Saginaw Power steering Box

[Pegleg]

My power steering box is leaking and i want to strip and rebuild it myself. Having never done this job before can i call on assistance of members if i need it

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

I will look in the Ford manual and if it gives good detail I will scan and post it.

 

[Hemikiller]

I did about a half dozen of them over the years. The only real specialized tool you need is an inch pound torque meter to set the preload on the gears. I borrowed one from a friend that's an aircraft mechanic, as they were $300 or so from Snap On. You'll also need a bearing & seal driver set to R&R the needle bearing in the main case. Rebuild kits are under $30 on RockAuto

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=622&cc=1132692&jsn=559

Full rebuild instructions are in the Ford shop manual, that's the procedure I used.

 

[Stanglover]

I've done mine and posted on it recently. It is not too hard to do yourself, but there are some good, some bad, videos on YouTube that will give you a heads up at least. If it just a leak, resealing may work, BUT the sector shaft will likely be chewed up from years of dirt getting in. There is no seal there. You would need to get that hard chromed and reground. I was unable to find a supplier of reman sector shafts.

If you have too much free play on your steering wheel, the only correct way to remove or reduce that is to install larger balls. Problem is there are no kits available  anymore, I know, I tried to find them. I was fortunate to have a rebuilder sell me a few to do mine. The stock size either in a fixed ratio 17.5:1 or variable ratio at 16 & 13:1 is .28125" diam.  Ford manual list them to 5 decimals, but they can no longer be bought from Ford. Foir my VR box with 24 balls, I used 12 @.28125 and 12 @ .28141' Bit of a guess, but the company I got the balls from told me that's what they usually find works.

See document below

Here's the post

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-saginaw-800-power-steering-box-rebuild 

I have not yet installed this rebuilt box, still on the to-do list. It will be done soon and I'll update my thread with the results.

Geoff

 

[Don C]

Bentworker also did a lot of research on the steering boxes and what's required to rebuild them

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-playing-with-steering-boxes-spa-s-fixed-ratio-spa-af-variable-ratio-firebird-12-7?

 

[Stanglover]

+1 Don.

 Bentworker has done a lot of excellent research and has great info especially with ratio upgrades.

 

[Pegleg]

Thanks everyone for the imput. I learn more from watching someone preform a task. I know some people learn easier from a book. I suppose its because we are all wired differantly(Thankfully) and thats we learn differantly

 

[NOT A T5]

I paid a shop 150 bucks to do that.

 

[Pegleg]

I paid a shop 150 bucks to do that.

Here in the UK i was quoted £300 which equates to around $400

 

[Stanglover]

I paid a shop 150 bucks to do that.

Here in the UK i was quoted £300 which equates to around $400

Your life depends on brakes and steering. If you are not confident with your ability to repair or rebuild these parts, pay someone who is competent to do that work. Trouble is finding someone competent!! That's why I learned how to do it myself...….. and I'm still alive!

As for your PS box, if it is not leaking, usually on the sector shaft seal, and you do not have more than 1" free play on the steering wheel, I'd say leave it alone. At least for now. If it is leaking or the free play is excessive, you're sawing on the wheel just to keep the car going straight, then time to rebuild it.

Hope you get the pump issue sorted. That's the one thing I have not had to play with yet. The clown who f'd up my PS box, actually did a good job on the pump.

Geoff.

 

[Pegleg]

I paid a shop 150 bucks to do that.

Here in the UK i was quoted £300 which equates to around $400

Your life depends on brakes and steering. If you are not confident with your ability to repair or rebuild these parts, pay someone who is competent to do that work. Trouble is finding someone competent!! That's why I learned how to do it myself...….. and I'm still alive!

As for your PS box, if it is not leaking, usually on the sector shaft seal, and you do not have more than 1" free play on the steering wheel, I'd say leave it alone. At least for now. If it is leaking or the free play is excessive, you're sawing on the wheel just to keep the car going straight, then time to rebuild it.

