Any ideas what has caused this Serious oil leak coming from top of Steering Box

[The Heff]

Hi all. I am after some expert advise on this problem please. My Mustang would not start due to an inferior Holley Carb service kit being fitted that was not the genuine article, and the internal seals have given up, and fuel just leaks into the engine and floods it. I have removed the carbs and will install the proper genuine Holley repair kits.
Anyway, I had to move the Mustang out of the garage onto the drive way and rotate it 180 degrees around and then put push back into the garage. This involved turning the steering wheel with no engine running, so no pump was assisting the steering box with pressurised fluid. It took me about 4 hours push and shunting the car on the drive way in order to get it to face the right way and finally back in the garage.
I have now noticed a nasty oil leak coming from the top of the steering box where the steering wheel shaft enters.

Could this be the result of rotating the steering wheel around from full lock to full lock without the engine running and not being power assisted? The steering wheel was rotated back and forth about 50 times I recon during the 4 hours.
I have already replaced the 2 oil seals at the top of this pump because there was oil leaking from it during the time the car was being renovated, again there was no engine in it at that time, and this pump started to leak then.
Can damage be done to the steering box oil seals by my actions, or is there actually an internal fault in the steering box which is allowing the oil to get through the two top seals?
Here's a photo of the steering box I have and the pitman shaft is just out of view.
Thanks guys.

 

[The Heff]

Sorry This paragraph should have read.
I have already replaced the 2 oil seals at the top of this STEERING BOX because there was oil leaking from it during the time the car was being renovated, again there was no engine in it at that time, and this STEERING BOX started to leak then.

 

[giantpune]

Could this be the result of rotating the steering wheel around from full lock to full lock without the engine running and not being power assisted? The steering wheel was rotated back and forth about 50 times I recon during the 4 hours.

I dont believe that alone would cause a leak to occur. I have driven my cars for tens of thousands of miles with the power steering belt removed.

 

[Stanglover]

I'm a bit confused. Are you talking about the inlet and outlet pipe seats being loose, or are you talking about the input shaft seal by the rag joint? You say two seals, I'm confused.

If it's the top input shaft seal, you'll need to pull the box to fix it properly. I doubt turning the s wheel would be the main cause, it's probably been on the outs for some time. Replacing that seal shouldn't be too hard once the box is on the bench. There is a dirt seal first with the oil seal behind it. It can be pulled with a small pick and screw driver or similar. Make sure the shaft is clean before replacing the oil/dirt seals. Personally I've not actually done it that way as the boxes I have rebuilt were totally apart, so the input seals were installed into the adjuster nut before assembly.
I don't have a pic of that exact part, but this one shows a part of the dirt seal.

 

[The Heff]

Thanks for your response guys.

Stanglover. During my Mustang's renovation ( its taken 17 years ) but last year I removed the steering box from the engine bay whilst the engine was removed and I put two new seals ( 1 x oil seal and 1 x dust cover ) in the top of the unit by the input shaft /rag joint. Its from this area I am still getting the oil weeping out.
Are these boxes easy to strip down, or is there specialist equipment involved.
From your experience, can you advise me please.

Does anyone have a parts diagram/ assembly sheet for one of these steering boxes.?

 

[Stanglover]

I can offer advice from my own experience only, I'm not a professional.
At this time I'm just about to go out for lunch, I'll have to get back to you later today. Stay tuned.

 

[Stanglover]

Here are a few pics of a disassembled PS box, Saginaw 800.
Rebuild kits are available from Rock Auto (best price) Edelmann 7860. They usually have two types, one with the sector shaft roller bearing and one without.
The major problem with these PS boxes is Saginaw never put a dirt seal at the bottom of the sector shaft. Because of this, dirt gets into the shaft and literally wears it out, last pic.. I have not found a supplier for refurbished shafts or new either. I was fortunate at the time I did my boxes that I worked in a machine shop and was able to repair the damaged area by hard chroming and regrinding.
If anyone finds this kind of damage, go buy a new or rebuilt and don't waste your time with it.
You can find several so-so videos on YouTube, but be warned, not all are correct, but I did find one that was helpful.
Tools needed are an low range in/lb beam torque indicator, a peg spanner to adjust the screw preload. The socket I made to fit the input shaft spline (from an old rag joint) to set the total preload.
The Ford factory manual describes the strip and rebuild quite well.
I found this website that gave a full rebuild details. I'm not sure if this is still available as it didn't open when I tried,
https://www.chevelles.com/techref/PowerStrgGear.jpg

More help, let me know.

 

[rvanamb]

May not be the answer you want, but I bought the lares 10807 steering box from rockauto and it has worked great for me. 390 bucks for a new one is not a bad price. The steering box is a wear item and between either doing a full rebuild and buying new, I rather buy new and spend my time driving. It comes down to how much your time is worth to you.

 

[Stanglover]

May not be the answer you want, but I bought the lares 10807 steering box from rockauto and it has worked great for me. 390 bucks for a new one is not a bad price. The steering box is a wear item and between either doing a full rebuild and buying new, I rather buy new and spend my time driving. It comes down to how much your time is worth to you.

Rebuilding one of these properly is a LOT of work and largely depends on one's mechanical ability. You life literally depends on doing it right.
If it were not the fact I have a spare VR box on the shelf ready to go, I wouldn't waste my time rebuilding another, unless it were just a simple leak fix. I'd buy new and be done with it.

 

[rvanamb]

Rebuilding one of these properly is a LOT of work and largely depends on one's mechanical ability. You life literally depends on doing it right.
If it were not the fact I have a spare VR box on the shelf ready to go, I wouldn't waste my time rebuilding another, unless it were just a simple leak fix. I'd buy new and be done with it.

I still have the one that was in the car previously and plan on taking it to redhead as they are only 30 minutes away from me. Figure it would be good to have a spare. Only thing I wonder about is what is the shelf life on the seals. I don't see the new one failing any time soon. Would suck to pay for a rebuild, then in 10 plus years actually need to use it and it leaks. You think it's better not to worry about rebuilding till I need it.