I just went to pick up a pizza in my 93 F150 XLT, 4.9 and drove about a 1/4 mile and could feel and hear the steering growling.
Stopped to find that the steering gearbox is leaking from the underside.

Can anyone tell me if there is a seal kit available for this problem, and / or is it even possible to reseal the box without special tooling and knowledge etc.

Anyone done this task and have any tips to share. I am a mechanic by trade, but on trucks with wings. I have plenty of tools and know how to use them (OK, most of them anyway) so I am mostly trying to learn if a reseal is possible and any tips to keep me from breaking something.

Any and all advice is sincerely appreciated.
I gotta try to do it in the morning so I can be back in business for the weekend flee to the ocean.

Thanks,
Dennis

 

There is a seal where the pitman arm comes out of the bottom of the box,but to replace it you have to dissassemble the steering box. It is really not hard to do,but you will need a pitman arm puller to get the pitman arm off. Other than that it is a pretty straight-forward operation. Good luck

 

JetMech, a couple of questions first. Have you own the truck from birth ??? If so, has this happened before ???

I had this happen on mine about a half a year after I bought the truck via a private sale. Had a friend for the new seal kit and everything was find for a couple of years. It started to leak again and I had a dealership do the job this time. I was already there so I just let them at it. I told them that it was done once before and they mentioned that the actual shaft might be rusted where the seal meets it. Sure enough, the shaft was really rusted in that section. They said that it would be best to replace the entire shaft instead of cleaning it. If we cleaned it, they could never get it back to the original finish and it would eventually leak again. So I put a new one in along with a set of new seals. I think if I remember correctly the shaft cost about $200 CDN brand new. Check this out before you do any repairs, might just save you some headache in the future.

Have Fun & Keep on Truckin'
Dean

 

He's right about the rusty shaft, you could sand it down smooth and you might be ok, but if it is really rusty it should be replaced. Then again you might get lucky, if the metal is still clean in the seal area go ahead and reuse it. I have rebuilt a few chevy (Saginaw) steering boxes and it's not too bad of a job. You will need to find the torque specs somewhere. As far as special tools you will need an inch pound torque wrench (dial type), which you probably already have.

-Jon

 

Just wanted to thank the posters that replied. I appreciate the help.
Well, so far, so good. I pulled the pitman arm off and then the lower seal in the box. I picked up a "lower" reseal kit for $20.00 and installed it, and so far it's holding fine.

A guy at work told me about a very neat little trick to get the lower seal out of the box that worked out perfectly.

Pull the pitman arm, then the c clip.
Put the arm back on and screw the nut back on a turn or so.
If your pump is empty, put some fluid in, and start the motor. Have a pan under the box to catch fluid.
Now just bump the steering wheel slightly left and right of center 2 or 3 times and the fluid under pressure will pop the seal right out of the box.

When he told me this trick, I thought sounds good but I won't get that lucky. Well I did as he said, bumped the wheel twice, killed the motor, looked under the truck and the seal was just waiting for me to take it off the shaft with my fingers. Cool Sh*t....

New seal up in the hole and leak checked good.
The job was less then an hour.

Oh, and by the way to the guys that asked. Yes I have owned the truck since new. This is the first time the box has leaked. The shaft looked fine, no rust.

Thanks again,
Dennis

 

I forgot to mention that trick but that is the same way i blow out the seal on the occasion that i have to replace them. Sounds like you got lucky though, i always make a mess, power steering fluid all over the floor, it's not pretty

-Jon

 

Actually I just left out the part about the mess. Thats why I did it at work and not in my yard.

 

WOW That is a neat trick. I wish I knew of that when I did mine. I also had a rusty shaft, and I just got a remanufactured steering box. I had no idea this was a common problem. Thanks for the info guys.

 

Yeah, very common problem. Had it on my 88 as well. Replaced the seal. Started leaking again after a few months. Replaced gearbox with a refurbished one from Autozone.

 

How much did that refurb gearbox cost you ?
Thanks,
Dennis

 

So anyway, how was the pizza?

Take care,
-Chris

 

OUTSTANDING. Pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms.
A real HEART STOPPER!!

 

Man, I gotta tell ya, that is the thing I truly miss about living in New Jersey;

The Pizza!!!

Take care,
-Chris

 

If I remember correctly it was $200.00. Didnt seem too bad and it also came with a lifetime warranty. I got is from my local O'reilly's

Mark

 

Bought a steering gear box kit from NAPA for $36.00 for a 1984 F-150.