TheSamba.com :: View topic - Where to find steering box rebuild kit/parts

Fri Jul 08, 2016 6:47 am

Anyone have a source for a steering box rebuild kit like the one below?

If not, where can I find the individual pieces?

I have the plugs, upper input seal adjusting screw, gasket for the top to body.

Looking for the bushings, lower output seal, spacer on the input side and possibly bearings.

Fri Jul 08, 2016 9:10 am

what you are looking for is this I think

http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ve/MLV-465469485-...asilia-_JM

I have not seen these in the US but they are available in South America. My in-laws are coming to visit from Peru next month can have them bring a couple kits with them. Bet they are less than 10 bucks for the whole kit so individual pieces probably not worth looking for. obviously not OE German

Fri Jul 08, 2016 9:36 am

I found a decent number of references to SA parts but didn't find anything in North America...which is odd given that it's also a Type 1 rebuild kit.

I'd take two of these - just to see how they fit/function. I'm primarily interested in the worm spacer and the seals.

Let me know what I owe you via email...Thanks!

If anyone else has input on individual parts in the US please let it be known!

Fri Jul 08, 2016 10:12 am

Steering boxes are another thing that has turned into junk... TRW USA boxes were the bomb till recently- now they seem to suck right out of the box.

If those brass looking bushings are too soft that would likely be what the problem is if these are the same kits TRW is using. A machinist might be able to make some out of better material.

What I've experienced with the last few is that they need adjusting after the first test drive... and then they'll be good for awhile then suddenly one day they are just all loose, out of the blue. Adjust, drive awhile, repeat, till one day it doesn't adjust.

Amazing for a part that used to last 30 years...

Fri Jul 08, 2016 10:20 am

The TRW boxes haven't been good, in my opinion, for at least ten years. I bought two back then and both failed within a year with light use after being installed. These things aren't complicated so it has to be cheap parts or poor fit.

I had two of my original boxes rebuilt and one has failed with a little over a year of use - light use, as in less than 2000 miles - it's leaking. I'm assuming that the second one is of similar build quality.

I've sourced the adjustment screws, the two little plugs, the gasket between the top and body, and the input seal (little one). I have six cores and would like to find parts to start the rebuild process. I've either got to rebuild them or sell them 'cause they're doing me no good sitting in the bin, leaking.

The bearings are not likely the issue so I'm not terribly concerned with replacing them but I do know that I need one of the thin spacers because I bent one taking a box apart.

The bushings and seals are the primary replacement parts I want to find.

Fri Jul 08, 2016 10:52 am

EasternNotch wrote: what you are looking for is this I think

http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.ve/MLV-465469485-...asilia-_JM

I have not seen these in the US but they are available in South America. My in-laws are coming to visit from Peru next month can have them bring a couple kits with them. Bet they are less than 10 bucks for the whole kit so individual pieces probably not worth looking for. obviously not OE German

If you are coming to the States with sets to sell I'm in for at least one. Plus a bit for shipping and your trouble. Interested?

Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:31 am

Quote:

If you are coming to the States with sets to sell I'm in for at least one. Plus a bit for shipping and your trouble. Interested?

I am from the US and live here but my wife is from Peru and we go about once a year to visit family.Just happens that her parents are coming in August for a visit- I'll see what I can find and they will bring them to the US for us.

I put a TRW box in my 64 last Summer, so far so good but I haven't driven it more than 1000 miles since- hope it holds up :roll:

Mon Jul 25, 2016 1:21 pm

I would also like to have two of these kits. PM me if arrangements are possible.

Thank you.

Mon Jul 25, 2016 10:32 pm

I took a few of them apart and inspected the guts.

The bushes and bearings in mine were actually in pretty good shape.
(unless they got wet inside)

Because you have bearings and bushes of similar quality/material dealing with spinning shafts/apparati in other applications,
I'll venture to say that they are over-built and should last a long time.
The shafts don't really spin that much over their lifetime compared to applications that actually, er, well, spin... :?

Once the bearings and bushes (and shafts) were clean, a good inspection was possible, and fits tested good.

Because the majority of wear is on the faces of the gears themselves, there is adjustment to take up the slop. (within limits)
Notice the rebuild kit doesn't include these parts..

The big threat to their lifespan seems to be the ingress of dirt, or egress/hardening of lubrication.
Thus, the seals and gaskets are the main items you will need to rebuild and ensure long life.
I found the OG gaskets for the 'lid' easily enough,
but the seals proved themselves difficult.

There was a place online that had metric seals - you just order your size based upon the measurements. The place I got mine from was in Denver, can't remember the name of the place, maybe I can dig it up..
They were cheap, and Goetze(sp?) brand, IIRC.

That left those plastic fill plugs in the 'lid' that disintegrate, but a drill/tap for a set screw solved that one..

Should you have scored bushings (unlikely IME) a good machinist could make you a set of bushes with a blindfold on.
Shafts can be polished beforehand to determine fit.

Like with a lot of things, we are having to regress into old-school craftsmanship, to compensate for a world that no longer cares about quality manufacture, or the long-term proliferation of consumer goods.

You are supposed to be either on your computer, or off buying something for short-term use to be disposed of, didn't you know? :wink:

Tue Jul 26, 2016 6:58 am

The bearings out of the two boxes I've taken apart are fine - not sure about the bushings but I suspect they might be okay.

The seals are super easy to find now that I know what I'm looking for. $8 buys both of them shipped from eBay. I had a NOS set of the small seals but they've started to harden a bit so I used them to compare size and construction.

Google will help you find the seals easily:
Metric Oil Shaft Seal 24 x 37 x 7mm Double Lip
Metric Oil Shaft Seal 16 x 24 x 7mm Double Lip

I've got the rubber plugs and the lid seals - now I'm down to the bushings - hoping that they're good and I'll find that out when I put one back together.

Tue Jul 26, 2016 7:30 am

Yes, I was able to source the seals from a local bearing store here in Tulsa. Several sets are supposed to be in later this week. $1+ for each seal.

Where & What did you locate for the plugs on the top of the housing? And are you cutting out your own lid gaskets?

I have 5 units torn down. Two of the roller shafts are bad. One has a bad worn spot on the roller, the other has bad bearings inside the roller shaft. I.E. it does not turn freely.

Tue Jul 26, 2016 7:44 am

OKType3Tim wrote: Yes, I was able to source the seals from a local bearing store here in Tulsa. Several sets are supposed to be in later this week. $1+ for each seal.

Where & What did you locate for the plugs on the top of the housing?

I bought the plugs out of a source in Germany. I looked stateside for quite a while and found nothing. I may wind up getting the shims out of Germany as well since I can't find them in the US.

Tue Jul 26, 2016 4:47 pm

While not 100% correct,
Threaded NPT oil galley plugs do work well.
Better than the OG plastic plugs, perhaps?
At least functionally..
Even the if they are blue.

I'll take the ding from the show judges if need be.. ;-)

Can't remember who had that bush for the steering damper that goes in the pitman arm.. Bug Haus, perhaps?

Tue Jul 26, 2016 5:53 pm

Very nice looking rebuild.
Yes, BugHaus has the steering damper bushing.

Mon Aug 01, 2016 6:17 pm

little update:

I had my brother in law go to a few places in Lima PE. They both told him these kits are NLA and were not very good quality to begin with. They tried to sell him the complete box for 180 soles (about 55$) ha! not having them carry those up .

We have friends in Brasil where they still make the kits I think. I found a few listed but they look pretty cheap IMHO

anyway ill keep searching but won't be bringing any here for a while. It'll be easier when I go back for a visit as they are not car people

Mon Aug 01, 2016 6:35 pm

Thank you for checking on it. From my perspective, the most interesting items are the plastic plugs and the paper gasket.

Mon Aug 01, 2016 7:01 pm

EasternNotch wrote: little update:

I had my brother in law go to a few places in Lima PE. They both told him these kits are NLA and were not very good quality to begin with. They tried to sell him the complete box for 180 soles (about 55$) ha! not having them carry those up .

We have friends in Brasil where they still make the kits I think. I found a few listed but they look pretty cheap IMHO

anyway ill keep searching but won't be bringing any here for a while. It'll be easier when I go back for a visit as they are not car people

Thanks for the update...

Wed Aug 03, 2016 10:58 am

Clatter wrote:

While not 100% correct,
Threaded NPT oil galley plugs do work well.
Better than the OG plastic plugs, perhaps?
At least functionally..
Even the if they are blue.

Do you recall what size plugs you used? I'm pretty sure that I have an aftermarket steering box on my car and the plastic plugs have deteriorated/disappeared. And I like the idea of tapping the holes and putting in the plugs.

Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:22 am

Clatter wrote:

While not 100% correct,
Threaded NPT oil galley plugs do work well.
Better than the OG plastic plugs, perhaps?
At least functionally..
Even the if they are blue.

I'll take the ding from the show judges if need be.. ;-)

Can't remember who had that bush for the steering damper that goes in the pitman arm.. Bug Haus, perhaps?

Great rebuild and an example for us that are starting down this path. What is the grounding wire for from the body to the shaft? Mine didn't have it, it's a 64 Type1.

Wed Nov 01, 2017 3:41 pm

It's long, but here's the best steering box rebuild thread. As a result, Tim also sells nice rebuild kits if you'd like to buy everything in one place:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=660446&highlight=