Jump to content

32 Cadillac - Steering Box Full of Grease


TexRiv_63

Recommended Posts

I've been working on lubrication of my 32 which was stored for a long time. The steering box shows signs of some old fluid leakage which has hardened on the outside. I removed the grease fitting from the filler pipe and found - grease! It looks like someone filled it with chassis grease instead of gear oil. I assumed this was a bad thing and cleaned out as much as I could from the end of the filler and tried to pour some 600W in but it would not take it. I have not yet removed the drain plug but if my assumptions are correct and it is full of grease, any suggestions on how to flush it out? I don't want to disassemble anything, just get the grease out and the fluid in. Also, what weight gear oil was originally used? Thanks for any help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An owners manual will tell what lube.

My 32 Nash steering was almost impossible to steer. I finally took the box apart to find the stickiest grease I have ever seen. I had to scrape it out and it was as thick as fiberglass resin that was just about ready to set up!

I doubt there is a drain. You may be able to remove the side cover IF there is enough room....

I would try a solvent to soften the grease, and work the steering back and forth up on stands. if you can get the grease to soften, maybe loosen the side cover a little to drain some out and repeat again, quite a few times.

Also, I found one kingpin slightly stiff. I took the grease fittings out and used motor oil while working the steering. All the little things I did made a world of difference.

I had to disconnect the tierod and side drag link to test each kingpin to find out what was stiff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most greases "channel", that is to say the first pass of a gear pushes the grease out of the way, and it stays there so the second pass doesn't benefit from much lubrication. That's why most all early steering gear boxes used gear oil instead of grease. Unfortunately, when many of these began to leak (often into the headlight switch), subsequent owners just substituted grease and this is often the reason restorers have the problems they do. Packard for quite a few years recommended gear oil for king pins and universal joints - same reasoning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Use a heat gun, paint stripper type or hair dryer and heat the gear box until the grease becomes liquid and you can pour it out. I just finished doing this to mine it worked great. Mine may not have been grease but it certainly was thick enough to be grease.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the advice. The box on my Pierce leaks like a sieve so I've used Lubriplate 1500W gear lube which at least slows the leak down substantially. Once I get the grease out I'll try some 600W and if it leaks badly switch to the 1500.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What we used to do for leaking boxes is pump grease into them then top them off with gear lube. Doesn't fix the wear and tear on the box causing the leak but it does keep the oil from leaking out of the box and at the same time helps lubricate the gears and components.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Guest imported_washburn

You might consider the following:

Gear Box Lube

Auto Restorer, April 2004, page 8

Gm Steering box lube (sold by Zip Products at 800+962-9632 under part number SC-601) with excellent results.

I have also used modern CV joint lube, which is available from any auto parts store. The GM Steering box lube and CV joint lube both have the consistency of light grease, making them less prone to leak past questionable seals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...