Saginaw Steering Box Rebuild - Smooth Steering

10. Pry the two seals from the bottom of the housing where the sector shaft exits. Remove the seals, two washers, and then tap the needle bearing out of the housing bore.

11. With the housing completely stripped down, it's a good idea to inspect its condition. Check for scoring or other anomalies in the interior bores. We found one damaged area here on our box from a rock scrape. Fortunately, it only scarred the exterior and did not affect any seal surfaces.

12. With the box cleaned, inspected, and painted, it was ready for reassembly. All internal assemblies are taken apart as described, then inspected and cleaned before reassembly. Check for signs of nicks, burrs, or significant wear on the parts.

13. Slide the adjuster plug off the stub shaft and remove the dust seal, oil seal, and needle bearing. Pull the three Teflon piston rings and their backup O-rings off the valve body. The arrow denotes a torsion-bar assembly that opens a fluid bypass when you turn the steering wheel too far to an end point. This assembly rarely needs service.

14. Carefully stretch the O-rings onto the valve body and drop them in their respective grooves. Follow those with the three Teflon rings. A little fluid on each of the rings makes them go on easier and will help with initial sealing.

15. Press the new needle bearing into the adjuster plug bore so that the top is even with the bottom edge of the taper bore.

16. On top of the bearing, install the oil seal and dust seal by pressing them in place.

17. Apply some power-steering fluid to the adjuster plug seals and stub shaft and slide the stub shaft into the plug. Complete the assembly by installing a new C-clip.

18. A new O-ring and piston ring are provided for installation on the rack piston.

19. Lube and place a new O-ring on the end of the steering worm.

20. Mate the worm to the valve body by aligning the tangs and side pin to slots in the valve body, ensuring the O-ring between the two seats properly.

21. Now the assembly can be slid into the housing and the adjuster plug threaded into the bore. Do not push on the stub shaft while doing this installation. Again, adding a coating of fluid will aid assembly and allow the rings to slide smoothly against the metal.