Steering box stuff

[TonyPgh]

Does anyone know where I can get a new gasket and a fill plug for my steering box? I opened it up and cleaned it out. The little fill plug fell apart. And the main gasket ripped. 73 Super.

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1968 Type 1
https://youtube.com/c/SladesVWBeetle

[Daddy o's 67]

I tapped mine for 1/4" pipe plugs. Cheap & easy.

[TonyPgh]

[viiking]

Use John Deere Corn Head grease. It is the best solution for the steering box. It's a grease when not subjected to shear (i.e. at rest) but becomes oil like when it is sheared as in turning the wheel.

Normal grease tends to create a void in the gear mechanism when the gears turn. In some cases this void does not lubricate very well. Using oil means that the seals have to be in perfect condition otherwise the oil will leak past the seals.

Search for John Deere on here and you will see lots of discussion.

Edit: Re the gasket, it is pretty easy to trace one out on some cardboard from say a cereal box and use it. It's as good as the ones you have to pay for.
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1968 1500 RHD Lotus White Beetle since birth. In the hospital for major surgery
1966 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Coupe - in the waiting room
Discharged: 1983 Vanagon, 1974 1800 Microbus,1968 Low Light,1968 Type 3

[Ovally]

The right material and especially the thickness of the gasket is important.

Here you will find the parts you need: correct gaskets, plugs, seals and grease or oil:
https://www.csp-shop.com/en/front-axle/steering/steering-boxes/

Regards.
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VW Bug Oval 1953
VW Bug 1200 D motor
Porsche 911S MFI 1970
Mazda 929 Hardtop 1977
Mercedes SLC 180 Roadster 2018

[TonyPgh]

[TonyPgh]

[Floating VW]

The other problem with normal (02 grade) grease is that in the winter, it gets "thick" and can make the steering feel heavy. 01 grade grease is a little better in this respect, and 00 grade is best.

Corn head grease is good, it's a 01 grade grease. But I went with PrimeLine 00 grade in mine. You can get it at Napa, but you'll have to convince the guy behind the counter that they have it, because no one that works there has ever heard of 00 grade grease before.

P.S. If you haven't done so already, I find that it's a lot easier and more accurate to adjust the play out of the steering box when it's out of the car.
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"It's time you started treating people as individuals, rather than mathematically predictable members of an aggregate set, regardless of how well that works."

[baldessariclan]

Usually, parts places like Wolfsburg West or Bug City have both the steering box gaskets and lube fill plugs available.

The factory specified lubricant for late 1960’s through 1970’s steering boxes is “liquid transmission grease”, which corresponds to a Grade 00 consistency grease. This is just about as “thin” a grease as possible, before getting to lubricant in a purely liquid state, like gear oil.

There are different brands of 00 grade grease available if you poke around a bit. Here’s a type I’ve used in my steering boxes:

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1971 Standard Beetle — fairly stock / driver

baldessariclan -- often in error, never in doubt...

[viiking]

The John Deere Corn Head grease I was referring to IS a NLGI 00 consistency grease. It is hard to find in Australia but we have equivalents. If JD has changed the formula then I am not aware of it.

In any case it should be a NLGI 00 grease of any make. Here is a longer winded explanation of why you use it and not oil or grease. Hope this helps.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=722584&start=0

The above comments about the grease being thick when it's cold are not really relevant. The grease is thixotropic meaning that it is thick at rest but becomes thinner (i.e. lower viscosity, easier to move and therefore more lubricant) when it is mixed (i.e. comes under shear).
_________________
1968 1500 RHD Lotus White Beetle since birth. In the hospital for major surgery
1966 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Coupe - in the waiting room
Discharged: 1983 Vanagon, 1974 1800 Microbus,1968 Low Light,1968 Type 3

[TonyPgh]

[TonyPgh]

[TonyPgh]

[viiking]

[quote="TonyPgh"]

[viiking]

[baldessariclan]

[baldessariclan]

[TonyPgh]

Thanks guys for all the advice I truly appreciate.

Since I have this all apart, and of course that screw has been turned 1 million times. Is there a proper procedure for adjustment. I don’t want to wear anything out by over tightening. I’m a little confused on this part.
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1968 Type 1
https://youtube.com/c/SladesVWBeetle

[VW_Jimbo]