STEERING GEAR
Disassembly
1) Place steering gear in a holding fixture. Worm shaft
should be centered in steering gear. Remove sector shaft cover bolts.
Remove sector shaft and cover from housing.
2) Remove sector shaft adjusting screw lock nut. Rotate
adjusting screw clockwise to remove cover from shaft. DO NOT lose shim
located on adjusting screw.
3) Loosen worm bearing adjuster lock nut. Remove worm bearing
adjuster and worm shaft lower bearing. Remove worm shaft and ball nut
assembly from housing. Remove upper bearing.
CAUTION: DO NOT allow ball nut to rotate down worm shaft as ball
guides may be damaged.
4) If ball nut fails to rotate smoothly on worm shaft,
disassembly is required. Remove ball guide clamp and guides. Rotate
worm shaft in both directions to remove balls. Note and record number
of balls in each circuit area of the ball nut.
5) Note direction of ball nut on worm shaft prior to removal.
Remove ball nut from worm shaft.
CAUTION: Note and record number of balls removed from each circuit of
ball nut during disassembly. Determine location of ball nut
on worm shaft prior to removal. Ball nut must be installed
on worm shaft with shallow teeth in proper direction.
6) Use slide hammer and puller attachment to remove worm
bearing adjuster bearing cup. See Fig. 2. Using a bearing driver or
socket, remove bearing cup from housing.
7) Remove bearings from housing. Pry out all seals from
housing. Note direction of seals.
Fig. 2: Removing Worm Adjuster Bearing Cup
Cleaning & Inspection
1) Clean components with solvent and dry with compressed air.
Inspect bearings and races for signs of wear. Inspect ball nut and
replacing shims as necessary.
4) Install ball nut on worm shaft. Ensure ball nut is
installed so shallow end of teeth are to the left as viewed from
steering wheel end of worm shaft. Align grooves in worm and nut by
sighting through ball guide holes.
5) There are 2 types of ball guides used. One type contains a
hole in the middle, while the other does not. If ball guides contain
the middle hole, install ball guides in the ball nut.
6) Divide balls into 2 equal groups. Insert each group into a
ball guide, while slowly turning worm shaft away from the hole. Repeat
procedure for remaining circuit.
7) On guides with no holes, separate guide halves and fill
each one half of each circuit with balls. Install remaining guide
half. Hold guides and plug ends with grease to prevent the balls from
falling out.
8) Fill each circuit of ball nut with half of remaining balls
in one circuit, and half in other. DO NOT turn worm shaft while
installing. It may be necessary to use small punch to aid in ball
installation. Install ball guides. On both types, install ball guide
clamp.
9) To install, reverse removal procedure. Lubricate all
seals, bearings and sector shaft prior to installation. Coat worm
bearing adjuster, sector shaft adjuster screw and sector shaft cover
bolts with non-hardening sealant prior to installation.
10) Screw worm bearing adjuster down until nearly all end
play has been removed. Lubricate steering gear by rotating worm shaft
until ball nut is at end of its travel.
11) Pack as much grease as possible into steering gear
housing without losing it out sector shaft opening. Rotate ball nut to
other end of its travel and pack more grease into housing.
12) Rotate ball nut until it is in center of its travel.
Insert sector shaft assembly, containing adjusting screw and shim into
housing. Center tooth of sector gear must engage center rack tooth
space in ball nut.
13) Pack housing with grease. Apply a thin bead of sealant to
sector shaft cover on models which do not use gasket. Install cover
and gasket on housing. Engage sector adjuster screw with tapped hole
in center of sector cover by turning screw counterclockwise.
14) Turn adjusting screw until sector cover is flush with
housing. Install sector cover bolts but do not tighten unless there is
a lash between sector shaft and worm shaft.
15) Tighten sector cover bolts to specification. Adjust
steering gear preload and meshload. See ADJUSTMENTS in this article.
Fig. 4: Exploded View of Saginaw Model 525 Steering Gear (Typical)
TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS