Saginaw Steering Box Rebuild - Smooth Steering

22. Tighten the adjuster plug while checking for freeplay and smooth rotation of the stub shaft. Once the adjuster plug feels snug, then back it off just slightly.

23. With the adjuster-plug preload set, install the locknut and tap it snug using a brass drift or punch. Make sure the position of the adjuster plug does not change while doing this.

24. A new needle bearing is inserted in the sector-shaft bore in the housing. Press or gently tap it down until it is flush with the inside face of the housing, looking down from above.

25. Install the two oil seals (the double lip seal goes on the outside) and two washers in the sector-shaft bore at the bottom of the housing. Tap the seals in using a socket or similar tool. Install a new C-clip in the machined groove in the bore.

26. Here you can see that the tubular ball-bearing guide (two halves) and its attachment hardware have been removed from the rack piston. All those ball bearings (we counted 26) allow the worm and rack piston to move on each other. If you've ever heard stories about rebuilding a steering box, it's probably the ball-bearing install that you heard people whine about. It can be a little tricky. Some boxes use two slightly different (color and size) bearings. If yours has the two, install them by alternating them.

27. We put a little grease in the bearing guide and packed it with balls. We then reinstalled the guide in the rack piston. We applied some grease to the interior helix between the two guide holes, and pressed the remaining balls into this greased area. With all the balls in place, the rack piston can be slid into the housing bore and the worm turned into the piston helix by turning the stub shaft and pushing the piston into the housing. You may want to consider removing the hex end plug to watch and make sure no balls fall out of place.

28. Once the rack piston is in the housing, the end plug can be reinstalled using a fresh O-ring.

29. Install a new retainer ring. One way is to hold the ring partially in the groove and lightly tap around it to push it completely down into the bore groove.

30. As with all the other parts, inspect the sector shaft for any abnormal wear or damage. Check the rack teeth for signs of galling or other problems. Install a fresh locknut and O-ring gasket on the cover plate.

31. With the rack piston roughly centered in its travel, the sector shaft can be reinstalled. Apply a little fluid to the meshing teeth and to the smooth shaft area that mates with the lower seals. Replace the four bolts in the cover.

32. The final step is to adjust the sector-shaft tension. To begin, center the steering on the high point. Adjust the screw until the box steers freely except for slight touching at the center point. From there, back the screw off about 25 degrees and tighten the locknut.

33. With the steering box rebuild complete, it can be reinstalled on your rig. After a short drive, recheck the sector-shaft adjustment. At the steering box, turn the steering shaft back and forth slightly by hand and observe the movement of the pitman arm. There should be little freeplay in the steering shaft, and the pitman should move immediately, matching the movement of the steering shaft.