Steering box done now, rusty ball bearing was causing problems as it was floating about in the bottom.
Anyway, - all went well until we tried to put the top on after locating the top bearing in place. The big 'nut' that the steering wheel is attatched to will not come up past the ball bearings.
We have measured the new ball bearings and they are bigger than the old ones so the collar on the 'nut' will not pass them meaning that there is only about 1/4" sticking out to fasten the steering wheel on to.
Is this making sense??
There is also what is called a dust cover missing so the steering wheel would bear on the oil seal in opperation.
Could any one help with a description (picture would be nice) of how the steering is assembled at the top end. Meaning the top race and how it is fitted and what supports the steering wheel as it drags the worm up and down.
I have an exploded diagram of the steering but it isn't very helpfull when one dosn't know what one is doing.
Landowner,to the question "is this making any sense?" i would have to say "not really".
Did you manage to put the "top cover" in place?
The part that's secured with 6 nuts?
Indeed you will see the oil seal through the centre hole,but the bottom bit of the steering wheel will never touch that.
This "top cover" prevents the whole bearing race assembly from going up.
I get the feeling that the balls you got are so big the center part of the steering system (the hollow bit) does not fit anymore...
The part of that centre bit should be sticking out the top of the housing (oil seal actually) by at least 2 and 3/4 inches.
Dunggatherer wrote:Landowner,to the question "is this making any sense?" i would have to say "not really".
Did you manage to put the "top cover" in place?
The part that's secured with 6 nuts?
Indeed you will see the oil seal through the centre hole,but the bottom bit of the steering wheel will never touch that.
This "top cover" prevents the whole bearing race assembly from going up.
I get the feeling that the balls you got are so big the center part of the steering system (the hollow bit) does not fit anymore...
The part of that centre bit should be sticking out the top of the housing (oil seal actually) by at least 2 and 3/4 inches.
Yes, got the cover on with the six nuts but then the splined bit that the steering wheel fits on to would only come up about 1/4 inch (protruding) above the top cover.
What holds the part in place that holds the steering wheel. What stops the steering wheel from bearing down on the top cover when turning left and what stops it from lifting the steering wheel when turning right. (or is that the other way round)
I've got a feeling that some parts are missing from our Dexta or we have put it back together wrong or Agriline have supplied the wrong top bearing kit.
"What holds the part in place that holds the steering wheel. What stops the steering wheel from bearing down on the top cover when turning left and what stops it from lifting the steering wheel when turning right. (or is that the other way round)"
The lower race is a tight fit in the column and sits on a shoulder if I remember right. The top cover has six studs that keep it from riding up. Shims are used between the cover and the column to maintain the proper clearance for the ball bearings.
The 'top nut' - the bit the steering wheel fastens to, is trapped between these two by the ball bearings riding in the groove machined into it. When you turn the wheel, the top nut can't move up or down, so it forces the worm shaft up or down instead.
Do you have the ball bearings riding in the groove in the top nut?
When re-assembling , you need to position top nut correctly on the worm shaft by turning it up/down on the worm so that the bearings are in the groove and riding in the race.
So from the bottom up, you have bottom race, ball bearings, top race, shims, top cover. The top nut goes through the middle of this assembly, splines for the steering up , and the lower end is threaded on to the worm shaft.
This is why people keep warning eachother not to drop the balls.
During reassembly the idea is to position the center nut,put in the lower race,then the balls,which are now loose on the lower race,so can easily roll down into oblivion,then the upper race,oilseal and maybe a shim,and then the cover.
Covering the balls with heavy grease helps sticking them to the lower race during assembly.
Good luck!
Rob.
PS I once got a kit that the steering wheel did not fit to.
The splines were no good.
commander wrote:"What holds the part in place that holds the steering wheel. What stops the steering wheel from bearing down on the top cover when turning left and what stops it from lifting the steering wheel when turning right. (or is that the other way round)"
The lower race is a tight fit in the column and sits on a shoulder if I remember right. The top cover has six studs that keep it from riding up. Shims are used between the cover and the column to maintain the proper clearance for the ball bearings.
The 'top nut' - the bit the steering wheel fastens to, is trapped between these two by the ball bearings riding in the groove machined into it. When you turn the wheel, the top nut can't move up or down, so it forces the worm shaft up or down instead.
Do you have the ball bearings riding in the groove in the top nut?
When re-assembling , you need to position top nut correctly on the worm shaft by turning it up/down on the worm so that the bearings are in the groove and riding in the race.
So from the bottom up, you have bottom race, ball bearings, top race, shims, top cover. The top nut goes through the middle of this assembly, splines for the steering up , and the lower end is threaded on to the worm shaft.
Thanks you two, all is now clear.
We were not positioning the balls in the groove on assembly so it was never going to work
I'll have a look in the week and get it all together next weekend
