Thread: Tips on rebuilding a 3 bolt steering box

Thanks for your comments before 85county. How did you set up the adjuster on the side of the steering box after rebuilding it? Im tempted to try and see if changing the setting on this will tighten up the box, but dont want to stuff up anything else at the same time. BTW have checked pretty much everything you suggested, including different wheel alignments but with little benefit. Not keen to just get another box yet - knowing my luck the vagueness will still be there.

It's the top adjuster that sets the free-play. It loads the sector shaft (main shaft) against the worm that turns it.
Too tight and you can get binding and wear, too loose and you get play.

If you have play with the adjuster up tight, then you've got loose bushings either in the top or bottom of the box. Loose bushings in the bottom are easy to spot, it'll **** oil. The top bushing can be replaced with a DU bushing for a few dollars that is exactly the right size. It took my 3 bolt from being awful, to being quite good.

3 bolt boxes have only bushings supporting the sector shaft, no bearings. 4 bolt have bearings.

Originally Posted by AdsLandies

Thanks for your comments before 85county. How did you set up the adjuster on the side of the steering box after rebuilding it? Im tempted to try and see if changing the setting on this will tighten up the box, but dont want to stuff up anything else at the same time. BTW have checked pretty much everything you suggested, including different wheel alignments but with little benefit. Not keen to just get another box yet - knowing my luck the vagueness will still be there.

As dougal has commented above but that’s only 1/2 the story.

On the top of the box there are two bolts, well 1 bolt and a thread and nut. The nut is just a lock nut. the thread is taped in the top of the box ( housing) so winding this screw out lifts the main steering shaft, this is the one that passes all the way though and out the bottom.

Lifting this shaft will push the wheel on the side of this shaft into the worm. The book says 2Kg on a spring balance but that’s on the bench with no seals.

How i would do it in place would be disconnect the steering shaft and turn it by hand while the wheels are strait ahead. and just adjust until there is no slack, be careful as 2kg on a worm is nothing really and over tightening will cause damage. Now go from lock to lock. If the steering tightens up close or when not dead center. Your worm is worn, time to get a new one. I doubt this would be the case in a PS box but was common back in the day of non PS boxes where the oil was lower and the box wasn’t pressurized. But then if the PS fluid was never bleed it could happen. NB the bolt on top is for bleeding the PS fluid.( motor running)

Once that is done you need to look at the very big screw on the side. This holds a slide in place that pushes against the back of the rack. if this is set to far back there will be slack between the rack and pinion. i would sagest that this could add to the vagueness.

Its simple, the big screw is held in place by a grub screw ( have fun finding it! a good clean will help) this grub screw pushes against a plastic dowel which in turn locks the thread.

Tighten this screw hand tight and back off about 1/8 a turn. do the lock to lock thing again.

if things tighten up on lock to lock ( wheels off the ground or better pitman arm off) adjust every thing for the tightest point and go shopping.
Again if this is the case and you are looking for a replacement box, either a fee rebuildable 3 bolt or shelling out for a 4 bolt

4 bolt has bearings. Don’t think so

well I can understand the confusion after reading the manuals for both the 3 and 4 bolt. but those of us who grew up with books and not I pad know that a bearing is a bush and a bearing is actually a ball bearing etc.

bearing being a generic term

in fact it was worse while doing my time, to refure to a ball race as a bearing would result is a quick and forceful laced up No 11 heading at high velocity towards my rearasanus.

a wheel bearing for example was infact an assembly consisting usually of no less than 2 taper roller races.

The fact is the 3 bolt manual refers to bushes and the 4 bolt refers to bearing. But the guts is the 4 bolt on my bench in bits ( was now in bin) has no bearings needle rollers but a BUSH. as to my first post. i said i was surprised that the 4 bolt bush is shorter than the 3 bolt bush ( which has 2)

Now unless there is another version, update, upgrade, mod etc I have not seen a 4 bolt with a bearing in the selector shaft lower!!!!!

I remember we used to mod the 3 bolt to take needle rollers. That I know, pretty sure that we used the same rollers that were part of the 4 bolt. Reason being that they didn't wear like the bushes and the 4 bolts were expensive and changing hoses was garder as there were 2 or 3 different types of pumps which had different ends and then the boxes were different fittings as well. Modding the 3 bolt was just simpler.

The bottom line is I know more people who have broken a 3-bolt than have broken a 4-bolt.
Plus IRC the 4-bolt is lower geared, making it better offroad.

Originally Posted by 85 county

As dougal has commented above but that’s only 1/2 the story.

On the top of the box there are two bolts, well 1 bolt and a thread and nut. The nut is just a lock nut. the thread is taped in the top of the box ( housing) so winding this screw out lifts the main steering shaft, this is the one that passes all the way though and out the bottom.

[COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana]Lifting this shaft will push the wheel on the side of this shaft into the worm.

Winding the top adjuster screw in, pushes the sector shaft wheel down onto the worm and reduces play. The shaft comes out the top.

My 3 bolt box had the sector shaft replaced about 11 years ago and the arc is slightly different. I can adjust for no play in the straight ahead position, but at full lock I've got considerable backlash.
The replacement shaft had the usual corrosion around the lower seal area, but simply grinding this back to clean on a lathe (maybe 0.3mm undersize) worked fine and it's still in use.

The 4 bolt in my 93 I haven't been into. I note Rave says the bearings in the 4 bolt box aren't servicable.

AFAIR the 4 bolt changed fromn bush to bearing in mid 1991.
There was a VIN list that was issued.
My 92 model RRC is supposed to be the VINs after the change.

I have now replaced the box with a brand new ADWEST one for about $500 landed complete with Pitman arm and end. So I haven't opened up the 4 bolt. However it last almost 220Kks before leaking which is MUCH longer than any bushed one I have seen has.

Having rebuilt a 3 bolt from an 81 RRC and sized the bottom bush with 6 hours and a brake hone, I reckon just buy a new one!!!!LOL

Regards Philip A