I can move the steering wheel 3'' to the left or 3'' to the right , a total of 6'' before any movement of the pitman arm . I pulled the fill plug on the box and it is full of grease , not gear oil but grease , it has a zerk fitting made right into the cap so you could grease it , I don't know as this would hurt anything but makes me wonder , should my first adjustment be on the worm gear itself, or the 2 tooth side shaft ?
first ride
- Thread starter vernlee
- Start date
rotorwrench
Well-known member
Most adjustments on Gemmer types move the sector gear to mesh with the worm. The early 2-tooth has odd bearings that are not available any more. If this is the case, the worm and a few other parts would have to be changed to be compatible with the later tapered roller bearings.
The old Gemmer 1 steering gear has three adjustments. One is end play of the steering shaft. The others are adjustment of the sector gear to close up the mesh between it & the worm plus an adjustment to center the sector with the worm. The centering adjustment is due to the movable nature of the sector gearshaft housing in the main body of the gearbox. The pitman arm has to have the same amount of play on both sides of center in the arc of movement or it isn't properly centered. After it is properly centered then the gear mesh adjustment has to be checked and adjusted for the least amount of play but still have smooth rotational force for both directions of turning. With good parts and careful adjustments, there should be very little play during steering movement.
A freshly overhauled steering gearbox should be able to use SAE 140 gear oil. I'm not a fan of the 600 steam cylinder oil since it could be some unknown mix of different lubricants like STP & SAE 90. The original viscosity of the 600 is very close to SAE 140 gear lube and the gear lube would have better corrosion inhibitors in it. Grease just pushes out of the way and stays there with no lubricating affect. John Deere corn head grease (thixotropic) would be better than plain old grease but both would be hard to get out of there if a person wanted to change out the lubricant.
The old Gemmer 1 steering gear has three adjustments. One is end play of the steering shaft. The others are adjustment of the sector gear to close up the mesh between it & the worm plus an adjustment to center the sector with the worm. The centering adjustment is due to the movable nature of the sector gearshaft housing in the main body of the gearbox. The pitman arm has to have the same amount of play on both sides of center in the arc of movement or it isn't properly centered. After it is properly centered then the gear mesh adjustment has to be checked and adjusted for the least amount of play but still have smooth rotational force for both directions of turning. With good parts and careful adjustments, there should be very little play during steering movement.
A freshly overhauled steering gearbox should be able to use SAE 140 gear oil. I'm not a fan of the 600 steam cylinder oil since it could be some unknown mix of different lubricants like STP & SAE 90. The original viscosity of the 600 is very close to SAE 140 gear lube and the gear lube would have better corrosion inhibitors in it. Grease just pushes out of the way and stays there with no lubricating affect. John Deere corn head grease (thixotropic) would be better than plain old grease but both would be hard to get out of there if a person wanted to change out the lubricant.
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O.K. got the car jacked up , steering linkage unhooked from pitman arm ,there is no movement in the centric/sector shaft , in or out very snug , there is about an inch maybe more in the pitman arm forward and back , so I tightened the bolt that moves the worm gear , made no difference so I set it back where it was when I started , I guess now I'll try the sector adjustment ?????
Vern
Vern
ryanheacox
Well-known member
http://modelabasics.com/twoTooth.htm
Follow this procedure in order and you will end up with a nice tight steering box. It's the same procedure that is described in the Ford service bulletins but with nice illustrations.
Follow this procedure in order and you will end up with a nice tight steering box. It's the same procedure that is described in the Ford service bulletins but with nice illustrations.
Patrick L.
Well-known member
As previously mentioned, perform the adjustments correctly and in the proper order.
' so I tightened the bolt that moves the worm gear '
Thats a good way to crack the bearing race.
' so I tightened the bolt that moves the worm gear '
Thats a good way to crack the bearing race.
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Well I got it , followed the directions to a T , Also had a book "Model A Ford Restoration Handbook " by Floyd Clymer , that a friend loaned me , that made the adjustments very clear and easy , it was mostly adjusting the eccentric nut to better mesh the sector shaft to the worm gear , I have no more than a 1/4'' play in the steering wheel now , probably as tight as it's going to get . Thanks everyone for your help , I'll be back with more questions I'm sure
Vern
Vern
Chuck Sea/Tac
Well-known member
1 down ???? To go. It’s worth it tho. Nothing like a sweet running model A. Even sweeter when you’re the one keeping it running.
Big hammer
Well-known member
You want a little play ! Go for a ride and enjoy !