Hello All:

New guy here with a question. I have an an 88 Raider that I picked up back in the spring. Got interested in it after seeing MontyMcV's trucks as we work at the same place. (BTW, boy that Bill is one really cool guy!)

I am leaking fluid from the bottom oil seal on the steering box. I can't quite see from the FSM how/what is the best way to change it out. Can I just pull the pitman and change it from below? Or do I need to pull the main shaft out the top?

Hoping that I don't have to pull the whole box as the fluid lines are pretty rusty on the top and so far I haven't been able to break them loose.


Disclaimer: Bill here starting this thread. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />


Russ does exist and had been having trouble getting an account created. I did it for him now and will hand over the account. I am heading to the cottage for the weekend and may not be online too much. He has been wanting to get on the fix and I had been meaning to put up a thread. But then my head job got in the way.

I'll show him the login info before I head out from work today. Thanks in advance to anyone who can lend some insights.

Should just have to pull the pitman and change the seal. I haven't done one on the smaller box, though.

Interesting. I guess past ones that he has worked on had a snap-ring to hold the seal in. Must mean ours don't generate enough pressure to blow the seal out then...? That was my guess looking at the FSM, and also IIRC that Curtis said when he first did his 4.3 swap the GM pump blew out the steering box.

I remember a few times of hard offroading it would boil the PS fluid, but I don't remember blowing a seal up. Though I certainly could have.

I use mine to power my Miles Marker 10,500 winch, must have a little pressure. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Ha, good point. It just seems surprising that a tapped in oil seal would hold. The inside design must he such that the pressure doesn't actually build up bhind the seal itself.

It's been a while since I did one ( 14 years). If I remember right there are two seals, an outer felt and an inner lipped seal.

I dont remember a snap ring ( could be but its been a long time). I did mine in the vehicle. The main reason mine was leaking was pitting on the shaft. I dressed it down with progressivly finer sand paper until it was smooth. You can dress down some pretty deep pits and the seal will still conform just fine.

There is not a lot of pressure in that section of the box.

Have fun,

Kevin

I'd first try some of the PS fluid with stop leak. It worked on my seep leak for years...

Get on Bill's site and download the factory service manual for your truck, and look at the writeup in the Steeting section if you still want to replace the seal.

Same problem on my 91RS with leaky Pitman seal. On the (89) FSM I have, it shows another non-reusable seal above Pitman seal called a U-PACKING. All the parts sites I've seen (i.e. RockAuto) only show the Pitman Seal (singular). What do i do about the U-PACKING or upper Pitman Seal?

It's this a Mitsu-only item? does someone have access to CAPS that could throw out a number?

Or should I just replace my lower Pitman Seal and not even disturb the upper U-PACKING?

MI-Mitsu

Per CAPS, MB636914 is the steering gear seal kit. $23-$26 from the online sources. Don't have NAPA cross reference handy, but I'll be back at work on Tuesday.