I'm doing some maintenance and decided to check the steering box; the plug was a little buggered (I'll get to that later) and I'm wondering what you guys use or recommend. As I remember most took 90 to 140 gear lube and if they leaked some type of chassis lube I'm assumed packed in with a grease gun. Looking in this one it appears to be grease but not fully packed.......Opinions please..

The plug was really screwed up once I got it off  and I noticed it appears to be "pipe like" threads but none I can match. Any ideas here too..

The car has power steering but I don't think it matters since it's all external to the box..


56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

Chassis grease tends to harden and create a void where the gears mesh, creating a no-lube situation. Many have discovered John Deere corn head grease works well in leaking gearboxes. It liquifies where there is movement but stays semi liquid around the places where the grease usually exits. It is in a tube like chassis grease. Get it at your John Deere dealer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zNhli-J0Gk

Thanks Gene, I have heard of it and wondered it any here used it. not near a John Deere dealer but there is always Amazon.

I found a new steering box filler plug list on the Mid-Fifty F100 site and bought it.

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

I wouldn't use anything more than semi fluid grease [Penrite has a range].  Im not so sure on the JD stuff its polyuera based and I dont think it mixes well with other fluids. 



"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

Talkwrench has a point. There are cautions against mixing polyurea with other bases but I'm not sure of the consequences. 

If its leaking at Sector Shaft its a very easy Repair. I did mine last Week. Pull the Arm off the output Shaft. Mark it first so it goes back on in same Positition.  Pry the old Seal out using a Screw Driver and install the new Seal using a Deep Socket. The only Question would be which Seal to Order. Early Style 2 Tooth Sector Shaft Box or 3 Tooth Sector Shaft Box. Different Diameter Shafts. I ordered One of each from Rock Auto. Cheap enough to buy 2 .

  

This just went around on the HAMB, and corn head grease was widely used.

I stole this quote about mixing it.

“Polyurea thickener is NOT compatible with other types of thickeners. If you had grease in a box you would definitely want to clean it all out before adding the Corn Head Grease, or any polyurea grease. Non-compatible greases will result in the thickeners failing and the oil separating out, it would be a mess.

If it had gear oil in it, that should not cause a problem, but I would still try to drain it as much as possible”

Whole thread here, starts out with STP and moves on to corn head.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/stp-for-steering-box-lube.1156068/

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

I rebuilt mt 3 tooth sector box 25 years ago, the worm was completely shattered. Installed a new worm with long shaft and new lower seal. Filled it with 90 weight Extreme pressure gear oil and it's been fine.

I did have it apart 4 years ago with 12,000 miles since rebuild  when I cut the long shaft and spliced in an EPAS electric steering unit and the steering box parts looked like new.

I feel the gear oil flows better than grease especially in a occasional use vehicle that may not always get the grease warm enough to flow.

Thanks all. I see grease in mine, I have no idea if it would leak if I put in gear oil in it I am looking for options. I am not planning on removing it just a service. Sounds like John Deere Corn head maybe a great choice if clean. Thanks

56 Vic, B'Ville 200 MPH Club Member, So Cal.

Sorry for being a bit late with this information but was out of town for a while. I'll attempt to include a link showing the Motorcraft Moly grease Ford offers for steering boxed requiring it. My 64 F100 being one of the steering boxes for the application.  Various Ford products in the early 60's used a recirculating ball style nut on the worm and required Moly grease instead of gear lube. I realize the gear discussed here is not of the recirculating ball but I think it's the moly that coats the surface of the gear contact point providing the lubrication as opposed to oil held in the thickener. I've kept the box in my 64 lubed in this fashion with no issues. There is also a Valvoline grease which appears to be the same product with similar specs and application. If I were to use a grease in place of gear oil, this is what I would use. If you can oped the link, scroll down to the 14oz tube with product description.  Hope this helps, JEFF.......https://www.motorcraft.com/us/en_us/home/new-old-our-products/chemicals-and-lubricants/greases.html


64F100 57FAIRLANE500