JOHN383

I've been told that grease replaces the 90 weight oil in the C1 steering box. I have ruined more pants with the oil running up the steering column when it gets hot adjacent to the exhaust manifold and then drips down my right leg and floor during acceleration.

Any suggestions on which type of grease is recommended that I can pump into the box, has proper lube capabilities for the needle bearings etc. and won't run when it gets hot from the engine? ie. lithium, moly-disulfide?

62Jeff

The steering box doesn't see remotely the same action, stresses, or constant use as wheel bearings, I'd have to believe a good wheel bearing grease would be perfectly fine.

JOHN383

I need a grease that I install use with a cartridge/grease gun ... no hand pack if possible.
I'll back off the 4 screws to drain the box first.

hedgehead

There was a service bulletin that addressed this. Here is a link:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...questions.html

knockbill

i replaced teh npt fill plug with an appropriate size bushing, and screwed an 1/8" npt (i believe), grease fitting in it,,, allows you to fill teh steering box with a grease gun....

Frankie the Fink

You don't have to do anything but remove the bottom bolt and put the zerk fitting in the top bolt and pump away with a grease gun until the good thick grease comes out. NO MORE THAN THAT. If you have fluid creeping up the column and whizzing in your lap its probably been overfilled. If you read the Service Bulletin an absorbent washer around the steering shaft should alleviate the problem.

When I went to the heavier grease almost NOTHING of the old stuff pushed out....the box was nearly dry and I probably just barely saved it.

I made my grease fitting from $5 worth of parts from NAPA.

Redbird

My grease fitting for the steering box.

JOHN383

I made one fitting up today... used one full plus another quarter cartridge of grease. Hope I have enough in the box. Grease cartridge stated good for extreme temperatures 300 degrees.

Steve59

Just as a side note on the lubing of the gear box. I bought a junk box/shaft off of eBay to take apart and play with to see how all of that stuff worked and to play with the adjustments (sector shaft, roller wheel etc). I literally had to pry the old grease out with a screw driver, in some places, it was hard and looked like gasket material but it was inside the box surrounding the bearings. Unfortunately, if you don't "know" your box then you should maybe do a tear down and rebuild.

JOHN383

I did rebuild the steering box completely about 5 years ago, galling was present on the worm...replaced with new kit and had been using 90 wt oil since. Each year I lost a bit of oil, some leaked past the side gasket and more went up the steering column dripping on my right leg. Hope this grease will last another decade... I've been driving this vette
over 10K miles a year... the steering box rebuild was not fun.

Frankie the Fink

Only part of my car I haven't wrenched on (literally)....I'm hoping it outlasts me!

JOHN383

I have two 60 vettes, both steering boxes had galling on the worm gear...sloppy steering
that couldn't be adjusted. Neither of these had grease installed either. I figure that all the previous owners didn't bother to refill the steering box regularly as both were dry in
my vettes.

jtranger

Hi Redbird, Can I get the male and female thread sizes on your set up so I can make one? Thanks

JOHN383

I used a flared end tube fitting (brake line/steel fuel line) which is already drilled and it tapped perfectly with a 1/8" pipe tap and then I used a 1/8" pipe thread grease fitting I had in my shop/garage. Took me about 15 minutes to make up... lucky that I had everything needed. Suggest finding the right grease fitting (or borrow off your car) first
then drill & tap the plug fitting to size.

Frankie the Fink

Just take the dang top bolt out of your steering box (you'll have to do that to lube it up anyway)...and go to napa and get a fitting with that same outside thread and an inside thread the size of a zerk fitting. A no brainer...

See second picture in post #6 above...

3310vette

i purchased a semi-rigid black plastic attachment that screwed onto the grease gun; shoved the small diameter tube down to the bottom of the box and pumped until it reached the top. I did this last summer and there has been no grease coming out of the box like the 90W previously did and no hot grease inside the cockpit.

JOHN383

That's good news... I should be all set with this fix...thanks

stratplus

I just take the top bolt off and then put my grease gun inside and pump until the grease comes out the top.

1COOL60

Corvette Central makes this nifty little fitting that goes in place of one of the steering box bolts and lets you fill with a grease gun.
http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb....~Z5Z5Z50000050
In the past you could purchase it by itself, but I don't see it listed separately any more.
160

mickatbp

I've been told in another thread that a good grease to use is CV grease as it is very sticky. general purpose grease becomes hard and eventually moves away from the bearing surfaces .......... so you have like an empty cavity in the middle of the box where all of the moving parts are. CV grease, slightly thinner and obviously suited to high loads and moving parts should do the trick.