Seal Replacement

NC Mike · Apr 30, 2009

Rebuilding the steering on my 52 Super M. Fixing all the oil leaks in the steering and have a question for the experts. Is there an easy way to replace the seal on the bottom of the steering gear box and located inside the upper bolster. It's along way up to seat it and keep it stright.

glennster · Apr 30, 2009

if you dont have a bushing driver, what i have done in a pinch is a lenght of iron water pipe and a coupling. i cant remember off hand if it was 1 inch or 1-1/4 inch water pipe, but one of them, the pipe coupler is just about exact size of the seal diameter. get the seal up there, then slide the pipe in behind it and tap the seal into place. kind of crude, but it will work in a pinch. pack the inside of the seal good with gun grease to keep the spring from popping out.

NC Mike · Apr 30, 2009

That sounds like a good idea. I was looking at using a 2 inch socket on a 3/4 drive with an extension to tape it in. My worry was the alignment befor tapping it home.
Thanks,
Mike

glennster · Apr 30, 2009

you can also try a lenght of all thread rod, maybe 1/2 inch, lay a flat iron with a hole in the center across the top of the bolster, then run it thru your socket with a washer and a nut and then tighten the nut to pull the seal up in to place.

Andy Martin · Apr 30, 2009

And use gun grease instead of 90 wt oil. It will stay in the gearbox and will give good service.

Are you replacing the bushing too? Generally a loose bushing has let the shaft damage the seal.

NC Mike · Apr 30, 2009

I think the bushings are good. Every thing is very tight. The bearing on the end of the steering shaft was replaced at some point and was leaking oil and they placed grease in the gear box. The lower bushing seems tight also. The thrust bearing is bad, It's flat spotted. You would never know it by how well the steering worked. Very little play in the steering and no wobble in the tires. This all started by fixing all leaks and getting every thing back to factory specs for a show tractor

johns48jdb · Apr 30, 2009

one thing i've learned over the years is to never put a new seal back i the exact same spot if you can help it. sometimes this means buying a seal that is narrower than the orginal. the idea is to not put the rubber lip back on the same spot on the shaft. the shaft is worn already in that spot and a new seal will leak just like the old one if you put it back in the same groove.

NC Mike · Apr 30, 2009

The seal I took out was a IH leather seal. The new one will be the new style. It's only 1/4 of an inch wide. I will be putting in two seals back to back. The seal area on the shaft doesn't show any wear.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 30, 2009

The thing about installing any seal is the driver must be very close to the exact size of the outside diameter of the seal and it must have a square shoulder. If it is not you will for sure deform the seal. I have a driver for an H and use same one on the M by using a heavy washer over my driver that fits the seal and just use masking tape to build outside diameter of pilot to fit into the bushing. . It pilots up into the bushing so as to keep you on track while driving seal in. The top bushing will have very little side play if good and shaft must be smooth. Don't use gun grease as it cannot lube shaft and then it will wear. We used to use the torque amplifier additive in steering gear boxes and it worked great but you cannot get that any more so use a good EP heavy gear lube.

glennster · May 1, 2009

stop over to your friendly john deere dealer and get a couple tubes of corn head grease. works real good for the farmall steering boxes.

Seal Replacement

NC Mike

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glennster

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NC Mike

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glennster

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Andy Martin

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NC Mike

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johns48jdb

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NC Mike

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Anonymous-0

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glennster

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