steering box out of adjustment?

1936coupe

1936coupe

Senior Member
tried to adjust 37 box,jacked wheels off floor, removed lock nut and star washer, could not see what star washer does? the screw only had a couple of threads showing and seemed not to want to move any more,did not use any force, should it turn easily or was it at end of adjustment? thanks vic.
 
Alwas had plenty of adjustment bolt, it doesn't sound right. I would screw it back out, pulling the worm gears apart, then push/pull on steering wheel to see how end play in the shaft worm is, should be none.
 
try screwing the adjustment out. The star washer has a tang on the ID and fits over the bump out on the cover. It holds the adjustment screw in position while the cap is put on or removed. If you are unable to move the adjustment screw there may be a problem with the threads on the cover or the adjustment screw. the screw may be bound up by some dry oil inside the box. put some lube on the threads.
 
Terry said:
try screwing the adjustment out. The star washer has a tang on the ID and fits over the bump out on the cover. It holds the adjustment screw in position while the cap is put on or removed. If you are unable to move the adjustment screw there may be a problem with the threads on the cover or the adjustment screw. the screw may be bound up by some dry oil inside the box. put some lube on the threads.
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the adjustment screw would unscrew but not screw in, is that end of adjustment? thanks.
 
Barry WNY said:
Alwas had plenty of adjustment bolt, it doesn't sound right. I would screw it back out, pulling the worm gears apart, then push/pull on steering wheel to see how end play in the shaft worm is, should be none.
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The adjustment screw does not have any relation to the end play of the worm. The end play is adjusted by the gasket pack under the shaft cap. The adjustment screw controls the mesh of the sector shaft with the worm.
 
You are at the end of your adjustment for the worm. Time for a new worm or sector. And yes it is not for the end play. That is adjusted by the number of gaskets.
 
ok thanks for replys the steering play is about 3/4" at moment,steers ok, see how it goes before rebuild.
 
Jerry Does this endplay of the worm cause some movement of the steering wheel before it "catches"or starts moving the wheels? If so, I have some of this in my 36. Do I just remove a gasket from under the shaft cap? Terry
 
Jerry 3/4 is not to bad if the car drives good and you are happy with it I would leave it. You can also get someone to sit behind the wheel and have them turn the steering wheel back and forth while you look at the tie rod ends under the car to make sure that you do not have another problem. Good luck, Chris
 
jerry grayson said:
The adjustment screw does not have any relation to the end play of the worm. The end play is adjusted by the gasket pack under the shaft cap. The adjustment screw controls the mesh of the sector shaft with the worm.
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Exactly, but to check the status of the cone bearings I would first draw the pitman all the way back to insure it did not contact the worm on the shaft that I would be checking for endplay. I would think if adjusted all the way down, then the middle of the worm would be so worn it would bind near the ends. Also, I would also assume the pitman worm is worn as bad. If doing an overhaul, the hardest part for me was taking apart the ignition/lock assembly.
 
terry said:
Jerry Does this endplay of the worm cause some movement of the steering wheel before it "catches"or starts moving the wheels? If so, I have some of this in my 36. Do I just remove a gasket from under the shaft cap? Terry
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If I understand your question, the answer is no. While sitting in the drivers seat, grasp the steering wheel and pull up and push down on it. if you have movement then you need to remove some of the shim pack. Your problem sounds like the sector shaft is not adjusted to the worm correctly. 36 steering gears are difficult to get right.
 
If the adjustment screw is way down the box is worn,if there is up and down movment in the bearings and the box is old the shaft brgs. are bad.
 
It sounds like your worm and sector could be extremely worn if the adjustment scew is that far in. It may also be possible that the body of the sector gear is bottomed against the inside of the gear housing, just above the bore for the sector bushings, not allowing it to be adjusted down towards the worm any farther. Again, the worm and/or sector would really have to be worn out for that to happen.

The steering gear will turn farther than what is limited by the spindle stops on the kingpin lock bolts without binding when everything in the box is in good condition and adjusted properly. When the limit of the steering box is reached in either direction there should be a positive STOP when it gets there. In your case, If you disconnected the drag link at the pitman arm and turn the box in either direction beyond what is allowed by the spindle stops, I would expect there to be a bind towards the end indicating that the worm is worn in the middle but not at the very ends where it's never been used before. Might be worth a try to see if you can tell if the gears are worn out.

Luckilly new worm and sectors are available for '37 and later and are of good quality and, in my experience, set up well during adjustment. These boxes are increadibly simple to work on too compared to the '36 and older. It's no doubt one of the many reasons people with '35 and '36 "upgrade" to them all the time.
 
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