Taping a Saginaw Box - NOT the end caps

[m715]

Ok I give up, I've searched, read hours of stuff, found several meassages with the exact same question I want but the only answers were "use the search "

So does anyone actually have a GOOD picture of where to tap the box for hydro assist? After reading over 100 pages I've found one picture and that was in reference to a linked article...

I can't find any...and I know they are there somewhere

2nd easy question when did Jeep switch from flared fittings to O-ring fittings, my '79 box has the flared style...

[Maine Jeepah]

my informed sources told me if you take the box apart, it is obvious from the way it is cast where to drill.
(You are talking about drilling/tapping it near the input shaft of the box right?)


MJ

[m715]

Thanks!

Makes sense we'll pull the box down and see...looks fairly close to the input shaft in this picture?


Any tips on pulling the end cap out with the box sitting on the bench?
- I read the one where they drilled and put a sheet metal screw in the cap and then used a slide hammer to pop it out.
(yes retainer ring is out)

Maybe before it goes back it I'll have a giant Al nut welded on the end cap...would make it easy to turn...

[TR]

there should be a hole in the top of the box where that end plug is. put a punch in there and beat the end cap out.

[Maine Jeepah]

http://www.gradysoffroad.com/steering/steering.html
Thats about the best one I've found so far...i have seen others that were just as...well...vague, I have spent quite a bit of time searching...dammit someone post of pic of where you drilled.

[wanderingwillys]

As for getting the cap out - there is a small hole at the top edge of the cast iron boss that the snap ring fits into - run a thin punch or nail down the hole and you should pop out one end of the snap ring - use a thin bladed flat head and work it around until it is all the way removed...

Now turn the pitman arm to the left with the box clamped in a vise, (use the casting bosses on the top or bottom edge) continue turning left until you reach the internal stop in the box - at this point the piston is maxed out against the end cap - turn even so slightly further left and the cap will pop loose... (no drilling nonsense )

Warning!!! - Do not over-turn the sector shaft toward the left as the worm race will come far enough out of the piston letting all the recirc. balls drop from the piston...

If this does happen you will hear a tinkling sound (balls dropping into the outer case) and no longer be able to smoothly turn the box through its stroke - this means you have to tear everything apart and insert the balls in the proper track... another lesson for another time...

Good luck

Matt

[m715]

Yea everything I've found has been vauge...the article I read was on BC4x4, they taped the box differently then AGR does:
http://www.bc4x4.com/pr/2002/ram/


I did find a good article on how to modify and TOYOTA box:
http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/projects/roktoy7/
I want to see some picts like this article has

[jdjanda]

Track down a good shop manual and you should be able to easily figure out where you can and cannot tap.

Joe

[mike]

You will need to disassemble the box to tap it anyway. Once you have it disassembled you should be able to figure it out. It's not that difficult Honestly

[Brandon]

FROM HERE

[Maine Jeepah]

Thanks Bradon...i passed through that site a couple times in my travels and never found that...

MJ

[CJ]

Same as Brandon, I highly recomend West Texas.
I needed a different stroke ram and a shorter hose after I had installed it. They took care of it no problem, the parts were even sent back out the same day.

[Meyer]

Along these lines... is there anything wrong with tapping the round front cover and the top cap near the adjuster screw? I have seen some writeups/pics on here where that was done. I think by TPIJeep.

Anyone have experience/problems doing it that way?

[wanderingwillys]

The only difficult most have is keeping the front cap in one piece - I cracked 3 before getting an aluminum AN bung welded on a cap - no more cracking...

I also killed a top cap during the pump testing phase - oops

Matt

[pcorssmit]

Were you using pipe thread when you cracked the caps? I was afraid of them crackind with the tapered threads, so I used a SAE straight thread o-ring fitting instead, worked out pretty well. I used the same fitting on the end cap, but had a friend TIG weld on an additional piece of Al on it (it was only ~.220" thick).

Pete

[wanderingwillys]

Yes it was a tapered tap and I think that was the majority of the problem - although the top cap was just excessive pressure - I though about converting to SAE o-ring but the metal is still really thin there - the weld seemed like the strongest option...

Matt

[BillaVista]

btt

[Chrisjeep7]

yup you searched real hard...if you did you would have found my thread with these pics

[Two Dogs F..king]

While we are on the subject (and I know this is very elementary), but why don't we ask the question:

How does Hydro Assist work?

[Chrisjeep7]

search its been covered...

[snoop dogg]

i read about the top cap popping, how do you prevent this...and i assume this is when your bleeding it?

[Keith]

Hmmmm. I never heard of the top cap cracking like that. I did mine with a pipe tap over a year ago, no problem yet. I will keep my fingers crossed.

[foley]

Originally posted by 05wrightm
While we are on the subject (and I know this is very elementary), but why don't we ask the question:

How does Hydro Assist work?

normal power steering works off the box, as the resistance builds, so does the pressure in the power steering. Hydro assist taps into that source of steering load based pressure, and plumbs it out to a hydraulic ram that pushes or pulls based on the load on the box.

[TheLakeRat]

LOL!! i think it's pretty cool that every box shown other that the last one and the one listed as a AGR was one of mine. