RE: {Chrysler 300} Power Steering Gear

Hi Don,

Thanks for the comments. One thing I love-hate about this hobby is that you ask 10 people the same question and you get 20 different answers!

One of the well know steering rebuild houses insists that the balls wear and they have a large stock of balls for selective fit on each box…

What acts as the worm shaft “bearings” in these boxes? They hydraulic pressure?

Have you seen any issues with the piston to housing clearance, meaning wear? Is there a piston to housing wall wear specification?

Lastly, how can one tell by looking at the piston or sector shaft gear cuts if they are beyond use?

James

From: Donald Verity <chryslerdon@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 3, 2023 06:17
To: Rich Barber <c300@xxxxxxx>; 'John Grady' <jkg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; James Douglas <jdd@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: 'Chrysler 300 Club International' <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 'Loren Nelson' <lorenhelenn@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: {Chrysler 300} Power Steering Gear

The 1 turn in on the adjuster is to seat the gears after a rebuild. The proper pre-load is 3/8 - 1/2. The most wear on the teeth is going to be at the two extremes of travel. That would be where the most load is. When adjusted properly, the center may be slightly tight, and there should be minimal play at the extremes. A new box would be the same all the way across. I have seen the gear teeth wear enough to be unusable. The factory manual says to replace them as assemblies. Ball wear should be minimal. As soon as the wheel moves, hydraulic pressure is pushing the pistons. I have never had to replace them. They are not really made for that kind on repair. It is not like a saginaw box. I did the one in my Dodge truck once, and that was enough for me.

Don

Since I will be sending my box in for rebuilding when I swap it out for my spare, I have been calling and talking to the repair shops. Some will actually have a discussion about exactly what they do and some others are not too interested in going into great detail.

The one common theme I have gotten out of the shops is that the actual worm and sector gear faces usually are not so worn as to need replacing. I have been told that the balls inside the piston that ride on the input shaft wear and that is the main wear point.

The “worm” gear is really two sets of “worm” gears. The first worm on the input shaft and uses balls like the old Saginaw worm and roller manual boxes and is inside the piston. The second worm is on the outside of the piston and acts on the sector shaft (the roller) like the old Gemmer manual boxes.

In the old Gemmer design the gears can wear out of they are over adjusted or just get a lot of miles on them. I assume that can happen on these boxes, but that “inner worm” from what I am told is what takes the wear hit. Perhaps Don Verity can shed some light on this subject.

I know that when I bench tested the spare unit the other day to see if I could follow the service recommendation on adjustment on the bench I could not. There was no way to get that 1 plus more turn to mesh the gears. If one tried the box would just lock up.

What I did notice was that the input shaft and piston could be felt moving forward and back while I tried to adjust the sector shaft screw. It moved a lot. In an old Gemmer manual box that is a sure sign that the worm bearings need adjusting. In this box, I assume that it means that the balls inside the piston have worn.

I wish there was more specific information on the rebuilding of these boxes, like down to the level of the factory blue prints on all the parts.

James

From: chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Rich Barber
Sent: Monday, January 2, 2023 18:10
To: 'John Grady' <jkg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 'Donald Verity' <chryslerdon@xxxxxxx>
Cc: 'Chrysler 300 Club International' <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 'Loren Nelson' <lorenhelenn@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: {Chrysler 300} Power Steering Gear

OK: Once, again displaying my ignorance and paranoia.

Do these steering gear shops replace the inner gears when needed, or just replace/service seals, bushings & bearings as needed? Or do the big parts like gears run forever/or new/restored available somewhere/somehow? Similarly, anyone have a source for a boogered-up brass fitting on a ’64 box? The one that has straight threads to the box and tapered hose fitting on the other? Damaged in storage—may even be a steel fitting, not brass.

Rich Barber

Grateful for the knowledge base out there.

From: chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of John Grady
Sent: Monday, January 2, 2023 5:04 PM
To: Donald Verity <chryslerdon@xxxxxxx>
Cc: Chrysler 300 Club International <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; Loren Nelson <lorenhelenn@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: {Chrysler 300} Power Steering Gear

We had one , rebuilt by somebody , where seal was in wrong side of bronze bushing
Unbelievable .

Yes can be done

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 2, 2023, at 9:52 AM, 'Donald Verity' via Chrysler 300 Club International <chrysler-300-club-international@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi Loren,

There will be a snap ring under the dust seal. After you remove that, put a pan under the steering box and start the engine. Turn the wheel all the way to one end, hold for a second, back off and repeat. The extra pressure will pop the seal out. Be careful putting the new seal in, as you can go to deep. Use the steel spacer and snap ring as a guide.

Don

I am Loren Nelson and my 300G steering gear is leaking at the pitman arm. I have removed the pitman arm and seal dust shield. The FSM says to remove the seal with Puller C-xxxx. I don't have that puller and don't know where to get one. I tried O'Reilly's and they don't have a similar tool..I plan to remove the seal by drilling holes in the seal and use 1/4-20 sheet metal screws pushing on the end of a brass bushing that is shown in the FSM to be at or near the seal.

My question for the Club members is this plan a good one or will I mess something else up in the process?

Thanks,

Loren

--
For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/search.htm#querylang
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Chrysler 300 Club International" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chrysler-300-club-international+unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/chrysler-300-club-international/CANvhwYaUbsyDv9XJfzj9Ro1fCeyHoU%2B29xJZdp2EXybobWKKnQ%40mail.gmail.com.

--
For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/search.htm#querylang
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Chrysler 300 Club International" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chrysler-300-club-international+unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/chrysler-300-club-international/1581732503.3015862.1672671123629%40mail.yahoo.com.

--
For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/search.htm#querylang
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Chrysler 300 Club International" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to chrysler-300-club-international+unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/chrysler-300-club-international/291A23E0-854E-467B-ACF6-A8F70329BFFA%40gradyresearch.com.