Can anybody tell me what the trick is to remove the top plate off of a TRW steering box. I have removed the 4 corner bolts and large nut around the adjusting screw. The plate will rotate (with effort) but will not come up and off. Also, has anyone added an inspection plate for easier access to the steering box, or would that make life too easy? Any help will be deeply appreciated.
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OK, OK, easy guys. Not everybody at once.
I don't think anyone has ever taken a steering box apart. Possibly unscrew the center screw through the cover? I'll have to check my Bentley.
If you do get it apart, some guys get rid of the oil and fill them with grease......
Tom Williams posted:Also, has anyone added an inspection plate for easier access to the steering box, or would that make life too easy?
A very good question because at least one well known manufacturer does not do it.
DannyP posted:If you do get it (steering box) apart, some guys get rid of the oil and fill them with grease...…
Or instead of using grease they add a thicker oil. These steering boxes are well known to leak.
Danny, bingo. I attacked it early this morning figuring all I had to lose was the price of a new box. and another day of dirty fingernails. After playing around with a few love taps that finally got a little separation, I noticed that turning the adjusting screw clockwise was causing the top plate to rise, so I just kept turning ( through my new custom screwdriver hole in my frunk) until the plate was off. This whole mess started when I noticed a little seepage on the box, so thought I would check the level and see if it needed topping off. In doing so the rubber plug went "in" instead of "out". The little sucker was still right on top when I got the plate off, so I fished it out, added some grease, made a new gasket, and reversed the process. I had to stop to take my 94 year old mother to get her monthly pedicure before I had a chance to put the tire back on and road test my work, so am hoping everything still functions. Cliff, just another thing that should have been standard 30 years ago but hasn't happened yet. If I keep mine I will be enlarging my set screw hole for sure. Thanks guys.
Tom
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/fo...ewtopic.php?t=660446
Not apples to apples... but interesting just the same.
Glad you found that the roller adjusting screw is treaded into the top cover.
VW recommended 90 wt. Hypoid transmission oil in their steering boxes, but they tend to leak a bit after a while. What did you use for "grease", btw? Once the filler plug is out and the car is level (being on a lift is nice for this) just squirt some 90 wt in til it leaks out the inspection/filler hole and pop the plug back in.
On my dune buggies, way back when I didn't have two dimes to rub together and the steering boxes started to leak, I topped them off with STP and adjusted them and that seemed to work, at least for a while. You can warm it up first, then inject it with a meat marinating syringe and a piece of vinyl tubing to get the stuff up in there. 90 wt is much easier to use than STP. Jus' sayin...
Thanks Ted.
I am miles away from my steering box, but on return, first thing is to check this out. Not like it wasn't only one part.
Art
Gordon,
My steering unit was a TRW built prior to 2006. It had the 2 rubber plugs and was lubed with molly grease so that is what I added. My research while trying to fix my issue indicated that the switch from 90wt came with the 2 rubber plug units.
That samba thread comparing the TRW with the OEM steering box was eye-opening.
