Hot Rod Forum banner

steering box blew its seals....78 nova

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Triaged 
#1 ·
Alright, as the title says, I have a 78 nova that just blew all the seals on the steering box. I think its because I used a remote resevoir pump from a lates 70s early 80s conversion van on it.... I got the pump and resevoir from a junkyard for cheap. I think that since the van is heavy it must put out alot more pressure than the nova box is good for. Am I right in thinking this? The wierd thing is that the pump/box combo worked great for a year!!! And then suddenly lost everything! Its crazy....

And a side question. Is it hard to replace the seals in a steering box? I have only torn apart a corvair box on my t-bucket and there was nothing to it, but I think this nova box may be a bit more complicated.

Thanks for your time and input,
Ryan
 
#7 ·
You are right about it leaking from the pitman arm seal but I also think it is leaking from the input shaft seal too. Is this hard to change?

Do different powersteering pumps put out different pressures, or are all the pumps the same?

Thanks for your help so far!
Ryan
 
#8 ·
Pull the pitman arm off and the snap ring that holdes the seal in. Then start the car and turn the wheel. It will blow the seal out (and make a mess so shut it off quick). Then you just have to put the new seals (and washer and snap ring) in and you are good to go. Less money and less work then a junkyard box that might still leak.

Edit: turning the wheel one way will blow it out and one won't. I don't remember which is which. Post up when you figure it out.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top