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Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box

Posted By: cornet684me

Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/27/10 11:52 PM

i wanted to post this to hopefully save someone from maybe having bad wreck! i have been having problems with my 68'b body power steering gear box, i tried to adjust the valve on top on the gear box, wrong thing to do, i backed out of my drive way, did not get on it, just eased down the road, 440/727 auto, i was going to drive around the block, 1 to second, second to 3rd about 30miles hour now, then the steering wheel rotates by itself at about 100miles an hour to the left and stick there, almost broke my arm and the car landed in the ditch, happy ending no broken bones, car no damage, tommorrow i am taking all the power steering off the car and going manual!!


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Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/27/10 11:53 PM

another

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Posted By: moparpollack

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/27/10 11:54 PM

Yup only manual boxes in my cars. My 70 Cyclone id the same thing once.
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/27/10 11:56 PM

to change over to manual, is all i need to do is buy the power to manual adapter? and put in manual box, is the pittman arm and everything else the same?
Posted By: screamindriver

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/27/10 11:58 PM

...Holy Cow that's terrible !!!! Glad you or your car were'nt hurt...
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:00 AM

thanks Man, i think only thing hurt was my pride, i thought i could get the power gear box to work
Posted By: yella71

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:07 AM

And the guy whos lawn that is must be really pissed! Just kidding glad no one got hurt
Posted By: Blakcharger440

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:08 AM

Quote:

thanks Man, i think only thing hurt was my pride, i thought i could get the power gear box to work



Just out of curiosity. What kind of problems were you having with the PS box that made you want to adjust it?
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:12 AM

no power , the pump was putting pressure to the gear box, however could not get the power steering to work, so i losen the 2bolts on the gear box and adjusted it up and down trying to get it to work, never could get to work, so i was going to go to auto zone and get a new rebuilt one, i bought this one used on ebay, i was just trying to get it to work,
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:17 AM

The spool valve was stuck.. when you adjusted it you biased the assist to one side & the hydraulic pressure caused the valve to shift giving full assist to a hard turn.. Could have been ugly...
Posted By: VITC_GTX

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:23 AM

Wow

Looks like you were extremely lucky!!!

Good luck with the fix
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:36 AM

so how do i change the 68' coronet from power steering to Manual?

Posted By: Y3 70 BEE

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:49 AM

No plates no lights or bumpers. GEEZ how many tickets did you get?
Posted By: rrunner

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 12:52 AM

Quote:

so how do i change the 68' coronet from power steering to Manual?



Get a man. box and either the P.S. to man. column adapter or just get a man. shaft to put in your column or a entire man column.
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 01:01 AM

no tickets, i live in neighborhood out of the city in the county, i was just going around the block in the neighborhood just like someone riding a 4wheeler or a go kart in street.

Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 01:03 AM

so i do not need to change out anything else?
i am going to get a manual box and the adapter
i thought maybe the pittman arm or something
Posted By: 383'D

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 01:25 AM

Have the front end up on jackstands and then play with adjustments.
Posted By: Sixpak

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 01:27 AM

Quote:

i wanted to post this to hopefully save someone from maybe having bad wreck! i have been having problems with my 68'b body power steering gear box, i tried to adjust the valve on top on the gear box, wrong thing to do, i backed out of my drive way, did not get on it, just eased down the road, 440/727 auto, i was going to drive around the block, 1 to second, second to 3rd about 30miles hour now, then the steering wheel rotates by itself at about 100miles an hour to the left and stick there, almost broke my arm and the car landed in the ditch, happy ending no broken bones, car no damage, tommorrow i am taking all the power steering off the car and going manual!!




