|
|
Posted by Tim Holloway on Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 18:36:27 :
Yesterday morning, we got up to a new layer of snow. Not the 16" they had predicted but enough that it needed to be cleaned up. I went to the shop, started up the power Wagon and began to plow. Everything was working really well, the old girl was just purring, and glad to be out earning her keep. About an hour into the job, I had the plow blade up and was moving a short distance to take a sweep. All of a sudden, the steering wheel gave a violent jerk. I stopped, and wondered what that was I backed up and could see oil on the ground. Thinking I had blown a hydraulic hose I got out to survey the damage. What? no blown hoses. I looked underneath, and could see oil leaking out the end of the steering box. I unhooked the plow and headed for the garage. The now manual steering was really hard, with the 11:00 16s on. Got her inside and could see that the oil was coming out the end cap.
A bit of back story,
When I began the 318 conversion, I bought a souped up power steering pump from AGR in Texas. I installed it, started it up and had no pressure. I took it off and opened it up. The inside was all galled up and there were steel shavings inside. I called up AGR who told me by opening it up I had voided the warrenty. Being a rube, I accepted that and ordered another one. This one worked for a couple of weeks before quitting, but it had leaked arounf=d a seal from the start. I took this one and the first one and made one from the parts and pieces. I got a few months with this one before it quit. Well, that was enough of the experiment with the AGR "Super Pump"That came off and a small hydraulic pump went on, now with a remote resevoir. I was told by the pump supplier tha the pump had a built in pressure relief valve. I took the truck to a local fab/ welding shop to have them build a new mount for the pump. We got it installed and plumbed, tested it out. Ran the steering wheel all the way left, wow, great! ran the wheel all the way roght and BANG! oil all over the ground. He was wrong about the pressure relief. The piston inside the steering box pushed the end plade right off. The end plate is held in place with a round clip that sits in a groove machined around the inside end of the steering gear box. The lip was pushed out and cracked. Off came the steering box and they tig welded it back and I reinstalled the box. The owner of the shop welded a pair of stops to the frame, at the ends of the pitman arm travel, on the assumption that if the pitman arm was stopped before the steering box maxxed out the steering box would be protected. I installed a pressure relief valve and a gauge and have it set down to 1500 psi. That was last march, so almost a year ago. All has been great since then.
Fast forward to yesterday, here is the end popped out again. I pulled the box, no easy task, and took it back to the same welder. The new crack was not in the same spot he had already repaired. He tapped it back together and tig'ged it back together. I suggested that he build a brace across the end that had a big setscrew to also push against the end cap as the lock ring groove as not as good as it once was. He took a piece of 1/2" x1" flat bar and welded 2 legs to it that bolted onto 2 unused ears on the steering box. A 1/4" steel disk slipped between the end cap and the setscrew to spread out the force. A locknut on the setscrew finished the job.
I took it back to the shop and got it reinstalled and plumbed. I put in the oil and started working the air out of the lines. after a bit I hear a "clink" and look dowm (I hadnt reinstaled the floor yet) and there was the 1/4" steel disc on the ground, with oil cascading all over it. Bummer! I figured the end cap must not have been seated right, so I put the disc back in and tightened down on the setscrew. Got the air out of the lines, ran the engine and worked the wheel back and forth, everything was great!
After work today I was going to finish the job up. I knew I still had some air in the system so I worked the wheel back and forth again about a dozen times. I heard a "TING" and looked down. Again, oil is pouring out. I slid the creeper under and this tiome I see that the 1/2" thick steel plate is bowed way out and the lock ring is not in its groove any longer. I threw in the towel, and ordered a new steering box.
I cant figure out why I am blowing the end plate off the steering box. Could something have happened inside the steering box that is allowing the piston to travel further down the bore of the steering box and hitting the end plate? Any guesses?
Sorry for the long post.
Thanks,
Tim
No
Follow Ups: