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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Steering box lube

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Discussion Topic: Steering box lube

flathead48

01-17-2014 @ 4:24 AM

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Was wondering if 90 wt trans oil is a good choice for steering box on a 48 passenger vehicle. Thanks

1934 Ford

01-17-2014 @ 5:48 AM

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Search this Forum and you'll find a lot of V8 owners prefer the John Deere Cornhead Grease, available at John Deere dealers or the Internet. They say it does not leak.

1934 Ford's since 1972

Old Henry

01-17-2014 @ 7:25 AM

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S.A.E. 90 is what Ford specified. Has worked fine for me.

flathead48

01-17-2014 @ 11:01 AM

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Thanks guys I appreciate the imput.

wmsteed

01-28-2014 @ 10:38 AM

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It is true that Ford recommended 90 W gear oil for the steering gears, however, one must keep in mind that the spec was for a new car..
As most of the owners of Early Ford V8's know, as the cars aged, they were very prone to leaking the oil out of the steering gear box..
I can clearly recall when I was a teenager working in service stations during the early '50's servicing cars, as fast as we pored the 90w into the steering gears, it ran out onto the floor.
The general fix to keep the oil from running out, and keep a customer happy was to partially fill the gear box with chassis lube.. The chassis lube would mix with the gear oil, thinning it slightly, so that it would penetrate into the bearings.
Several years ago I found that "Motor Honey/STP oil additive worked very well in steering gears that have doubtful seals..

Bill
36 5 win delx cpe

This message was edited by wmsteed on 1-28-14 @ 10:39 AM

Stroker

01-28-2014 @ 2:15 PM

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wmsteed certainly hits the nail on the head regarding the difference between Fords when they were fresh off the assembly line, and today. The difference between "corn-head" grease and simply thickening the lube in a steering box by adding chassis grease, or thickening polymers such as STP is that the corn-head grease is "shear-thinning" (thixotropic). I stays in place as chassis grease would, but when it is drawn into the sliding mesh area between the worm and sector, it liquefies, which allows it to flow around the worm and penetrate the contact areas. Weird stuff, but it works quite well in modern John Deere combine corn head gearboxes, and early Ford steering gear boxes. I wouldn't use it in a transmission or rear axle though.

01-28-2014 @ 4:48 PM

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I have had JD Corn Head Grease in the steering box of my '35 Fordor sedan for about a year now. Prior to that I tried all sorts of lubes that just leaked out of the box in no time. I know the steering box needs new seals and gaskets, and maybe the brass tube is cracked or broken where it is connected at the bottom plate. I didn't have time to rebuild this box before leaving on a 7,200 mile cross country trip, so I filled the box with JDCHG. Stopped 99% of the leakage problem and the car actually steers easier now. I also filled the universal joint housing with this same grease. 10,000+ miles since using this grease in both places and no more leakage on the garage floor like I had before.

John

This message was edited by JM on 1-28-14 @ 4:58 PM

flathead48

01-29-2014 @ 4:21 AM

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Thanks guys for the info I will try corn head grease

cliftford

01-29-2014 @ 6:30 AM

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I put 600W gear lube in mine and it seems to work fine,doesn't leak.

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