[AT] grease in steering gearbox

[Chris Britton]

>I would think that it would easier just to replace the seals, most  seals 
>can
>be found at your local Bearing and seal store.  I just replaced  the seals 
>on

I'm going to guess you don't work on ford steering boxes too often.. nothing 
easy
about the ordeal at all.  First.. there are 2 style boxes on the 8n, early 
and late.
In either case.. the seal doesn't go bad due to a bearing.. but rather a 
bushing.
R&R procedure is to remove the grill, remove the headlamps, remove the fuel 
line,
drain gas tank... remove steering wheel, remove hood and integral gas 
tank... This
is a tad bulky as the hood, doglegs and gastank and tank frame come off as a 
unit..
block and tackle is helpfull, or a few friends.. as the hood has to come 
more or less
straight up due to the radiator clearance between the hood and the gas tank.
Next is battery, battery box .  Then you pull all the instrumentation, tach 
cable, oil line,
oil gauge, remove wires to the ammeter, voltage regulator wire 
terminal/ignition reesistor,
ignition switch.. etc.  Next you pull the dash cowling.
After al this, the steering box is visible... to pull the sector seals you 
have to pull the draglink
arms from the sectors.. usually not easy.. they never pop right off even 
with a 3-jaw puller
 then remove the top of the box and the side covers, then you pull the 
sectors, and the wormshaft
and ballnut.

At this point you then remove the box from the chassie, and hammer out a 
welch plug int he bottom
so that you can snatch the lower thrust bearing race.  Also have to snatch 
the top thrust bearing race from
the box cover... it's usually easier to simply weld a bead around the face 
of the race and let it draw and
fall out.. then tap new races in using a socket or seat tool.

Now, on the old style box, there is no real sector backlash adjustment, so 
you use the sector side covers as the backlash adjustment, as they are not 
perfectly round.. but are eccentric.. so as you turn them in the housing, 
you can try to find a more snug spot on the sector bushings.  if all the 
adjustment is gone, you have to drive out the bushings , size new ones, and 
then reinstall.. at the same time you change the worn seals.  On the new 
style boxes the bushings are a tad less important with the adjustable 
sectors... however it is good measure to remove/size/install new bushings 
and seals anyway.
Clean sump, and reassemble box.  The leading sector has a master tooth and 
must be mated correctly with the ballnut and trailing sector or the steering 
will be off.  With new races and bearings, you have to set the preload by 
using metal shim/gaskets between the box cover and the box.  There is also a 
bearing at the top of the steering tube.. usually good measure to r&r that 
as well.  Refill, and then reassemble tractor in reverse order.

Parts wise.. if your sectors are bad, or if the ballnut/wormshaft is bad.. 
it's usually cheaper to buy a complete box from a salvage yard..  The 
wormshaft/ballnut assembly alone is a couple hundred bucks..   I've seen 
boxes complete go between 250 and 450.
The issue is with the sector shaft.  If the shaft seal diamaters are worn.. 
and they usually are.. due to the leaky seal... then you replace them.. that 
gets spendy real fast.  It doesn't take too much wear to still have an oil 
leak after a rebuild.. that's why the cornhead grease works so good.  it's 
actually designed for gearboxes, and is made to flow back into the sump and 
is very sticky.

Again.. it's not an easy to get to deal as with a cub, wher ethe box is 
setting out to the right of the tractor.

>my Old Sun-Master rotary mower took 1 day to get them at Napa. Now  I don't
>have any leaks so I won't be worrying about the thing going dry and  wiping 
>out
>an expensive gear box.

We've found that grease is very acceptable.  Many of us have N's with grease 
filled boxes that are going on decades old... that's not too bad for an 
otherwise worn out part.

>Like I keep saying, short cuts in  mechanical work can only get you in
>trouble later on.

Later on..Yep.. like 10 or 20 or 30 years...  I'll take those numbers... 
Considering that the grease costs about 6 bucks, and gets you years to 
decades down the road in about 20 minutes.  As with anything.. it's a 
cost/benefit.  you have to run the numbers.
You have to take into consideration use and condition of the tractor.  If 
it's the machine that you drive a couple times a year to do this or that 
around the hunting camp.. it's hard to justify 200-500$ in parts, and a 
couple full days labor, and a few specialized tools, or some machine work 
costs to get it to a point that 6$ and 20 minutes of grease will.  Yes.. 
it's a pay me now.. or pay me later... but inthis case.. the pay me later is 
no more expensive than the pay me now price.  Whereas in general.. pay me 
now/later problems get more expensive as time goes on.  Once your steering 
box parts are worn enough to leak.. especially the early ones.. it's pretty 
much a swap out or 100% new parts... so the pay me later issue is moot.. 
costs the same now or later.. and 6$ of grease can make later years and 
years away without any other detriment to the system.

Soundguy