10 - Steering ( Chris Burdo,  June 7, 2005 )

10.1 - PAS top cover shaft seal fix,(Speedy-Sleeve) ( Craig Kercheval,  September 23, 2003 )

Unlike many of the initial postings, this one is not to pose a
problem, but to post a solution. It involves the installation of a repair
sleeve (called a "Speedy Sleeve) onto the top shaft of the power steering box.
Hopefully, this info will come in handy for some of you.

Several months ago, I noticed a fairly major leak from the Power
Assisted Steering box. I saw that fluid was not only leaking with the car
running, but even when the car was resting in my garage. The leak was
coming from the seal around the shaft which connects to the steering column.
This was puzzling, since I had recently replaced the seal - on two
separate occasions to try and stop the leak. Since I had followed Jaguar's
instructions carefully when disassembling the top cover of the box and since
I renewed not only the seal, but the two o'rings which are part of that
component, I was surprised (and dismayed) that the leak continued as it had
before I essentially rebuilt the top cover those two previous times.

During the course of my research to find a solution I got
several doses of good advice, not to mention moral support
from Chris Burdo, one of the listers here. Now that I have
finally found the right fix for this leak, Chris suggested that
I post my findings to this group. So, while the solution here is
unsolicited at this time, perhaps it will come in handy for anyone's
Jaguar sedan who experiences leaking from the same spot as on my
car.

I'll try to summarize here, based on the learning curve I just
went through.

Car:
1966 Jaguar 3.8S with 40,700 total miles.


Problem:
Leaky Power Assisted Steering box from the top shaft seal. This
is the shaft which connects to the steering column. After years of
trouble-free operation, fluid began leaking from the seal when the
car was running, and continued to leak when the car was not running.
Continued leaking approx. 1-2 oz. a day with the car sitting in the garage.

Solution:
Installed a "Speedy Sleeve" on the top shaft. Replaced the shaft
seal and the two o-rings in the top cover.

Reference:
Jaguar 3.4S and 3.8S Models Service Manual. See page I-38
section on "The Top Cover" plus illustrations.


Replacement Parts:
Speedy Sleeve - Part # 99076 made by Chicago Rawhide
Seal (double-lipped) - Part # 7443 made by Chicago Rawhide
O'ring - Size .028
O'ring - Size .042


Procedure Notes:
Rather than repeat text from the Jaguar Manual, I have only
commented based on my recent experience with this procedure.
(The assumption is that the box has been removed from the car
for this procedure)

Speedy Sleeve comes with clear instructions and a tool included
to drive the sleeve onto the shaft. Basically, installation involves driving
the sleeve onto the shaft to cover the area of the shaft which is directly
inside the top cover seal. On my car, I stopped driving the sleeve at a
point where about 1/4" of the shaft shows beyond the splines. Although the
Speedy Sleeve was the correct diameter for the shaft, the splined part of the
PAS shaft on my car needed to be sanded down in order to allow the sleeve to
go over the splines without binding. I used 400 grit paper on the splines,
checking until only slight resistance could be felt with the sleeve
slipped over the splined part of the shaft.


I removed everything from the top cover, per the Jaguar Manual
instructions, except the shaft seal, which I left in place for measuring
purposes. Before removing the old seal from the PAS top cover, measure the
distance along the shaft where the sleeve must be installed. The sleeve is only
about 1/2" long, so it is critical that it be driven directly under where
the seal will sit with the top cover in place.

Use a non-hardening sealant, like Permatex, which will act as a
lubricant, when spread thinly on the inside of the sleeve before driving it
along the shaft.

After gently driving the sleeve in place over the shaft, and a
final check of the top cover with the old seal in place, the old seal can be
removed from the top cover. The new seal can then be pressed, or lightly
drifted in place inside the top cover. I used a thin coat of Permatex
non-hardening sealant around the outside and front of the seal, careful not to
get any on the rubber seal. After the seal is in place, of course, it must
be lubricated with the same fluid used in the PAS.

With the new o-rings (lubricated with same fluid used in the
PAS) installed and all components back in place in the top cover,
the top cover can then be tightened down onto the steering box.

10.2 - S-type Steering box rebuild ( Chris Burdo,  January 27, 1998 )

Yes your power steering box can be rebuilt, will it work when
you put it back together, how lucky do you feel? All kidding
aside,it can be done. I have just recently put mine back together
after renewing all the seals and gaskets. I ordered a rebuild kit
from Welch Jaguar in Ohio, USA for about $45.00. Make sure when
you order your kit that you know which box you have ( the first
or second type), also whether or not your box is steel or aluminum,
this determines which kit fits your box. ( I didn't realize
this and told them I had the second type box and still received
the wrong kit). The quick way to make sure that the kit is the
right one is to make sure that the output shaft seal that you
receive is the same one as the one you remove from your box.
(The first box uses a different size seal).

In order to rebuild the steering box you will need alot of
patience and maybe a few Guiness stouts wouldn't hurt too! The
thing you have to remember is that on either end of the worm gear
there are ball bearings and roller bearings,(This is shown pretty
clearly in the manual), so care must be taken in removing the
covers off of the ends. Take the manuals advice and put a large
pan or cookie sheet under the box during the dis-assembly and
assembly stages,( I did this and went one step further and put
a quart of oil in the pan because it took about two seconds for
me to realize that bearings bounce!, nothing like learning by
experience!).

