| Author | Message | ||
     Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1288 Registered: 02-2002 |
OK, received a donor steering box (it only has 100,000 miles fewer than the existing one) and may put it on this evening. I need input from those who've done it already. How hard was it to remove the drop arm? What did you use to remove it, the two hammer method, or a two-jaw puller? The box I got came from an early Rangie and has the captive balljoint in the arm so I'll need to pull the one from my Disco and put it on the newer box. What about the steering column? How difficult was it to separate the splined joint from the universal where it mates to the box? Everything else seems straightforward. I expect the bolts to come out easily as they have certainly been lubricated well enough with the gallons of ATF I've poured into the steering system. Oh yeah, how long from start to finish for the job? Peace, Paul | ||
| Rob Davison (Nosivad_bor) Senior Member Username: Nosivad_bor Post Number: 233 Registered: 02-2003 |
paul.... i had to do the job twice because my replacement box went bad. 1st time 14 hours !!! everything was rusted and seized. 2nd time 4 hours  CAUTION when removing the steering spline from the box do not tap on the box too hard with a hammer or you can oval the holes where the PS lines go in. i used a gear puller thing to get the drop arm off, i cannot imagine going it any other way. rob | ||
| Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1290 Registered: 02-2002 |
Rob: Thanx for the input, I'll give it a try this evening. Steering spline? The link going to the steering wheel, or the drop arm? I assume the steering wheel linkage. I would think one would be driving the universal away from the box in removal, not tapping on the gear box itself. Using the two arm puller, how difficult was this? Was it just an issue of putting some tension on the drop arm and it dropped away, or was it an ordeal? I might have to do this at the shop as I have compressed air and an impact for seized bolts. Peace, Paul | ||
| Rob Davison (Nosivad_bor) Senior Member Username: Nosivad_bor Post Number: 234 Registered: 02-2003 |
paul, my box had to be tapped on to get it to slide off the little splines that the steering wheel linkage is connected to, to get the new box on i also had to tap (beat the hell out of) to get it back on. i even pryed open the spline collar abit, didnt help much. the drop arm splines were effortless. i just cranked the impact gun on it and let the gear puller do it's thing. i kept the nut on the end of the drop arm so that when the arm did pop off it didnt fly and break my arm or something weird like that. it took an impressive ammount of pressure to get that arm off, if doing it by hand i would think you'd need a breaker bar on it. rd | ||
| Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1300 Registered: 02-2002 |
Effortless? I busted my puller trying to get that damned thing off! Hit it with the impact and it just sort of collapsed into a pile of bent and twisted steel... | ||
| Rob Davison (Nosivad_bor) Senior Member Username: Nosivad_bor Post Number: 235 Registered: 02-2003 |
hehe... did mine twice, no issues. paid $50 for the puller though. i hope your''s was guaranteed. | ||
| Howard Mandel (Howies96) New Member Username: Howies96 Post Number: 5 Registered: 03-2003 |
Guys how much is a steering box? I need one for my 96 disco. | ||
| Rob Davison (Nosivad_bor) Senior Member Username: Nosivad_bor Post Number: 237 Registered: 02-2003 |
only one place to go. http://www.meridianautoparts.com/ return shipping included in the price (for your old box) about $300 rd | ||
| Howard Mandel (Howies96) New Member Username: Howies96 Post Number: 7 Registered: 03-2003 |
Awesome Thanks Rob! | ||
| Joe Still (Joedisco) Member Username: Joedisco Post Number: 69 Registered: 09-2002 |
The big trick is keeping your steering wheel alinement during this process. I found a trick to "reclock the wheel" if you need advice. Given the amount of work you do I doubt 4-6 hrs won't do it for you. Similar to other posters I took 8 hrs the first time and 2 hrs the second(right on the heels of the first time!). I installed a used box that I found had a cross thread in the fittings (after it was installed of course)! Man was I p-----. Finding a metric bottom tap to clean it up was no easy feat either. | ||
| Rob Davison (Nosivad_bor) Senior Member Username: Nosivad_bor Post Number: 238 Registered: 02-2003 |
yeah, good point joe. if you take the keys out and rock the steering wheel it will lock itself and you should be safe, thats what i did. rd | ||
| Joe Still (Joedisco) Member Username: Joedisco Post Number: 70 Registered: 09-2002 |
Rob, I agree! I locked my column and taped across the wheel to verify it hadn't moved. The steering arm is keyed to the output shaft so that alines itself. I left the front wheels straight and did not lift so they steering wheel and front wheels never changed. In reattaching the lower coupling to the box input shaft you can get a little variation. Can be straightened by alinement but you run the risk and having more turning to one side than the other. | ||
| Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1312 Registered: 02-2002 |
Given how badly I bent my cross tube Saturday... |
