Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I watched Mark Lambert do the adjustment of a steering box on Classic Car restoration, and I did it the same way he did and it worked just fine.

Obviously this works if you can see the front wheels from inside the car. I (and Mark) had the front sheet metal off.

Turn the steering wheel (test in both directions) and see if the front wheel start to move at the exact same time. If there is a bit of slop, as in you turn the wheel a couple of degrees before the front wheel starts moving there there needs to be an adjustment made.

Loosen the lock nut on the adjuster, and tighten the screw 1/4 turn. Restest. Keep doing this until the lag is gone. Tighten the lock nut.

Make sure after you get it how you want it that turn the wheel lock to lock to a couple times to make sure there is not any binding. Also do this with the car back on the ground.

My comment about the "grease" should have read "axle grease" or "gear lube" as used in most (but not all) stick shift transmissions and rear axles. "Axle grease" or Transmission grease" is an old school reference to "gear lube". The "bolt" in the rite side of the pic is where u can check/fill (as in pouring) the lube into the steering gear. It is not lubed by a grease gun so there is no grease fitting. Sorry for the confusion. I often forget that i am an old man compared to the rest of u.

The adjustment:
I do it with wheels on the ground. I do NOT recommend doing it with wheels in the air and certainly do NOT recommend checking to see if the adjustment is needed with wheels in the air because of tie rod drop. If the car has a SOLID ONE PIECE tie rod like a model "T" then it would be ok to do it in the air. MAYBE. I never tried it in the air.

Drive the car onto a level surface and park it with wheels streight ahead. Put the car in nuetral and rock it back and forth 2 or 3 feet to normalize it. Roll down the drivers window, close the door and STAND next to the car while reaching in and rock the steering wheel from side-to-side while watching the left front wheel. If there is alot of slop then make the adjustment as i indicated above. There is NO reason to have the fenders removed. You can see the front wheel AND move the steering wheel if u STAND OUTSIDE AND NEXT to the car.

Keegan. What symptoms are u trying to correct???? Is there something about the steering U don't like or what???

I knew you "old timers" would come through for me with the shade tree fix. At 30, I don't have the years under my belt yet wrenching on these classics. I started wrenching on 80's "muscle" cars (irocs, monte SS...), and only in the last few years have I wondered into the 50's era.

PackardV8- the problem is slop in the steering wheel. Delayed movement between the steering wheel and the front tires.

I'll put the adjusting screw back to where it was and do it again with the car on the ground as it's been suggested.

Should I try to remove the current fluid before adding more? Or just top it off with fresh stuff. I think I've got some 80w-90 gear lube on the shelf out there.

Quote:

Whoo hoo!!! I'm no longer the youngest one here!! Ya got me beat by 2 years!!

Got me beat by 5 years.....

Keegan wrote: "the problem is slop in the steering wheel. Delayed movement between the steering wheel and the front tires."

If the slop is only while the wheels are in the air then that is to be expected due to tie-rod drop.

If you have power steering there will be some slop that is taken up when the engine is running and hydraulic pressure takes up some, but not all, of the slack. You will notice this more on Bendix than Monroe.

Do not have to remove steering gear f;uid. Just top it off.

CONTRARY to popular belief the same holds true for axle and transmission dope. Just top them off. I don't care if the car has 500K miles on it. Just top them off unless u have reason to believe they have become contaminated by setting in a stream or something. I have an 88 Ranger i've owned for 19 years and 170K miles. Ditto for 73 chevy, 89 Caprice among others over the years. NEVER changed trans, axle grease nor engine COOLANT. When disassembly is needed i dump it right back in and top it off.

No Draining???

What will I spill on myself now?