C3 - two steering questions

[Mark #44888]

1. The old steering box, free on any linkage, turned VERY easy. The rebuilt one I bought has considerable drag. Which one is correct?

2. The contol valve mounted on the end of the steering link rod - must it be screwed on all the way, until no threads are showing on the rod? My rebuilt one bottomed-out, hand-tightening it about 4 threads before the end. I couldn't notice the way my old one was due to all of the grease and grime on it.

thanks all !

[Dick W.]

Re: C3 - two steering questions

Question #1: I would expect a freshly rebuilt box to have some drag.

#2: Screw the valve on until you bottom the threads out. Back it up until the lock bolt is aligned.

Sounds like everything is ok

[Gary R.]

Re: C3 - two steering questions

If the rebuilt box was correctly done you should feel it snug up on center. Now the only way to correctly set the lash ans preload is with a dial toque wrench. If you have access to one then you'll need to rig up a fitting to use on the box. I made one from an old rag joint. You should have between 11-12 in/lbs on center and about 7 in/lbs off center.

A quick check is to look at the kash screw to see if there are any threads showing. Most times,not all, if the screw is buried beyond the threads there is little to no adjustment left in the gears.

Look in the AIM there is a gap spec for the control valve on the centerlink