Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Topic: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box (Read 1438 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #25 – June 26, 2019, 11:38:39 pm

Great job trouble shooting the ride height problem! That TinkerToy linkage has caused many a member some perplexing situations.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #26 – June 26, 2019, 11:48:28 pm

It seems that the ride-height linkage for the front is no where near the Shepard box,, so what was a tech doing in that area. Just sayin....

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #27 – June 26, 2019, 11:54:53 pm

Do some steering gears have automatic stops in place of manual set stops?

Are the steering gears interchangeable so we can remove a manual adjustment model for an automatic?

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #28 – June 26, 2019, 11:59:30 pm

My box IS leaking.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #29 – June 27, 2019, 12:04:41 am

I have no idea Bob, but they were beating and framming and pushing and pulling. Plus a few choice words. The pitman arm was hard to get pulled from the splined hub. They used a proper puller and impact wrench and a dead blow hammer tho'. I just know it happened while at the shop cause it was all the way down and bags were soft.
I checked ride height after I flipped the rods and all was good front and back.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #30 – June 27, 2019, 12:07:25 am

Apparently so, I heard them discussing the fact that ours was manual and not automatic. Joe used a small flat blade screwdriver to make the adjustments.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #31 – June 27, 2019, 12:09:08 am

Ok Bob.....
might consider a Redhead rebuild before your next long trip. 😎

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #32 – June 27, 2019, 01:08:08 am

Thanks. Talked to straightline engineerings here in so cal. Talked to the guy who would do the rebuild.. 4 hour turnaround with notice. $525 plus tax. I have a super duty 4x4 to transport the box.

Arranged the shop to do the work. Trying to find the compact Pittman arm puller mentioned here a while ago.

This is before I knew it had a leak.

Also have a new geared starter to put on.

Fixed my audit system. Found an electrical fault. Love the chase.

Added a BMS and a me arc panel

Never done.

BUT the drive down the road makes it worth it.

My comment to both owners and prospective owners as a Foretravel manager:

"You pay for every one of your pleasures."

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #33 – June 27, 2019, 01:16:18 am

Barry, I believe FOT started using the auto adjust boxes in 2003. Heard they were interchangeable with the manual adjusting ones.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #34 – June 27, 2019, 03:03:25 am

I believe both cores I returned to Redhead had manual cut angle adjustments, not automatic.
I replaced my steering box proactively so as to do it as efficiently as possible. "On the journey" repairs are inconvenient, spoil the trip, waste time and can jack up the repair cost.
If you have a 1995-2003 coach, at a minimum consider having a M100 seal kit on board.
Or schedule a replacement on your time schedule at a shop of your choosing.
I just drove 2,300 miles in last 5 days with my recently (MOT) rebuilt steering. So relaxing with everything right and minimal "dead spot" in the steering.
Use straight line, weller or Redhead, whoever makes sense to you. I have driven a coach with a fresh weller and my coach with Redhead. Redhead is definitely "crisper" to my feel. Straight line may be every bit as good or better than RedHead, but without a core program their convenience factor may be lower than getting a Redhead pre-positioned for a in and out same day service event.
If you can pick up and drop off your steering box whatever vender you choose, you will pay sales tax but save some on the shipping.
For Redhead, call Dan for an actual quote, but figure $495 for the rebuild and $100 each way for freight, give or take depending on how far it is being shipped.
Everybody with these era coaches that have not swapped out the steer boxes should be figuring out when and where to get it done before too long or at least carry critical spare seals.
I don't have any compensation from Redhead, nor do I care if you use straight line, Redhead, or Waller. I only did the core thing because I was frustrated that chasing the core was troublesome for the members and Redhead was near my Gig Harbor house.
Do what makes you happy, but a little advance planning and preventative maintenance could save $$$$ and aggravation.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #35 – June 27, 2019, 04:41:41 am

Question,if I'm understanding correctly,even if you send your core in to Redhead and they rebuild yours you will still have to adjust
the stopping points?

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #36 – June 27, 2019, 10:34:16 am

Quote from: John44 – June 27, 2019, 04:41:41 am

Question,if I'm understanding correctly,even if you send your core in to Redhead and they rebuild yours you will still have to adjust
the stopping points?

YES.

And about 1 out of 5 coaches I inspect need to have the cut angle adjusted as well. Too much cut angle and the steering knuckle contacts the mechanical/hard stop, PSI goes way up and seals are easily blown. Too little cut angle (too much gap between full cut angle and mechanical stop and your turning radius is artificially high.

Only tools needed to adjust are a small standard screwdriver and perhaps a crescent wrench-- the wrench only if the mechanical stops are not set correctly. The mechanical stops are there to prevent the tires from contacting body or suspension parts. Then a small gap between mechanical stops and max cut angle determined by the Sheppard M100 box (the small external adjustment screws.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #37 – June 27, 2019, 11:27:36 am

Thanks for the post Tim and for going out of your way to get Redhead those cores. Sure helped us out. Wish I had taken this advice and replaced mine before this 8000 mile trip. 🙄

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #38 – June 27, 2019, 12:39:01 pm

Tell me again about the seal only replacement?

How hard is it for a shop or person to do?

Mine steers perfectly just starting to leak.

No drips on ground but based on everyone's else's stories here my day is coming.

.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #39 – June 27, 2019, 12:48:36 pm

Bob,

There was a recent thread of a member who replaced a seal himself while at a remote camp site while on his way to relocate in Alaska. His plan was to get there via this band aid and then do swap.
With your proximity to a rebuild shop, and the relative low cost to swap, why not put in a rebuild? The seal the member replaced did not require the box to be removed, but there are multiple seals in the box, not all of which might be so accessible.
For my $$$, doing this at your convenience and swapping for a rebuild can keep the cost and aggravation level to a minimum.
As always, do what makes you happy.

Tim Fiedler
Gen-Pro.biz
630 240-9139

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #40 – June 27, 2019, 12:52:39 pm

Bob
Thought I had read somewhere on here that the "seal only" option depended on where the leak was. ( input shaft of the steering column or out put shat of the pitman arm or the back side shaft seal) the shop I was at never mention this as an option though.
Mine was leaking (badly) from the back side seal of the output shaft.

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #41 – June 27, 2019, 01:00:08 pm

Had not sourced the location of any of the leaks. My buddy said it was on top.

Straightline says all the seals crumble. Like cookies he said.

No I do intend to fix this correctly.

No band aid.

Anyone have a lead on the mentioned in another thread here Pittman arm puller for tight locations needed to take the arm off next to the gen box?

Big difference in labor from my local shop if they can remove the Pittman arm easier.

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Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #25 – June 26, 2019, 11:38:39 pm

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #26 – June 26, 2019, 11:48:28 pm

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #27 – June 26, 2019, 11:54:53 pm

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #28 – June 26, 2019, 11:59:30 pm

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #29 – June 27, 2019, 12:04:41 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #30 – June 27, 2019, 12:07:25 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #31 – June 27, 2019, 12:09:08 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #32 – June 27, 2019, 01:08:08 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #33 – June 27, 2019, 01:16:18 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #34 – June 27, 2019, 03:03:25 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #35 – June 27, 2019, 04:41:41 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #36 – June 27, 2019, 10:34:16 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #37 – June 27, 2019, 11:27:36 am

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #38 – June 27, 2019, 12:39:01 pm

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #39 – June 27, 2019, 12:48:36 pm

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #40 – June 27, 2019, 12:52:39 pm

Re: Uh oh!. Blown seal in steering box

Reply #41 – June 27, 2019, 01:00:08 pm

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