Hold on there, pardner, just go back and learn how to adjust that valve the CORRECT way - with the front wheels off the ground and the car running. Ya just crack the bolts slightly loose on the valve and move it around til the valve is centered and the wheels no longer want to self-steer.
A big block B body ain't the easiest thing to steer with a manual box. If you want on your forearm muscles, get a manual box, the right pitman arm and a power to manual adapter. But readjusting the power box won't cost anything but a little of your time. If you have a loss of power assist it could be a problem with the PUMP, not the box. Try a rebuilt pump to cure your problems. But make sure you have the correct pulley puller to remove and replace the pulley.
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 01:32 AM

i did the adjustment with the car on jack stands, i could never get the power to work, so i was going to just get a rebuilt unit, however, it was so pretty outside today i want to drive the car around the block, i had been driving the car around with the power steering now working, i am not and will not try to adjust power steering gear box again, i have learned my lesson , i will leave the gear box adjustment to the pros, i have done the whole restoration myself however i have leanrned , there are some things best left to the pros, and making adjustments to a power steering gear box is for the pros, not a weekend want a be like me!
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 01:39 AM

i have put 3 brand new pumps on this car, i did not know how to test the pumps, so i wld go get a new pump and hook it up, everytime no power steering, then somebody finally told me to take the high side hose off and test the pump to make sure it was pumping and that it could be my gear box, so the pump was pumping and i then proceeded to adjust the gear box, i jacked the car up and made several adjustments and alot fluid getting everywhere, never could get the powersteering to work, so i just gave up, then today pulled the car out and took it for spin, wrong thing to do when you have adjusted on the gear box, i am not going to adjust anymore on this box, taking every thing off@
Posted By: RC91

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/28/10 02:27 AM

If your mind is set on a manual box, then do it. It will knock a easy 50lb's off the nose of your car, and make changing plugs a ton easier. Yes, it will be harder to steer, but your probably not planning on using the car for daily commuter transportation.
Posted By: Pyper70

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 12:14 AM

I dunno what would possess you to run 100mph on a car without the basics...like steering. I also dunno where you got so many power steering units that never worked. I have a OLD firm feel in my 69 and it worked out of the box. I also had a rebuilt AutoZone special in my 70 Charger and all you do is crack the 2 bolts loose and tap it little by little....and I am talking 1/32 of an inch each time until that steering wheel quits whipping around......Are you sure your bolts were tightened REAL tight when you went on that drive?

Glad no one was hurt but just imagine if kids were playing in that yard...
Posted By: Jwilli500

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 12:24 AM

He didnt say he was driving a 100 mph. He said the steering wheel started spinning a 100 mph. When that "assist" hits it takes it to 'lock' right now! Been there had it happen, what a surprise!
Quote:

I dunno what would possess you to run 100mph on a car without the basics...like steering. I also dunno where you got so many power steering units that never worked. I have a OLD firm feel in my 69 and it worked out of the box. I also had a rebuilt AutoZone special in my 70 Charger and all you do is crack the 2 bolts loose and tap it little by little....and I am talking 1/32 of an inch each time until that steering wheel quits whipping around......Are you sure your bolts were tightened REAL tight when you went on that drive?

Glad no one was hurt but just imagine if kids were playing in that yard...

Posted By: HealthServices

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 03:30 AM

When I first came onto this board I used to caution about this when people asked about power steering problems and not getting enough assist going in one direction. Boy did I get a ear full. I don't get into those threads much anymore.
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 03:44 AM

was not going 100miles hour, i was only going about 30miles hour, i sd the steering wheel went to the left , figure of speech 100miles hour, the gear box shifted the steering wheel out of my hand and straight for the left at 100miles a hour.
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 03:54 AM

update, the guy that owns the house where my car decided to go into his ditch cld today, he was very cool, he sd he was calling to assure me everything was okay, he sd no problem with the ditch, he sd the ditch needed to be a little deeper anyway, i guess i got really lucky, no emgerency room visit, no cops, no body damage, and a cool neighbor who did sue me for damages to his ditch.
Posted By: chrisf

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 03:35 PM

been there done that, it was a 69 coronet. box problems too, only difference was i was on it hard when it happened. the big ford boat and the toyota i hit didnt like it very much either. hurt mine totalled the toyota and bent the exhaust on the ford.

not a fan of power steering in muscle cars

glad your ok. no matter how the box looks i allways replace them now
Posted By: Fury Fan

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 08:09 PM

Quote:

no tickets, i live in neighborhood out of the city in the county, i was just going around the block in the neighborhood just like someone riding a 4wheeler or a go kart in street.




