Steering gear

[Steve OK]

Need some insight. 1940 ford pickup steering gear has a grease zert , I pulled it out and does look to have grease inside. Is that correct or does it take oil. Also what do you top off with.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Steve OK

Need some insight. 1940 ford pickup steering gear has a grease zert , I pulled it out and does look to have grease inside. Is that correct or does it take oil. Also what do you top off with.

It did not have a grease fitting originally. Also, originally it was to have gear oil installed.
Many guys, me included, now use John Deere Cornhead grease in the gear box.
It stays within the pitch of the gears and won't leak as oil often does.
I made a fitting out of an extra gear oil cap I had. Easy task by just drilling tapping a hole for a grease fitting. I install that cap, fill up the box with Cornhead grease and replace it (the modified cap) with the original.

Oh, regular wheel bearing grease will not work well in this application.

[big deuce]

Leave a little room for heat expansion.

[Flathead Fever]

I rebuilt a '32 box, new original NOS gears. everything was new in it. I filled it with the thickest weight gear oil we had at our fleet shop. 600W gear oil for the auger that drills the holes for telephone poles, I thought for sure it was so thick it wouldn't leak, but it slowly does. So, I bought a case of John Deere Conehead grease, I haven't tried it yet since my stroke.

[tubman]

I used a special purpose made steering box lubricant made by an outfit called Penrite (I believe they are based "down-under"). The steering box in my '51 wasn't leaking and worked fine; I just thought it would be nice to give it a "treat" and try to keep it that way. The stuff was not cheap ($36.10 for 500 ml) but it has worked just fine. It must be a lot like the Corn Head stuff, as it has a consistency best described as halfway between oil and grease. The hardest part was getting it into the steering box after I flushed the old stuff out.

It was a pain in the ass and expensive, but I wanted to do something right for once in my life.

[51shoeboxer]

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Originally Posted by Kube

It did not have a grease fitting originally. Also, originally it was to have gear oil installed.
Many guys, me included, now use John Deere Cornhead grease in the gear box.
It stays within the pitch of the gears and won't leak as oil often does.
I made a fitting out of an extra gear oil cap I had. Easy task by just drilling tapping a hole for a grease fitting. I install that cap, fill up the box with Cornhead grease and replace it (the modified cap) with the original.

Oh, regular wheel bearing grease will not work well in this application.

I am inclined to administer the Cornhead fix, but I have a question: will Cornhead fill the needle bearings on the Pitman arm shaft if administered through a grease fitting on the steering box plug?

[flatford8]

I made up an 8-10 inch flexible plastic hose to put on my grease gun so I can fill the steering box from the bottom. I believe I got the idea from one of our members from “down under”. I don’t know that it’s necessary, but it sounded like a good idea to me…..Mark

[Kube]

Originally Posted by 51shoeboxer

I am inclined to administer the Cornhead fix, but I have a question: will Cornhead fill the needle bearings on the Pitman arm shaft if administered through a grease fitting on the steering box plug?

It'll go anywhere and everywhere gear oil would travel. I use the grease fitting, so I am confident the gear box is full.
I believe there are tiny fibers of some sort in the cornhead grease that keeps the grease "in place" , IE bearing / race areas.

[The Art Doctor]

Cornhead grease is thixotropic, meaning semi-solid when at rest and liquid when under sheer. So when sitting in your steering box in your garage it is a semi-solid like a gel and will not leak out but as you drive and turn the box it goes liquid and will flow into bearings and gears. Best of both worlds. I have a tube waiting for use.

[cas3]

I have a separate grease gun just for the corn head grease, and I have found that in summer heat it can be fluid enough to drip out of the gun. Not a big deal, just be careful how you store it

[Kube]

Originally Posted by The Art Doctor

Cornhead grease is thixotropic, meaning semi-solid when at rest and liquid when under sheer. So when sitting in your steering box in your garage it is a semi-solid like a gel and will not leak out but as you drive and turn the box it goes liquid and will flow into bearings and gears. Best of both worlds. I have a tube waiting for use.

Thanks for the explaination.

[corvette8n]

Here is a video posted by John Deere about corn head grease.

https://youtu.be/7zNhli-J0Gk?si=ofyAprytuLggszMd

Interesting.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by corvette8n

Here is a video posted by John Deere about corn head grease.

https://youtu.be/7zNhli-J0Gk?si=ofyAprytuLggszMd

Interesting.

That video is very informative. I suppose while I knew it was good stuff; I didn't realize the technical aspects.
Thanks a bunch!

[Steve OK]

The video was very informative and so were your reply’s. Should or do I need to flush the gear before adding the cornhead grease and if so what to use for it.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Steve OK

The video was very informative and so were your reply’s. Should or do I need to flush the gear before adding the cornhead grease and if so what to use for it.

I don't believe flushing is necessary but would do my best to get as much of the "old" gear oil out of the box.

[Terry,OH]

The top of the lubrication plug tells what lubricant Ford wanted installed. As well as all the lubrication charts. How does Corn Head get to the lower bushing for the sector shaft??

[John Gibson]

John Deere Corn Head grease is available on Amazon for around $25 for two tubes. Amazon has just about anything you can imagine and you don’t have to drive to the hardware store to get the “What Evers”.

[Graeme / New Zealand]

Originally Posted by tubman

I used a special purpose made steering box lubricant made by an outfit called Penrite (I believe they are based "down-under"). The steering box in my '51 wasn't leaking and worked fine; I just thought it would be nice to give it a "treat" and try to keep it that way. The stuff was not cheap ($36.10 for 500 ml) but it has worked just fine. It must be a lot like the Corn Head stuff, as it has a consistency best described as halfway between oil and grease. The hardest part was getting it into the steering box after I flushed the old stuff out.

It was a pain in the ass and expensive, but I wanted to do something right for once in my life.

Yes Penrite is Australian. I'm in NZ and use this too.

GB

[John R]

Some folks here have used STP. A bit more fluid than Corn Head. Never tried it myself but something worth considering.

[RET]

I am getting only 1 1/3 turns (lock to lock) on my steering wheel after a total rebuild on my 1940 truck steering box. Ive read it should be 3 turns lock to lock. What should it be? It seems like not enough.