outside seal under what was the rag joint, is easy to change. (looks like a small wheelbearing seal) <under the keeper like nut.
it won't seal a major leak in the inner o-rings, it may need a rebuild.

There are Frame brace kits to help with a crack.
http://coloradok5.com/ordframebrace.shtml
^Source at the bottom of this link.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Where can I buy that frame brace kit if needed?

I might just go out to the salvage yard and pick up a spare one just in case. Dumb me! I had a spare but decided I would never need it and let it go for scrap.

You'll probably need to fabricate something to support the steering shaft, maybe a pillow block mounted to a flat stock support. The 3-piece universal joint isn't stable enough to work without a support on both sides.
Jerry

I finally took it to the car wash and got it all cleaned up, I can't see any cracks in the frame. One of the three mounting bolts was loose. The one you can't get a socket on and the wrench slips off and busts my knuckles while I bang my head on the bumper and kick the work bench and stub my little toe.

I dropped by the cruise-in at Culvers and talked to a couple guys about it. One suggested putting a little brake fluid in the system to recondition the seals. Anybody ever tried that? I would think the seals would swell up and work for a while and then they would all blow from getting too soft. Sounds like a shady car lot trick to me.