Adjusting steering box

[1956322]

couple of quick questions.. On my 56 power steering box do I adjust the sector inward or outward to make things tighter.. Also the manual mentions a free play adjustment up top but doesn't show where and I don't see anything obvious does anyone know what they are referring to?

[Beemon]

You tighten clockwise to push the pitman gear into the worm gear. The free play adjustment is at the rag joint, you need to pull the box out and then adjust the preload on the worm gear ball bearings supposedly. You can't adjust the worm gear without a top end disassembly. 

[NTX5467]

On the 1970s-era and later steering gears, the "input" side where the adjustment is made is called the "adjuster plug".  As you turn the steering wheel, the reaction of that turning will try to push the steering column shaft "out" of the gearbox.  The adjuster plug limits that travel.  You can have the gearbox adjusted to spec, but if the adjuster plug adjustment is not "right", it still feels like there's "play" in the gearbox, by observation.  OF course, those BIG steering wheels only make it seem worse than it might be.

 

On the "modern" GM boxes (and others), there might be a special spanner wrench-type tool to make this adjustment with?

 

I know there is a seal kit for that input side of things, plus possibly a bushing or similar as the wear part of things.  At least on the newer boxes.  The earlier ones might be similar.

 

In doing a "shadetree" adjustment of the pitman shaft adjustment, when the steering effort increases AND the "turn return" doesn't happen by itself (having to manually return the steering wheel to "center', rather than the suspension caster doing it for you, after turning a corner), that's too tight.  Use the smallest additional adjustment that works, by observation.

 

NTX5467

[1956322]

So on my box someone adjusted it so the adjustor was pretty much flush with the lock nut..I had noticed it didn't really want to self center.. So I just went out to try to loosen it some..I  had  to really put some force behind the screwdriver to loosen it once it loosened it turned easily about a quarter of a turn and then got tight again.I adjusted it in that free play area... Any idea why it would get tight again while loosen.. I'm assuming the threads are ok.