[Shop-talk] Steering gear oil

[Jim Stone]

Interesting.  The Alpine is a recirculating ball unit, but the issues are the same.  The OEM specification was 90wt gear oil, but that has a tendency to leak out after 50+ years.  I packed mine with regular grease many years ago and, while it still feels fine and I haven’t pulled the top cover off to check, I gather that because grease doesn’t flow, it will gradually get pushed away from the gears if I didn’t get the packing perfect.  So, I will eventually replace it with what I recently purchased, and then with the corn head grease if that doesn’t work.

Here is a John Deere video discussing the grease.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zNhli-J0Gk (I can’t help but think the Deere video is actually modeled on the old Turbo Encabulator video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2Ag)

And, here is an exploded view of an Alpine gear.  



Jim

> On May 5, 2021, at 12:50 PM, Jack Brooks <JIBrooks at Live.com> wrote:
> 
> Pat,
>  
> My TR3 is a worm and peg. 
>  
> The way it was explained to me……..  Cornhead grease is that it’s a semi-fluid, self-leveling grease thick enough to stay put, but will liquify easier than regular grease, so it’ll work “as an oil” in steering boxes that specify oil, not grease.
>  
> I couldn’t find the John Deere spec sheet quickly, but a number of the properties are highlighted here.
> https://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Special-Purpose-Corn-Head-Gun-Grease-AN102562.html <https://www.greenpartstore.com/John-Deere-Special-Purpose-Corn-Head-Gun-Grease-AN102562.html>
>  
> Jack
>  
> From: Pat Horne <patintexas at icloud.com> 
> Sent: Wednesday, May 5, 2021 9:32 AM
> To: Jack Brooks <JIBrooks at live.com>
> Cc: Shop-talk at autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Steering gear oil
>  
> I’m not involved w/British cars, but old Japanese cars & would like some information about the vehicles that y’all are considering using cornhead grease on. Are these steering boxes recirculating ball or worm & peg boxes? The Datsun roadsters I’m involved with use both types depending on year. 
>  
> Peace,
> Pat
> 
> Pat Horne 
> We support Habitat for Humanity
>  
> 
> On May 4, 2021, at 11:26 PM, Jack Brooks <JIBrooks at live.com <mailto:JIBrooks at live.com>> wrote:
> 
>  
> A lot of Triumph guys like Cornhead grease in the steering box too.  Leaks are a lot less likely than the specified oils.
>  
> Jack
>  
> From: Shop-talk <shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net <mailto:shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net>> On Behalf Of Jim Stone
> Sent: Tuesday, May 4, 2021 10:37 AM
> To: Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net <mailto:bspidell at comcast.net>>
> Cc: shop-talk at autox.team.net <mailto:shop-talk at autox.team.net>
> Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Steering gear oil
>  
> Thanks, Bob. I didn’t want to hijack the thread, so I changed the subject line, just in case anyone else was interested in the topic. 
>  
> Cornhead grease was recently suggested on the Alpine forum, probably by someone who owns an Alpine and a Healey. In fact, I found the cotton picker oil while looking for cornhead grease.  Besides being more readily available, at least if you have a Tractor Supply nearby, it is just slightly thinner than the grease, which might make it easier to get in the box but still thick enough not to leak out. I won’t know until I try it, and that might be a while. This is pretty low on my to do list right now; I just bought it because I was in the vicinity of a TS store, something that doesn’t happen all that often. 
>  
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> 
> 
> On May 4, 2021, at 10:28 AM, Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net <mailto:bspidell at comcast.net>> wrote:
> 
>  Side note: The 'goto' for leaky steering boxes in the Austin-Healey universe is John Deere 'Cornhead Grease;' available at many places online (and probably equivalent to spindle grease). A friend sent me a couple tubes, but I haven't tried it yet; getting it in the box is the hard part.
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