Hope you get the pump issue sorted. That's the one thing I have not had to play with yet. The clown who f'd up my PS box, actually did a good job on the pump.

Geoff.

It transpires the fluid around the power steering box was fluid that had run back from the pump when i was driving the car. Its been cleaned off and it has stayed clean. Looks like the issue was a faulty flow control valve in the brand new steering pump which erupts from the filler tube. Now the issue has been identified i can get it rectified and move on the the carb issue and the gearbox leak where the selector shaft goes in

 

[Stanglover]

Here in the UK i was quoted £300 which equates to around $400

Your life depends on brakes and steering. If you are not confident with your ability to repair or rebuild these parts, pay someone who is competent to do that work. Trouble is finding someone competent!! That's why I learned how to do it myself...….. and I'm still alive!

As for your PS box, if it is not leaking, usually on the sector shaft seal, and you do not have more than 1" free play on the steering wheel, I'd say leave it alone. At least for now. If it is leaking or the free play is excessive, you're sawing on the wheel just to keep the car going straight, then time to rebuild it.

Hope you get the pump issue sorted. That's the one thing I have not had to play with yet. The clown who f'd up my PS box, actually did a good job on the pump.

Geoff.

It transpires the fluid around the power steering box was fluid that had run back from the pump when i was driving the car. Its been cleaned off and it has stayed clean. Looks like the issue was a faulty flow control valve in the brand new steering pump which erupts from the filler tube. Now the issue has been identified i can get it rectified and move on the the carb issue and the gearbox leak where the selector shaft goes in

 Ok so all good then with the PS box.

 It's always something else needs fixing on these car, but then that's the fun of owning such a classic.

Good luck with parts in the future,

Geoff.

 

[Pegleg]

Your life depends on brakes and steering. If you are not confident with your ability to repair or rebuild these parts, pay someone who is competent to do that work. Trouble is finding someone competent!! That's why I learned how to do it myself...….. and I'm still alive!

As for your PS box, if it is not leaking, usually on the sector shaft seal, and you do not have more than 1" free play on the steering wheel, I'd say leave it alone. At least for now. If it is leaking or the free play is excessive, you're sawing on the wheel just to keep the car going straight, then time to rebuild it.

Hope you get the pump issue sorted. That's the one thing I have not had to play with yet. The clown who f'd up my PS box, actually did a good job on the pump.

Geoff.

It transpires the fluid around the power steering box was fluid that had run back from the pump when i was driving the car. Its been cleaned off and it has stayed clean. Looks like the issue was a faulty flow control valve in the brand new steering pump which erupts from the filler tube. Now the issue has been identified i can get it rectified and move on the the carb issue and the gearbox leak where the selector shaft goes in

 Ok so all good then with the PS box.

 It's always something else needs fixing on these car, but then that's the fun of owning such a classic.

Good luck with parts in the future,

Geoff.

Thank You  

What is the difference in the differant Saginaw power steering boxes. While i was looking there seems to be differant letters after "SPA" Saginaw SPA-T/S/A/U

 

[Stanglover]

What is the difference in the differant Saginaw power steering boxes. While i was looking there seems to be differant letters after "SPA" Saginaw SPA-T/S/A/U

  Your car is a 71 correct? If the PS box is original, it should be SPA-S or U if it is a fixed ratio 17.5:1 or SPA-T or V if a variable ratio 16 to 13:1. All will have 1 1/4" sector shafts. 72's are the same, but 73's depending on date could be SPA-AC or AE > 1/2/73 (Jan) or SPA-AD or AF (V/R) >1/2/73.

Might I suggest you buy a copy of Kevin Marti's " The Mustang and Cougar Tagbook" (1965-1973) Very useful to have for identifying the tags on these cars.

 

[Bentworker]

http://www.stangerssite.com/steeringboxtagdecoder.html