goodwood67

Has anyone used C V BOOT GREASE
For lubing a steering gear box?

GTR1999

Any quality wheel bearing grease will work. I use Mobil 1 but Lucas among others makes a good grease for the box. The thing is to not overfill it and attempt adjustment until you're familar with the procedure.

goodwood67

Thanks GTR1999 , I'll try the Mobile1.
Not going to adjust it ,just want to make
sure it has enough lubrication.

Hitch

If it has not been rebuilt it probably will not have enough lubrication. Grease is mostly fillers and if your steering box has not been rebuilt then it's full of filler. You will be better served by sending it out to be rebuilt and then you will have a box that is full of new grease instead of just a little bit of new grease on top..


Dave

goodwood67

Hi Dave,
The box has not been rebuilt.
It works fine.
Just checked it and it seems to
need some lube added.
Thanks

Hitch

I'm sure that 40 year old grease is not fine.... But hey just add some lube and you will be good to go..

6850mike

I was going to add some grease to mine and a buddy was telling me he has seen a tool out there that screws into the bolt hole so you can fill it. Has anyone come accross this or do you have suggestions on how to get the grease in with out getting it all over?

Frankie the Fink

You can buy the kit:

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb....Z5Z5Z50000050x

or fabricate your own fitting in 5 minutes with some NAPA parts like I did.

Black_Magic

Build you own Get bolt, drill thru center, tap & add zerk fitting

George

dazvet

I have, with good results. CV grease is non channeling so it works great in a gear box and will not easily leak.

Mike Geary

I just fab'd one of these up, and used up almost a whole grease cartridge filling my two midyear steering boxes. Those babies were dry.

Amazing the helpful info in the service manual, if you just LOOK. Tells you which is the fill hole and when to stop pumping.

Successful day in the shop.

Black_Magic

According to shop manual " remove the forward and the outboard cover attaching screws and inject the lubricant in one hole until it oozes out the other"

In other words === here's a picture



George

Hitch

So I guess I'm confused if you have the remnants of the old grease in that 40 year old box and you pump in new grease... Where does all the old filler go.. For some reason I thought grease was made up of mostly filler. So if you pump in some grease it goes in one hole and then comes out another have you really greased the sector shaft and gear?

Black_Magic

Got me -- Both the owners manual and the shop manual state the same procedure.




George

Frankie the Fink

This is probably fine for a box that already is mostly full of the RIGHT lube as you are just topping it off. However, it seems to me that if you want to flush out the old thin oil and replace it with a good, heavier grease then you need to flush the old stuff out a lower side cover bolt hole.

Plasticman

Lets be specific here: The above directions are for a C2/C3 box (er make that a mid year/shark box, no that's not right, make it for the 63 through 82 box).

C1 (solid axle or 53 through 62) boxes have a different procedure and are actually easier to drain and fill. They have a lower side bolt that can be removed and allow the old contaminated grease or lube to drain / be pushed out via the new grease being pumped in from the top fill hole (same type of Zerk grease fitting as above, mated to a pipe plug). Just don't keep pumping past a full cartridge, since a C1 box does not have an upper seal).

Now Tom, do you see where using the C1 "name" is easier to use?

Plasticman

GTR1999

Just a couple of comments. Those zerk screws will work the problem is you don't know the amount you're adding. Going by the other hole is deceptive. Overfilling it will blow out a seal for sure once the box heats up,remember they are not vented. As mentioned if it has any lube left it may be dried out and hard packed the new grease is not going to help much. Also look at the picture and the position of the cover lash screw. If yours is that low in the cover your gears are probably worn out.

Mike Geary

GTR: you've worried me a bit with that. What do you recommend now that I've filled the box to where grease squirted out the "check" hole?
Should I replace one of the cover bolts with a "vented" one (hole drilled in it)?? MAG

GTR1999

Sorry didn't mean to get you nervous.Worse case the seal pops on the input or lower end.
If you look at my box pictures on my rebuilding thread you'll see the inside of the box. Many times the grease may show full when it's not or yes it can be pump up so much there is no room for expansion when it gets hot. Do not install a vent or it will leak out for sure. I leave room for expansion but I fill the box with the cover off and then final set the lash. That's the one thing you have to be careful when removing the cover, getting the lash set correctly on center.

Now in your case you have 2 C2's. They may have been once filled with gear oil and now 40 years later are dry,not uncommon. Look at the lash screw, then get the front of the car jacked up and center the wheels. The steering wheel spoke should be at 6 o'clock, the wheels striaght, and have no lost motion when you turn the strg wheel. Have someone slowly turn it while you check the play. See if there is any up/down play on center as well. ONce it's off center, as in a turn it will loosen up- normal. If it's ok and you have it greased then drive it and see what you get. It's not uncommon for rebuilt boxes to weep a little bit after filling correctly with new grease so you may experience the same thing. It may weep from the adj nut threads, the lash threads, or the seals. Weeping should stop after the grease settles, if you see grease coming out then a seal is popped.

If you have questions you can contact me.
Good luck.