Grease in 2-tooth

G

Gold Digger

Well-known member
Bought another 31 AA truck the other day and found some grease in steering sector. It seems to be OK right now and wondering how I could clean out grease with out pulling steering sector and disassembling to clean out grease. Wondering if there was an easier fix.
 
You could certainly do that. Use some brake kleen or similar and spray as much of that out of there as possible. Then, fill with proper lube and drive it for a while. Flush after a few months of use and repeat. No biggie.
 
You can do as Paul suggested above, but if you have any other issues with the box then it is better to disassemble it for a complete cleaning, inspection, and repair as necessary. After re assembly, adjust the box before you re install it in the truck. The "Red Book" has some good instructions.

In any case, replace the plate at the bottom with one that has a tube, see https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/product.htm?pid=977901&cat=41748 The tube extends beyond the level of the oil in the box so that the oil does not leak out at the light switch. If the box has a grease fitting where you fill it, replace it with a pipe plug. The grease fitting was used by the Ford dealerships to pump in oil to the box.
 
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Just fill with the same oil you use in transmission and rear axle, they will need to be at least topped up before driving, then you can evaluate for problems, there was usually a reason they were parked.
 
Ditto Kurt's reply. Just add oil such as SAE 145 or higher viscosity Synthetic Gear Oil. The grease will significantly slow down oil leakage past the sector bushings. I have been doing this since 1962 without consequences.
Grease before WW2 was horrible stuff because the large amount of animal fat in it turned rancid. It also had relatively poor lubricating qualities. So this is why grease in the steering was a no no back then. However, modern greases, especially the synthetics and synesthetic blends have far superior lubricating qualities.

 
Some folks use John Deere corn header gearbox grease for it's thixotropic nature. It is fluidic when parts move in it but more of a jell state when parts are at rest. It is a brownish color so that is a way to identify it. If the box has a straw, beige, red, green, or blue color then it is likely something else. It helps with leak prone boxes so they don't seep near as much.

If there is room to put some SAE 140 gear lube in there then is will sort of imitate a thixotropic lubricant after a time. Just don't overfill it.

Ford used a mixture of soda soap and gear oil for the U-joint back in the day. That was their thixotropic lube attempt. Soda soap is what sodium based grease uses for a thickener (sodium stearate) but it is partially mineral since tallow fat was used and still is for some sodium based greases.
 
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I thank I'll just keep it topped off with 600w every time I service the truck and hope for the best until I have to do some sort of work on the sector that calls for disassembly. Then I'll clean it up internally.
 
The steering boxes I have found with grease in them were hard to turn. Cleaning out the grease and replacing it with 85W-140 solved the hard turning. The theory is that the grease just gets pushed out of the contacts between the gears in the box, leaving them dry. A modern oil like 85W-140 gear oil has additives that will extend the life of the parts and that make the steering easier.

In the same vane, modern grease is a lot better than what was used in the past. When buying grease I look for the grease that is the greasiest.
 
JayJay said:
How, pray tell, does one quantify greasiness?
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NLGI grades are used to express the level of consistency a grease has. NLGI grade 000 grease is very fluid, NLGI grade 0 grease is described as very soft, NLGI 1 grease is soft, NLGI 2 grease is considered normal, NLGI 3 grease is firm, while NLGI 6 grease is defined as very hard.

John Deere Cornhead is rated NLGI "0" I think.
 
Randy in ca said:
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NLGI grades are used to express the level of consistency a grease has. NLGI grade 000 grease is very fluid, NLGI grade 0 grease is described as very soft, NLGI 1 grease is soft, NLGI 2 grease is considered normal, NLGI 3 grease is firm, while NLGI 6 grease is defined as very hard.

John Deere Cornhead is rated NLGI "0" I think.
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Thanks, Randy. I've never run across this before, mainly because I don't recall ever seeing a requirement for a specific NLGI grade. "Waterproof wheel bearing grease" is about as specific as I can recall seeing.

Rarely a day goes by that I don't learn something here...
 
I had good luck with Corn head grease( the green stuff) from Tractor Supply Co. Used in the steering box and the universal joint.
Clem
 
Jay Jay, You will know it is greasy by getting it on your fingers. As old Mr. Kracston used to say: "Take it easy, go greasy." But I think he was referring to food.
 
This works well for me
 

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After a failed experiment with cornhead 00 grease in my 2 tooth steering gear box, I disassembled the box and cleaned it up. Replace with a mix of 600w suppliers and steam clylinder oil ( that black sticky stinky oil ) and now have almost like power steering! Why I mixed the suppliers 600w and steam clylinder oil was the rearend was a little noisy with 85-140 gear oil, the mix quieted down the rearend ! My experience your results my very
 
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