International 350U steering .... oddity

Ok so I'll try and. Explain this as good as I can. I purchased a 350u with a know steering issue. Middle steering gear tooth on left side. Shaaft was broke. Machine shop remade gear end and that all went back together well. Set alignment and good to test drive and the wheels don't track together. Left follows steering wheel, right side does when turned to the right but won't return unless manually moved( used my foot to press on steering arm. Jacked the front end up and no matter how I attempt to get the steering in sync I can't. I hope this is an ID10T issue and someone can educate me. [/u]

forgot to mention it's a factory power steering model

Been well around 60 years since I worked on one of the dang things but IF I remember correctly the power steering is some long cylinders , one on each side of the tractor. If that is the case the cylinder piston is stripped off the rod. As long as you are extending or going out with the rod it will work but will not pull back. Check the cylinder and post back.

Is shaft binding? Pressure low in system and
touch with foot is enough to make it
open?.steering valve for that side might be
sticking or worn.been too many years since i was
in a 350 u
Might post 0n the ihc forum too

I am glad someone else made that statement _"Been too many years" , see my post below. I felt like an idiot saying that but 50_+ years is a time, best I remember they were not the most dependable steering when new, seems we worked on several.

The power part of the steering comes from a short stroke cylinder with a rack attached inside the steering box.

As said I don't think it would be the most reliable system as a lot of tension seems to be applied to the gears. I'll attach a picture of the steering

OK pictures sure do help my memory, internal pressure not external cylinders. Like I said earlier when the things were new they were not the best in the world. I guess you are just going to have to take it down again but, I don,t know what to tell you to look for. Strange that one side is working but not the other, might help in where to look.

Possibly, the gear was originally broken because one front wheel hit something or fell in a hole while the tractor was moving fast.

When the steering wheel is turned, does each pittman arm (the arms on the steering gear) stay in time with the other?

Disconnect both drag links from the steering gear.

Start by turning the steering wheel to full lock one way, then turn it back to full lock the other, count the turns.

Then go back 1/2 the turns. Both pittman arms should now be even with each other in the middle of their travel.

Turn the wheel, watch the arms. With the wheel at lock again, one should be full forward, the other full back. Note their position, take a measurement to a common reference, like the bell housing face, or transmission bolt flange.

Turn the wheel full lock the other way, compare the measurement.

If it's not the same, one of the pittman arms is not properly timed with the rack gear inside the gear box, or one of the teeth got knocked off the pittman gear also.

If that is the case, the pittman arm(s) will need to come back out.

If all that checks out, look at the position of the steering arms on the spindle shaft. Possibly one has sheered the key or bolt and the arm is turning on the spindle.

One other thing, will the arms spline on the shaft in different positions?

If so, they may simply be splined in the wrong position.

Do the lock to lock measurements, see if the problem can be corrected there.

Thanks for the info. I was thinking along those lines. Got the tractor jacked up just lost lighting in the big blue shed lol. I'll have to do that test after work and find out .

I own a 350U. When turned to the right, the steering arm on the right will be forward--the steering arm on the left will be rearward. I do not
understand how you can push on the right arm to make it return when it is forward!
Be that as it may, turn the steering wheel so the wheels are not pointing correctly. Jack up that wheel at the axle. Mark a single line on the
spline and nut and arm that will show their relationship. Move the right wheel by hand through the angle where it should be going. now look at
the line you made. If it is still aligned, the issue is in the gear on the right side, and its attachment to the shaft. Jim

I avoid any tractor with that type steering set up,the steering never seems right to me.

I have given up on my 350U. Steering was like you said. Broken
tooth on sector gear. Fixed that. Can't steer, not enough power.
Have to lift front off ground with bucket to steer. No good,
bought Chinese tractor.

Not to be a smarty, but did you align the chisel marks on both arms to the shafts? It looks like the r/s arm is off one spline in the pic-may be the angle of the pic though. Are both sector gears timed internally? Mark.

(quoted from post at 10:21:40 07/29/19) Not to be a smarty, but did you align the chisel marks on both arms to the shafts? It looks like the r/s arm is off one spline in the pic-may be the angle of the pic though. Are both sector gears timed internally? Mark.

Click to expand...

It had been torn apart prior to my purchase so I'm not entirely sure it was. Marked correctly. I attempted to time it at centerline on reassembly to help with timing. I'll have to go through the whole process of checking the timing when I get home

Ok so I had time to look at it. I took the pitman arm off and observed that the right shaft has, a dead spot for lack of a better term. Turns fine at full left/ right but in the middle position it stops rotating in times with the left shaft. Left sector gear is the ones that was reworked.

I was hoping I was missing something like the. Rack is out of time and I wouldn't have to take the box down again. Any thoughts?

It's. A beautiful machine with almost no rust. And almost factory straight metal. I'd hate to scrap it.

Well thats that.....