Ross box questions

By the way, I bared my stupidity here in the hopes that all out there who are about to start on RossBox adventures of their own might learn from it and find their own mistakes to make...

 

that makes sense about limited driving. the problem i'm going to have is i needed a new sector shaft and pitman arm. they don't come with the lineup marks machined into them. that's why i didn't move the wheels, tie rods, bell crank or the draglink. once i line up the pitman arm i'll rebuild the draglink. hope it works.

 

Found it Jim, thanks!

Point of clarification: it's not a pittman arm connected to the sector shaft, but rather a steering gear arm according to the FSM. Pittman arm is something much different and unrelated unless you have Saginaw...and if'n ya had Saginaw ya wouldn't even be reading this thread unless you were bored.

BUT NOW I discovered other probs on the '71, '66, & '64 Ross boxes (all V6)....
'71: Fill plug is definitely on the side, but low. Almost as low as the adjustment screw...

'64 Tux: Fill plug is higher as pictured in the FSM.

'66: NO fill plug. But some sort of weird vent on the face. Whaa? (Pics forthcoming on each of these)

Note: Today I disconnected the draglink from the steering gear arm and indeed the arm was fully extended during a right turn. Now I'm launched into a dilemma on which of 3 diffo length draglinks to use to make it right.

 

hippo, thanks for clarifying that last clarification.....///?????

 

Mark your arm and shaft before disassembly. when you get the new parts, compare and mark them to match.

 

To Late. I'm Putting It Back Together Again Already. Live And Loin.

 

Can I make a recommendation on finding the right angle?

 

Sure Go Ahead. Thanks

 

Ok here is what I am going to do:

the drag link is still original length so I will set the (funny looking "L" shaped pivoting piece attached to the frame..forgot the name at the moment) to where the end that the tierod attaches to is pointing straight out the front of the jeep. this is where it should be when your tires are pointed straight ahead. the other end of the drag link will now be at the very point where the steering arm should be on the sector shaft with the steering box at the center of it's travel.

Finding center: as you adjust your sector shaft adjusting screw, you will notice that there is a point where the steering wheel will move smoothly through it's travel all except it will get stiff in the center. this is the point where both buttons are fully engaged into the worm gear it is tight here by design. this is where your steering box spends most of it's time and the shaft should be adjusted just loose enough to alow smooth movement through this tight spot.

I will then find this snug spot in the middle of the steering boxes travel and mark the shaft and housing accordingly so I can again find it when the box is temporarily positioned in the jeep.

I will then match the steering shaft up to the drag link and find the mark on the steering box (with the box temp mounted in the jeep) and this will indicate where the steering arm should go back onto the shaft.

reading back through this it makes sence to me, but may be clear as mud to someone reading it. :? let me know if I can clear it any.

 

Thats Genius. That Makes Perfect Sense. I Never Read How To Do That In Any Book Or Website. Also That L Piece Is The Bellcrank . Thanks

 

Hoooo-kay, what's the deal with the fill plug holes in these pics?

Pic 1: on the '64. Plug is where is should be.
Pic 2: on the '71. Plug & boss is located lower, which = less qty of fluid goes in.
Pic 3: spare, '66. No plug or boss. Now what? How to fill? :?

 

Randy (or anyone),
Problem! I notice the exact opposite of what you say above (& what the FSM says ). With the draglink disconnected, I notice I can turn the steering wheel 4.25 times total. So, half of that, or "midpoint" (2-ish turns), is where the steering is the easy part--not the most difficult-- of all. In other words, the most "drag" is on either side of the midpoint, and it gets worse with each turn of that adjusting screw. The more I turn that screw in, the more difficult it is to turn the wheel to either extreme, yet the midpoint remains "easy" to turn thru. Isn't that opposite of what I should notice? What's the deal? :?

Dang I'm really stuck & this is holding me up. Someone please advise. Shanks!!!

 

Well, last night I ripped out my rossbox to prove my theory. It goes almost exactly 6 turns lock to lock (not sure which box you have 4.25 sounds a little restricted) went through the process and sure enough the steering arm was in the wrong spot. as I was removing it I noticed that the shaft and the arm already have lines punched across them. when I moved the arm to where I thought it should be, the marks lined up the worm and sector are from 2 different boxes so I wonder if they all aren't marked from the factory, would have been nice of them.

it sounds like there is a problem with your worm gear, did you buy a new one or reuse the old? seems like pictures of the outside and inside of your ross would be very helpful at this point.

 

It's been installed this whole time. I just popped off the draglink. 4.25 izz it!

I just don't get why it's easiest thru the middle when instead I should feel some drag? :?

 

This box you have, is it from a 4 cyl jeep originally?

the stiffer on the ends and loose in the middle could be worn sector buttons or worn worm in the middle or both.

 

the bottom pic has a breather in the fill hole. neither of my housings (69 and 66) have a plug on top, just the side.

 

Lemmy git home a do some vestigatin, I have 3 ross boxes in the garage and may be able to shed some light on the subject with pics...

 

Ok I'm home, I went out to my museum of ROSSBOX history and did my research. what you see in the pic is a typical mid 60s 4 cyl rossbox with an early 70s V6 only rossbox. I have not aquired a M38A1 box yet but I hear it is similar if not identical to the V6 box. all of the sector shafts I have are marked on the steering arm end of the shaft with a line across the shaft. this lines up with a similar line across the steering arm for alignment.

My v6 box turns 6 full turns lock to lock.
My 4 cyl box turns 3.8 turns lock to lock.

the steering arms and sector shafts between these two boxes do not interchange. neither do the bushings or seals.

Note the location of the fill plugs on both housings.

the side cover bolt patern and size of the box is the best way to identify which you have. the 6 box has a square bolt patern, the 4cyl has a rectangular patern.

Hope it helps

 

I Just Finished Up With The Rebuild On My Ross For The 4 Cyl. It's Not A Bad Job Except For The After Market Parts. The Shaft Would Not Let The Race Go Into Position On Top Of The Worm Gear. I Had To File The Shaft Where It Meets The Worm Gear. The Two Pieces Are Welded There. Then The Races For The Worm Gear Would Not Go Into The Box . They Were .0002 Oversized. I Had To Use The Old Races Which Were Fine. But I Had To Pop Off The Snap Rings And Repack The Ball Bearings. The 3 Fine Adjustments Which Worried Me Turned Out To Be Not Hard At All. You Just Have To Be Anal About It. ( The Sector Shaft Bearings, The Preload On The Worm Gear, And The Preload On The Sector Shaft ) Now Don't Get Me Wrong. It Will Be Another Year Or Two Before This Jeep Is Back On The Road. And The First Time I Turn The Wheel, I Might Have A Pile Of Ball Bearings On The Ground. Wish Me Luck.

 

Really? Huh. Why would the box need a breather when the other ones don't? Thanks fer the info! So is that your fill plug also? I'm wondering: how much fluid is this box supposed to take?

$ sink: all are V6 boxes. 4-cyl are smaller, no? 6 turns......dang!!

Thanks for the pics & continued support of this thread.