Power Steering Gear Box Installation

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cheezsnake

Well-known member
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Feb 11, 2014
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Location
Indiana
My Car
1971 Mustang, 351C 4V
Does anyone know the standard number of revolutions, stop to stop, of the input shaft on a 1971 power steering gear box? Just had mine rebuilt through NAPA, and am trying to make sure the gear box is centered between the stops before installing. I'll be honest that I did not check what it was before I sent it out for the rebuild. The shop manual says it should be 4 turns, lock to lock. But, mine is less than 2 turns. Should I be concerned? Thanks.

 
Does anyone know the standard number of revolutions, stop to stop, of the input shaft on a 1971 power steering gear box? Just had mine rebuilt through NAPA, and am trying to make sure the gear box is centered between the stops before installing. I'll be honest that I did not check what it was before I sent it out for the rebuild. The shop manual says it should be 4 turns, lock to lock. But, mine is less than 2 turns. Should I be concerned? Thanks.
The variable ratio box is approximately 3 1/8 turns lock to lock, the fixed ratio box is approximately 4.0 turns lock to lock. Chuck

 
Thanks, Chuck. Mine is definitely not 3 to 4. It's not even a full 2 revolutions. I wonder if something went wrong in the rebuild?


I measured the rotations more closely ... it's about 1 7/8 turns, lock to lock.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
It doesn't sound tight. Even the quick ratio boxes are 3 turns. I would see how far the sector (output) shaft turns. I believe it needs to turn 80 to 90 degrees while the input shaft is turned lock-to-lock.

 
I estimate the sector shaft rotates about 42 degrees, from lock to lock.

 
Thanks, All. Don't understand how/why that would have been changed in the rebuild, but guess I'm making a trip to back to NAPA.

 
So, now I need to ask a crazy question ... when we're talking "turns" from lock to lock, is a turn 1 complete revolution of the input shaft? So, 4 turns is 4 complete revolutions, as opposed to say 4 half revolutions?

 
So, now I need to ask a crazy question ... when we're talking "turns" from lock to lock, is a turn 1 complete revolution of the input shaft? So, 4 turns is 4 complete revolutions, as opposed to say 4 half revolutions?
Four full revolutions (American, French, Russian, and Dominican Republic).

 
And there's nothing in the steering shaft that would change the ratio at the input to the gearbox? 1 rotation of the steering wheel = 1 rotation of the input shaft?

 
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