slapjack9

Hello All, I am rebuilding my power steering cylinder and the instructions are not very clear. They say to just simply pull the rod out of the cylinder, but mine won't budge. I have the snap ring off, lines disconnected, and fluid drained. What am I missing here? Just not enough force? Could use some help!

'75

The rod doesn't come out all the way. You can only replace the rod seal.

slapjack9

That is not what the instructions say, I'll take your word over theirs. How do I go about getting the seal out?

'75

7T1vette

Basically, you PRY it out. But, you do it carefully, so that you don't scratch/gouge the piston rod or the bore where the seal-pack is installed.

Also VERY IMPORTANT is keeping track of the ORDER of removal of those seal parts. The new pieces need to be installed in the same order. And usually, the "instructions" that come in those seal kits are quite lacking in detail.

Clean the cylinder well FIRST. That way, dirt/gunk won't fall into the cylinder/seal area. If you paint it, use semi-gloss black paint. With heat in that area, engine enamel would be good.

stock76

I tried rebuilding mine. Still leaked

I bought a brand new one. Made in China. Something was wrong with it internally, you could hear something rattling around inside it. Steering would be hard to turn and then "catch" and over steer.

Bought an OEM rebuilt from VBP. Fixed the problem. To properly rebuild one of these power steering Rams, the tube has to be cut around the original weld and the internal seals, inner sleeve and chrome rod replaced and then welded back together. Then the outer seal kit (the one you bought) installed.

If your internals are still good you will be able to get away with just installing the "rebuild" kit you have. I hope it works for you.

If not, make sure the replacement you buy has been rebuilt properly.

7T1vette

If the power steering system was functional before removing the parts, the cylinder should be OK to rebuild with just the new seal pack. The exception would be if the piston rod showed signs of significant wear or damage.

The cylinder is the last item in that system to wear out/fail. If it works, it's probably OK to rebuild. There are exceptions, of course.