davidathans
Well-known member
how do i get the control valve off the pitman arm?
here are some pictures from my nightmares
the picture on the far right is where im at right now
David,
Have you given up and taken it to a shop? I may have a couple more suggestions.
Rob
what happens to the steering box over time if you never service it??...i've been wondering about this for quite some time because i have replaced just about everything except the steering box and i dont want the steering to just break on me one day and i wont be able to steer
The grease dries up and the gears wear themselves out. The steering gets sloppy and in extreme cases you could loose all steering control. I'd pop the cover and put new grease in since you're working on it anyway. Mine had to be completely rebuilt-it was to far gone.
Steve
David,
Cougar CJ, Steve, Tim are right on. CJ has the correct route for total refurbishment. And all on the workbench not lying under the car!!!
Power steering Mustang cars in my experience are “loose” even when perfect. If you want to rebuild the stock system, when you get the stud out of the pitman arm and see how the control valve works, you may be disappointed. The stud that connects to the pitman arm is the part that activates the ram to push or pull. This stud is attached to the control valve with a spring on either side of two cups that “encase” a machined ball on the end of this stud. If you turn right or left, the stud pushes lightly against the cup and compresses the spring in that direction. This slight movement tells the ram to push or pull to assist you in moving the drag link and viola, power assist.
All and all a slightly less than optimum feel at the wheel. Wow a rhyme!!
I converted my 67 Fastback to manual. Steve is right on with the dry grease. In fact V8 cars have the exhaust so close to the steer box that they cook the grease. I scored a 70 six cylinder manual box and they have not been cooked as much and have moved under lighter weight. Rebuilt it and it is very tight. But the 5 turns lock to lock makes it feel not so sporty in the corners. I doubt a steering box would suddenly fail, but a power car can get real sloppy between the control valve and the steering box.
So you ran 11’s with power steering. Did you take the belt off?? If not, there is another tenth or so. As you seem to be a man after my own heart and like straight-line speed, I would convert to manual steering and put the stock stuff in a box.
They do make a conversion to eliminate you power steering and use your rebuild 3 turns lock to lock box. Very hard at slow speeds, but once moving the best of the stock steering!! I did this with my first Mustang way back (yes, way back) in the early 70’s. Very hard at slow speeds, but no messy power robbing, power steering. A young guy like you can handle it!! And the engine is easier to keep clean!!
Or rack and pinion. Manual rack is just as tough as the above. Power rack is the best, but $1.5 to $2k. And it robs power.
Rob
I've never heard of a box failing completely without plenty of warning, however...