[Farmall] Steering gear lube

[Dean Vinson]

I made some more progress today on getting the M caught up on maintenance.
Went around with a grease gun and the operator's manual to be sure I found
all the fittings, then took the cover plate off the steering gear housing.
The manual says to put 90-wt oil in there but it had some heavy grease
instead, which seemed like a good idea so I added a little on general
principle and closed it back up.  So there's a lot of grease slopped around
the worm and sector, but they're not literally bathed in it or in oil.  Is
that the general practice?  I'm sure it'll be fine for the light use this
tractor is going to get.  My main concerns are (a) to keep the worm and
sector from unnecessarily getting more worn, and (b) to not have oil oozing
down the steering bolster.

Item b seems like a definite possibility, too, if I put oil in there, since
there's some noticeable play in the bolster when I turn the steering shaft
and the worm gear starts to pull on the sector.  There's maybe 3/32ds of an
inch of slop in the position of the sector gear, front to back along the
axis of the tractor.  Looking at the parts book, I assume that means that
either the "upper bolster pivot shaft thrust bearing" or the shaft itself
are worn, or both.  So even if the oil seals were new there'll be a lot of
movement in there anytime I use the tractor.  Unless Geoff Gauger
spontaneously decides to come over to Ohio and rebuild this M, I suspect
that worn bearing is going to stay exactly as it is for a very long time.
:-)

Meanwhile, it's good to see that the worm and sector aren't in too bad
shape, and to get some grease in all the various fittings.  While I had the
grille off I took the opportunity to mostly straighten out some dents, so it
doesn't look too bad either.  Before winter I still want to flush and refill
the radiator, and drain and replace the transmission oil.  I'm not sure if
the PTO works so I may have to investigate that while I've got the
transmission drained.  Probably be one of those Saturday-afternoon projects
that ends up taking about six times as long as I think it will.

Dean Vinson
Dayton, Ohio
www.vinsonfarm.net