steering gearbox oil

Klattu1929

Klattu1929

Senior Member
I am currently rebuilding a 2-tooth steering column/gearbox. The 7-tooth in my car currently I used Penrite semi fluid gearbox lube. For this 2-tooth I am looking at trying the Millers Oils vintage worm steering box oil, sold on Amazon. Has anyone used this or is it not a good product for the 2-tooth gearbox. Planning to do the swap next winter so thought I would get a jump on the Barn opinions. Thanx.
 
If you are sealing it up well, use the 600W oil you use in the transmission. Use the end plate with tube. The o-ring and flat washer at the end of the sector shaft when you bolt it to the frame helps.
 
I mix a 50-50 solution of 600w and STP oil treatment in a cup and then carefully (and slowly) pour this syrup into the gear box. It's thick enough to help reduce the leakage of 600w by itself and the STP clings to the gear surfaces to keep them lubed.
Marshall
 
Joe K said:
My solution is John Deere Cornhead Lube. https://shop.deere.com/us/product/AN102562%3A-Corn-Head-Grease%2C-397-gram-(14-Oz)-Cartridge/p/AN102562

Yup. A grease. But probably the most "transitional" grease I've seen.

Joe K
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That has also become my go to. I used to use the same Penrite lubrication that the OP mentioned but when I found out about corn head grease, I switched and have never regretted it. I put it into the steering box by using a syringe without the needle.
 
I am a proponent of modern 85W-140 gear oil because of the additives that reduce wear. The box must be sealed well and the end plate with the tube must be used.
 
like above.
cornhead grease. buy it from the John deere dealer it is cheap. pump that in there but make sure all the other oil is out.

thixotropic. turns to liquid state from friction then back to grease when not in friction.
 
Careful cleaning is needed for cornhead grease.

"Polyurea grease compatibility is highly unpredictable because polyurea thickener chemistries vary widely. While some polyurea greases mix perfectly fine with lithium or calcium greases, many are completely incompatible. Mixing incompatible greases causes the thickener to collapse, resulting in severe oil bleed, hardening, or liquefying, which often leads to bearing failure."
https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/1865/grease-compatibility
 
You guys have given allot to think over, I did use cornhead in my u-joint. And I think the tube on the end plate is an excellent idea. I need to do more research on cornhead for the steering box application. I will go by the local Deere dealer and quiz the mechanic. Got a box of 2-tooth parts coming today. Got 6+ months to get the old brain box to make a decision, thanx, guys.
 
I don't think the deere dealer will know too much about a Model A 2 tooth steering box.

I would just use the cornhead.
 
I use Penrite Steering Box Lubricant. Since it doesn't leak out I probably have enough for the next 25 years.
 
old31 said:
I don't think the deere dealer will know too much about a Model A 2 tooth steering box.

I would just use the cornhead.
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they may not know what a model A steering box is but they will definitely know what Corn Head Grease is. they had a whole rack of it when i bought mine. i think it was under $10.00cdn per tube.
 

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Does corn head grease get warm enough to actually flow through a steering box that isn’t generating very much heat through friction? My 7-tooth box’s lower bearing fell apart and the pieces aggressively galled the shaft because the previous owner tried to use that stuff instead of gear oil. I’d vote for proper sealing, running gear oil, and using the lower plug with the extended tube.
 
Jim16A1 said:
Does corn head grease get warm enough to actually flow through a steering box that isn’t generating very much heat through friction? My 7-tooth box’s lower bearing fell apart and the pieces aggressively galled the shaft because the previous owner tried to use that stuff instead of gear oil. I’d vote for proper sealing, running gear oil, and using the lower plug with the extended tube.
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it is not heat that makes it change form. it is friction.
 
They will know what it is,but they will know nothing about it.I worked for a JD dealer for almost 5 years,we knew what it was for,and where to use it,but that was the extent of it.Nobody trained us on the different properties of greases.We had no reason to.We did use it in the steering boxes of the 2 cylinder tractors,just seemed to be a practical use for it.We also used track and roller grease in those old steering gear boxes too.
 
I find that no matter how you try to seal the sector gear housing from leaking oil, it fails. Over the years I have found that first adding grease to seal the sector housing, then adding 75W145 GL4 gear oil, leakage is minimized. I drive my Model A a few thousand miles per year, and my technique works.
Model "A" service bulletins have numerous warnings about not using grease in the steering gear box because it did not have enough squeeze-out resistance to keep the gears coated. I suspect this warning was due to the animal fat greases of the time (pre WW2). Greases made primarily of animal fat turned rancid and lost their lubricating property. Modern chassis greases have superior squeeze-out resistance, and I find that they are suitable for use in the steering gear box.
The original designs of the gear box housing and the sector housing had grease fittings in them. However, these fitting were eliminated in 1928. I am adding the grease fitting back into the sector housing, so I can pump grease in-between the sector gear bushings. To do this, I am reversing the attached service bulletin.
 

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old ugly said:
it is not heat that makes it change form. it is friction.
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It is not friction that makes it change form. It is shear stress.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(lubricant)

Push on it and its viscosity thins. Stop pushing on it and it thickens again.

The base oil will separate from the grease over time and with heat, but that is not the mechanism of thinning when in use.

Grease is very interesting. I know guys that have spent their entire professional careers specializing in its formulation, properties, and application.
 
A little external lubrication keeps the rust at bay ! Black steam cylinder oil (600w ) works well for me in the steering box, transmission, and rearend .

I tried the corn head grease and ended up with a tight steering , dry sector bushings , never again will I use corn head grease in the steering box !
 
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There used to be a video of a gearbox cut away for a viewing window so folks could see how it flows with movement of the gears. I believe it was put out by John Deere. The corn header used by JD has a gearbox with no less than four shafts to turn all the pick up and cutter works in there.
 
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