Hi Michael, It is a fair amount of work to remove and install the unit. In addition keeping the steering box and steering column indexed correctly is tricky, especially if you have never done it before. If the unit is on the bench, you want to consider a total reconditioning at that point. The procedure in the workshop manual is over thirty pages in length. The rebuild kit includes dozens of seals. o rings and gaskets. When you're all finished you will have no way to test it until it is re-installed. Most owners opt to send to a rebuilder, who can rebuild and test it before re-installation. It ends up being a considerable investment in time and money.
I understand all that Joe. There are a LOT of members here doing all kinds of complex things on our Pagodas for the first time. Some for the challenge and others to keep costs to a minimum.
I went through a complete and total steering system renovation in May 2024. As a consequence of my exhaust system work in early January a year ago, because of my ill fated loss of rubber donuts on the way to PagodaFest in Chicago September 2023 (nothing happens fast here!), my mechanic friend noted that both the steering gear/box and the PS pump were both leaking. Not only did this explain some mysterious leaks under the car over the years, but to me was not surprising. The car was now 55 years old, and during the restoration in 1999-2001,
nothing was touched on the steering system. So after all these years and over 130,000 miles how could one be surprised there's a leak? Or wear?
Thrifting a repair (doing it on the cheap) to me, will always lead to more work down the line, and kicking yourself for not doing a better job when you had the chance. If you spend 4 hours struggling to remove ONE PART on a steering gear (with lots of "French" as Pawel indicates) to access ONE O-RING, wouldn't that time be better spent removing the gear and doing it on a bench? You may not like what you see with more things to fix but you won't regret a total rebuild if that's what's called for.
You bring up a good point about total reconditioning. It was your suggestion of the complexity of the rebuild kit, along with the 30+ pages of instructions that had me say to myself I'd be a fool of the highest order NOT to simply get a rebuilt unit and have that installed instead. My mechanic friend was ready and able to do the rebuild himself, and he's done it before. BUT, I'm a firm believer in expertise, and
C&M Hydraulics in Las Vegas ONLY does these boxes and power steering pumps, so they are exceedingly good at what they do.
I bought both the C&M rebuilt PS Pump and the Gear and new fluid from Autohauz AZ, on "exchange" with a costly core charge for the gear. The pump is easy to find in many places, the gear more difficult. I bought new hoses, both the high pressure and low pressure from Authentic Classics. I gave it all to my mechanic friend and he did it all fairly quickly (maybe about 4-5 hours labor?) and for the first time in years, no leaks at all underneath the car, and everything is just perfect. It was easier for him to remove the radiator to get the pump out so that he did, which also meant we changed all the coolant in the process.
