In my never ending quest to get the engine bay painted and the new engine installed, things just keep going south. This morning I was going to paint the pitman arm, tie rods and trailing arms (for you guys with racks...you don't know how lucky you are) and found a new puddle of 90WT gear oil leaking from the steering box. I've spent a week cleaning everything in the engine compartment and several hours alone were spent on the steering box - I think the dirt was sealing the damn thing.

It's never leaked before and was covered in goop as my crank seal was toast and the engine was slinging oil all over the steering box. I had fixed that seal and done what I could to clean stuff up, but with everything out of the engine it is much easier to get things truely clean. This was some of the worst grime to clean with all the nooks and cranies filled with crap.

So who here has changed the seals in a ZF steering box? I've heard that taking them apart disturbs the Voodoo that holds them together, but I can't have this thing leaking oil all over everything. Every other part of my suspension has been rebuilt lately, so why not do the box?

I think I'll just do the seals as my read is I can get them out without having to take the damn thing apart.

Looks like I'm going to be further delayed with getting the car running

Once the puddle gets big enough it'll stop leaking...

Wait for that to happen...should be good to go...

I found the seal numbers on the Brickboard...looks like I can change them without having to open up the box. Just more stuff to come apart and will hold up the painting progress. I should have it apart this evening.

Got the friggin big nut off...now if I only had a pitman arm puller. Anyone got any tricks here? I'm off to visit the princess in the morning to see if she has a solution for me

Sorry, no suggestions here, besides heat and the puller. At least the rod ends aren't on the pitman arm so you're not looking for a new one to install.

Sorry Craig, no suggestions.
Really the only way is with a Pitman Arm puller.
It has been years since I did steering box seals, then that was on Dodge & Chev vans, Carefull look at the seal surface on the shaft, often the leak is related to wear on the shaft rather than a damaged seal.

Good luck

Hi from Moncton...

Last time I did one, just took it to a machine shop. Fast and cheap, they even got it back on correctly.

Hi Guys.

My trip to Princess Auto yeilded a cheapo pitman arm puller that sort of fit. It wasn't perfect, but it did work. When it all let go there was one heck of a bang, then everything came flying off. Glad I'm doing this before everything is painted and pretty.

I've got tie rods etc to do as well, but they can wait until I've got the engine bay painted.

Craig

Too funny...I was going to post to be ready for the bang when it lets go. I remember doing this on my '73 Chevelle SS one time and had to take it to a mechanic friend. He cranked on it with a 1/2" impact gun for about 30 seconds before it let go. I was sure something had broken with the noise it made...