steering box peg damage

[radish]

I took the box apart today as it failed the mot. I though it was fully adjusted up but it turned out the threads on the adjusting screw were damaged at the top.
Anyway this is what i found inside, damage to peg, The worm is fine and it doesnt feel like there is any wear.
I told the old machinist at work the you can't buy these parts, he wasn't to keen to help either.








What can be done to sort it?

Cheers Darius

 

[ZedBed]

I had mine machined, but I don't know how long it will last.
If you take it apart you should have some micro-torquing equipment to reset the taper bearings. If like me you haven't, take note of exactly where the nut is tightened to and cross your fingers. :lol:

Better than binning it?

 

[tomedwar72]

There's a bloke in Bangkok who has 400 NOS pegs for these at $100 a pop :shock:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1202777

 

[ZedBed]

Thanks for that. The bearing surfaces look fairly coroded, but it's rock hard steel - I wonder it they'd polish up?

 

[radish]

those pegs are are for a split.

Zedbed, if you machine it down isn't it to small for the slots on the worm?

 

[tomedwar72]

those pegs are are for a split.

Zedbed, if you machine it down isn't it to small for the slots on the worm?

211 415 223 B for early bay!

 

[ZedBed]

those pegs are are for a split.

Zedbed, if you machine it down isn't it to small for the slots on the worm?

I kept the taper the same so the top of the pin hit the bottom of the worm slot, so that got machined down as well. Then the collar that holds the roller bearings (which is really thick) fouled the top of the worm slot so that had to be reduced. There was still ample clearance inside and the slack due to machining was adjusted out with the normal adjuster. Mine was about the same damage as the one pictured above. This was mine.

BIG BUT.
The machine shop that did the work make parts for F1 gearboxes so I was hoping they knew a bit about hard materials. The guy who did it thought it was a very hard steel alloy and was convinced it wasn't case hardened. I don't know him to judge if he knows his stuff or was bulling. Will it last? I have no idea. 250 miles so far and going nowhere else for a while. It was the price of a drink, £5 for seals inc post and some oil to refurb it so I thought I'd nothing much to loose giving it a go. Passed the MOT anyway.

Before you ask - yes it was found to be pumped full of disgusting CV grease - yeuch - this probably ruined it.

 

[Geeze]

If you take it apart you should have some micro-torquing equipment to reset the taper bearings. If like me you haven't, take note of exactly where the nut is tightened to and cross your fingers. :lol:

Just getting all the bloody taper bearings back in and the right way around is enough fun :lol: or is that just me

Radish, How bad (deep) is the pitting? Can't really tell from the photo. Know that all pitting is bad, but some is more bad than others...

 

[ZedBed]

If you take it apart you should have some micro-torquing equipment to reset the taper bearings. If like me you haven't, take note of exactly where the nut is tightened to and cross your fingers. :lol:

Just getting all the bloody taper bearings back in and the right way around is enough fun :lol: or is that just me

Radish, How bad (deep) is the pitting? Can't really tell from the photo. Know that all pitting is bad, but some is more bad than others...

Hmmm . we elected to leave a tiny bit of pitting - it was that or skim even more off. You sound like you've done this too? Did it last?

 

[radish]

Cheers Zedbed.

I'll get another photo tomorrow, it doesnt look to bad but as the peg is suppose to turn i dont want to damage the worm. It doesn't look to have worn really just that nick in the peg.

 

[Geeze]

Hmmm . we elected to leave a tiny bit of pitting - it was that or skim even more off. You sound like you've done this too? Did it last?

We've done a few over the years, turns a scary, mot-failing box into a useable, motable one.
Also always use a thicker lube to help fill the voids (cv/grease mix, proper liquid grease or penrite steering lube - pick a flavour!). I know one box that must be about ten years in on this treatment but the pitting was very mild.

I've got Penrite in the box on ours at the moment which definitely improved it but not had it apart yet. Not expecting pretty sights when I feel ready to fight the steering arm off, the filler cap was missing when we got it so it wasn't exactly sealed from the elements :shock:

 

[radish]

I'll have a word with the machinist again tomorrow.
I have penrite too.

 

[ZedBed]

Hmmm . we elected to leave a tiny bit of pitting - it was that or skim even more off. You sound like you've done this too? Did it last?

We've done a few over the years, turns a scary, mot-failing box into a useable, motable one.
Also always use a thicker lube to help fill the voids (cv/grease mix, proper liquid grease or penrite steering lube - pick a flavour!). I know one box that must be about ten years in on this treatment but the pitting was very mild.

I've got Penrite in the box on ours at the moment which definitely improved it but not had it apart yet. Not expecting pretty sights when I feel ready to fight the steering arm off, the filler cap was missing when we got it so it wasn't exactly sealed from the elements :shock:

It amazes me that some yank must have been driving it about like this. Can you confirm you've machined as much off as I did? Or are you saying you've cleaned them up and changed the lube - just want to be clear on whether I need to start looking for a better box. I find it hard to believe it'll last long or that it's some miricle hard steel rather than treated in a way machining will have ruined. Thanks for your help - all this info is great - it's such a pain when a small defect writes off a beautiful chunky gadget like these steering boxes.

 

[ZedBed]

...when I feel ready to fight the steering arm off...

Mine almost fell off - I was so shocked I had to have an extra fag break.

 

[Geeze]

Can you confirm you've machined as much off as I did? Or are you saying you've cleaned them up and changed the lube - just want to be clear on whether I need to start looking for a better box. I find it hard to believe it'll last long or that it's some miricle hard steel rather than treated in a way machining will have ruined. Thanks for your help - all this info is great - it's such a pain when a small defect writes off a beautiful chunky gadget like these steering boxes.

Being honest, have never machined off as much as you did - usually go for cleaning up (softening) the rough edges to stop them gouging out the worm and causing more wear and then rely on thicker lube to fill the voids. One we machined back quite a bit is on a bus that has been off the road for five of the last six years for a new front valance (it escalated!) so can't really comment on longevity on that :|

I was so shocked I had to have an extra fag break.

man after my own heart :lol:

 

[Geeze]

ps. if was in your position, would put some miles on the machined pin (keeping an eye on the steering play) and then have it out for a quick inspection (shouldn't be too hard if the steering arm come off that easy ).
If it was surface hardened and you've cut through that, there'll be signs of wear (grooving etc), then it's worth spending out on it and doing something but if it still looks like when you put it back in, then you should be able to put you mind at rest.

The advice to clean it up and try it with with thicker lube was hoping to help radish out if the pittings not too bad and there isn't a major flat on it.

 

[67westy]

Same problem here...

We machined it after Zeds advice but had to take a fair chunk off and eat in to the collar. We'll see how it lasts, it was knackered anyway so had nothing to lose.

 

[ZedBed]

We'll have to meet up in a year or so and compare our clunking steering boxes. :lol:

 

[radish]

Does anyone have a photo after machining?

 

[67westy]

I forgot to take one, if you imagine the pics above but without the flat spot thats how it looks :lol: