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Build it yourself.. One reason we did this video was due to the quality of the aftermarket rebuilt valves...
And.. I must say we had a bad one we rebuilt last month... When we got it back from the customer it appeared as if we cut the seal on the final assembly. So take your time, clean everything and save money... You can spend it on something else.
The rebuilt valves have been a crap shoot for years now. The new ones have been the way to go although some have told me they had some issue with those in the recent past as well.
For my 72 I rebuilt it about 12 years ago and I see it is weeping a little but it might be the hose connection. When I laid out the new hoses over the old originals I found the radius wasn't as large and the new hoses were slightly shorter over all. I got them installed and they worked but the point is to check them against what worked- if you still have them or are changing them out for the first time.
For my 69 I will be staying with the manual setup, really works nice and wasn't too bad in parking lot spaces, even with old 60 series tires and worn out bearings!
I saw your gears and thought... .Oh man an old post again...
Thanks to all for the input. After cleaning the PS control and adjacent areas there's more fluid dripping from it. Haven't decided yet to rebuild or replace it.
Closer inspection of the engine compartment also shows what looks to be a leak from the steering box. The entire box is covered with a dirty greasy film, as is the frame rail beneath it all the way back to the drivers side door. Looks like I'll be taking that apart too for replacement of the seals at least.
Thanks to all for the input. After cleaning the PS control and adjacent areas there's more fluid dripping from it. Haven't decided yet to rebuild or replace it.
Closer inspection of the engine compartment also shows what looks to be a leak from the steering box. The entire box is covered with a dirty greasy film, as is the frame rail beneath it all the way back to the drivers side door. Looks like I'll be taking that apart too for replacement of the seals at least.
It is common for people to put oil in the gear boxes and/or the grease has had condensation form on top and leaking out. If you put oil in the box it will leak out the side every time.
I make a bolt for putting grease back in the gear box... and that may solve your gear box leak issue.
It is common for people to put oil in the gear boxes and/or the grease has had condensation form on top and leaking out. If you put oil in the box it will leak out the side every time.
I make a bolt for putting grease back in the gear box... and that may solve your gear box leak issue.
Thanks for that but I've owned the car for 24 years and have only put grease in - no oil, a couple of times. I most likely brought this on myself by overfilling it the last time I put some in, this past spring. I just put it in one cover bolt hole until I could see it in the other. Too much I'm sure, no room for expansion. I'll take it apart, clean it up, replace the seals, and put the right amount of grease in. I think I read that amount is 11 ozs for an empty box.
If there's been condensation in there, I'll probably be in for bigger issues. Could be some corrosion I'd bet. Maybe a rebuild, not just seals.
The rebuilt valves have been a crap shoot for years now. The new ones have been the way to go although some have told me they had some issue with those in the recent past as well.
For my 72 I rebuilt it about 12 years ago and I see it is weeping a little but it might be the hose connection. When I laid out the new hoses over the old originals I found the radius wasn't as large and the new hoses were slightly shorter over all. I got them installed and they worked but the point is to check them against what worked- if you still have them or are changing them out for the first time.
For my 69 I will be staying with the manual setup, really works nice and wasn't too bad in parking lot spaces, even with old 60 series tires and worn out bearings!
Gary,
Good to see you back.
Now if I can just get Lars back on a consistent basis as well.
Jim Shea
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I’ve recently been through this process! The PSCV on our ’78 has had the occasional drip every couple of weeks for about 10 years. The thought of changing/rebuilding was a bit daunting for such a tiny leak. But, after a 1600 mile trip to the south of France it got worse, so I bit the bullet.
I’d bought a repair kit from Corvette Central some years ago, so put that in, using the video on the Wilcox site along with a very detailed “how to” guide in pdf form. The job actually all went much better than I’d thought and so far, it’s nice and leak free, some 1000miles later.
I had cleaned everything down fully to ensure that it was the valve leaking, not a hose or the cylinder. It took a few days and some short runs in the car to be sure.
As an aside, I also changed the cylinder seals. I found no useful on-line info on that job! Thankfully, it was actually a doddle, with a lot less parts inside than indicated in any of the guides I read. The only difficult part was removing the “snap ring”, which had ludicrously small holes for the snap-ring pliers! I had to use a pick and was not amused!
Last edited by Stephen Irons; Nov 2, 2017 at 08:01 AM.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Originally Posted by revitup
................also shows what looks to be a leak from the steering box. The entire box is covered with a dirty greasy film, as is the frame rail beneath it all the way back to the drivers side door. Looks like I'll be taking that apart too for replacement of the seals at least.
I also had this issue. A discussion with a friend here led us to believe it may have been engine/exhaust heat causing the old grease to separate and the fluid part to leak out. I re=greased the box (using a bolt similar to Wilcox’s) and made a heat shield for the box, in alloy with some heat reflecting coating. We’ll see how it goes in a year or so!
I’ve recently been through this process! The PSCV on our ’78 has had the occasional drip every couple of weeks for about 10 years. The thought of changing/rebuilding was a bit daunting for such a tiny leak. But, after a 1600 mile trip to the south of France it got worse, so I bit the bullet.
I’d bought a repair kit from Corvette Central some years ago, so put that in, using the video on the Wilcox site along with a very detailed “how to” guide in pdf form. The job actually all went much better than I’d thought and so far, it’s nice and leak free, some 1000miles later.
I had cleaned everything down fully to ensure that it was the valve leaking, not a hose or the cylinder. It took a few days and some short runs in the car to be sure.
As an aside, I also changed the cylinder seals. I found no useful on-line info on that job! Thankfully, it was actually a doddle, with a lot less parts inside than indicated in any of the guides I read. The only difficult part was removing the “snap ring”, which had ludicrously small holes for the snap-ring pliers! I had to use a pick and was not amused!
I think I will first see if I can get a replacement PSCV from a local parts store, new or rebuilt, with a lifetime warranty. If I can't I'll take the plunge and attempt the rebuild.
I think I will first see if I can get a replacement PSCV from a local parts store, new or rebuilt, with a lifetime warranty. If I can't I'll take the plunge and attempt the rebuild.
I'd still rebuild it... I always tell my guys.. how many lifetime warranty valves do you want to replace before you get good one. Hopefully you do get a good one, but rebuilding your original unit always seems to be the best answer. I've not had much luck with over the counter rebuilt valves.