Nope, not at all like someone riding an ATV or gocart!

You had 3 PS pumps installed, you knew the steering and PS assist still wasn't right, you got up to 30mph, you have a car not legal to drive on public streets (did you have insurance on it at least???).

Trail by fire, friend - you are now one step closer to being older and wiser.
Posted By: David_Trimble

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 08:12 PM

Well I was about to rebuild my PS box myself but after seeing this, I'm now having second thoughts Is the adjustment THAT finicky where it may 'seem' like it's adjusted ok but getting out on the road it can suddenly go nuts on you?
Posted By: dirtybee

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 09:26 PM

Quote:

Well I was about to rebuild my PS box myself but after seeing this, I'm now having second thoughts Is the adjustment THAT finicky where it may 'seem' like it's adjusted ok but getting out on the road it can suddenly go nuts on you?



myself i wouldn't attempt a full rebuild, but i have adjusted them myself after i "restored" my power gearbox without knowing the consequences with the front wheels OFF the ground, you just have to crack those 2 bolts loose with the car RUNNING and lightly tap the valvebody up or down until the steering is neutral. rev the motor to make sure, if it's at all biased you will know when you rev the engine.
Posted By: 1_WILD_RT

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/29/10 11:43 PM

Quote:


rev the motor to make sure, if it's at all biased you will know when you rev the engine.



The factory procedure recomends as a final check to shut the engine off & watch the steering wheel when you resttart the car... even when you get the wheel where it won't move when you rev the engine if you watch the wheel at restart you might see a slight movement at restart.. It should remain still..
Posted By: dirtybee

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/30/10 12:14 AM

didn't remember that ,good advice.
Posted By: David_Trimble

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/30/10 01:31 AM

Quote:


The factory procedure recomends as a final check to shut the engine off & watch the steering wheel when you resttart the car... even when you get the wheel where it won't move when you rev the engine if you watch the wheel at restart you might see a slight movement at restart.. It should remain still..



Indeed, good advice. I think I'll go ahead but instead of tearing down the box I'll just replace what seals I can get to without having to do so. And since I'm not seeing any leaks coming from the valve body I'll just leave that alone...

Thanks for the advice btw.

(OP- didn't mean to threadjack so I'll shut up now )
Posted By: cornet684me

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/30/10 02:18 AM

go carts and 4-wheeler are not street legal either, i had to try the car out, i guess i could have left the car sitting in my garage and just looked at it
Posted By: Y3 70 BEE

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/30/10 02:32 AM

It had to be entertaining to see it happen those pics are classic
Posted By: 05dakota

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/30/10 03:02 AM

if they happened here, impounded car and a bunch of tickets.
Posted By: PAINT IT BLACK

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/30/10 03:13 AM

I personally can't stand manual steering. I am converting from manual to power on my '70 Bee. The best thing I ever did on my Cuda is replace the power box with a Stage 2 Firm Feel unit.... just awesome.
Posted By: @#$%&*!

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/30/10 04:26 AM

Good pictures, thanks for posting. Your problem was that the valve in that valve body was stuck. All you gotta do is take that whole valve body assembly off, take the valve out, clean it all up, and put it back together. All it is is a chunk of cast iron, a spool valve, and a plug on the end. Once it's cleaned up and reassembled repeat the adjustment procedure and you'll be good to take another drive around the block, but with PS this time.
Cory


Quote:

another

Posted By: Fury Fan

Re: Bad Mistake! 68 b body power steering gear box - 03/30/10 01:24 PM

Quote:

go carts and 4-wheeler are not street legal either, i had to try the car out, i guess i could have left the car sitting in my garage and just looked at it




No, you could’ve had the car towed to a repair shop and fixed properly. Regardless if there are non-street legal ATVs or gocarts prowling your streets, don’t take your non-street-legal car out when it’s not safe to drive. Perhaps that should be ‘especially’ instead or ‘regardless’…

I’m beatin’ on you because I was in your shoes when I was younger. Trust me - learn life’s little lessons the hard way, let the older / BTDT folks guide you on the lessons that can be life-altering.
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