Once you have all the covers off and you are about to remove
the worm assembly be careful to make sure that the nut doesn't
spin around on you as it is weighted to spin towards the right.
should it spin around on you, you will have the ball bearings
fall out from the inside of the assembly. Now you don't say
whether or not your power steering works but just leaks or if
it does not work and leaks. If it works but leaks I don't think
that you have to take apart your worm assembly, (I only say this
because there are 37 ball bearings that surround this worm gear
and I think you only need to take this apart if you happen to
to be in my position where I have no steering assistance.
If you already have some steering assistance I think just cleaning
it up will do, just make sure that you put a clamp on either side of
the nut to make sure that the nut does not spin. The only problems
I encountered during the rebuild is (a) That the rebuild kit comes with
alot of O-rings, you won't need them all but I took careful care to
make sure that I had replaced them all,(you will have some left though).
(B) putting the worm assembly back in was an effort. The manual states
to use a piston ring clamp, well I went out and bought one for up to
6" and I had to alter this tool and cut up alot the sleeve metal
to finally get the worm nut back in to box. The problem is that
unlike a piston in your block this has two rings back to back,
the rings themselves must have the splits in them 180 degrees
apart. To make thing more interesting Jaguar made sure there is
also a lip (for the end cover), that you must get past with the
rings compressed. This took alittle time and I invented some new
words for the english language. Other than this the rebuild was
pretty straight foward. One other item, make sure that you mark
your lower steering shaft settings as they are before removal
of the shaft and box. I found that "white-out" (typing correct)
works pretty good and its pretty durable. Make sure you mark it
on the shaft, the firewall, the box shaft that the lower shaft
is hooked to, the more places that you have it marked than the
easier it is to install!


Chris Burdo added on July 7th, 2002:

Quick word regarding seals for the PAS pump, or any other part that
requires a seal for that fact. Look in your phone book for the nearest
pump repair shop in your area and go there when you are going to rebuild
your steering box or PAS unit. Take to them exactly what you took out of
the unit, (or bring the unit..nothing that I've never done before, that's
for sure), and they will match it up and give you just what you need to make
it proper again. (Oh, it will still probably leak mind you...I'm still
convinced that they leaked from new and that the engineers from Jaguar are
still laughing over it.). I've bought enough seals and O-rings at the
moment to probably do 3 steering boxes for a cost of $20.00. On a related
matter you should be careful on purchasing O-rings. Pump rebuild shops will
give you proper ones that are made to handle oils and whatnot whereas if you
purchase them from a plumbing section at your local hardware store you may
find out the hard way that they aren't suited for your application.

10.3 - Replacing Steering Column Bushings ( Bob McAnelly,  February 22, 2006 )

Replacing the bushes is one of the easier repair tasks on your
car, and very drastic performance improvement once you are done
pretty instant gratification. But, just like any other old car
repair, what looks like an hour job ends up taking four times
as long, plus a wasted week while you wait for the "other" part
you broke to come in the mail, etc.

 But, the process is rather simple. While it might not be
absolutely necessary to remove the steering wheel, it is a lot
easier if you do. Remove the 4 screws from the back of the horn
push assembly, then the three screws holding on the horn ring. 
The jam nut and main nut holding on the steering wheel come off next,
and out with the wheel. Don't lose the two half moon spacers. 
 
At the bottom of the column, loosen the hose clamp that holds
the column to the bulkhead. While down there, disconnect the purple
horn wire from the column. Remove the trim panel below the instruments,
and note how the clock and odometer cables poke through. 

If an auto trans. car, disconnect the shift linkage. Open the bonnet and
remove the bolt from the lower end of the column center shaft where it
attaches to the u-joint. You need to remove the nut and push the bolt
out of the end of the shaft, as it is an interference fit. Go back
into the car and remove the two screws attaching the turn switch, then
the two bolts that attached the column to the instrument panel, and
note the location of the alum. spacers. The column should now
come out. As the central shaft might not want to come out of the u-joint,
give it a good tug. You might need someone under the bonnet to help you get it out.

Once removed, there is a plastic or bronze "fork" that keeps the central shaft
inside the column. It is hidden under an aluminum collar down near the
bottom of the outer column.  Pry the collar off, and the fork can then be removed.
Pull out the column and you will then gain access to the two bushes.

Remove the old ones (or the partial remains of the old ones) and stick in the new ones.
I have found the new bushes to be slightly over-sized- with the hole in the center a bit
too small. I have used a file or sandpaper to open it up a little.  You don't want them
too tight, as you will have difficulty in turning the steering wheel, or the wheel will squeek.
I hone them out and add a little white grease. 

And, of course, it all goes back the reverse of how you took it apart. Hardest part is
getting the end of the steering column back into the universal joint. It helps if you have
someone up front to guide the end of the shaft into the joint. It can only go one way,
as there is a flat spot on the shaft over which the bolt passes. If you don't get it
into the correct spline alignment, you will not be able to slip the bolt back in. 
You don't need to force the bolt-- if it won't go in, you do not have it indexed properly. 
Might help to mark the two ends before disassembly with paint or a scrape of the
metal pieces so that a shiny scratch is created.

While you have it all apart, clean the horn contacts inside the column and maybe
bend the contact finger to ensure that it makes good contact. When slipping the
central shaft back into the column, make sure you do not bend the contact. You
should be able to ease it past the contacts through the hole in the column where the
horn wire is attached. It will be quite obvious once you get it all apart. 

Several of the parts sellers list a kit for rebuilding the horn contacts.  The ones I have
seen to date are junk. The contact pieces are soft brass and not spring bronze, and
they do not keep their shape. You are much better off keeping the original pieces. 
However, if your parts are damaged beyond repair, before ordering one of those repair kits,
ask on this list if anyone has found a reliable supplier.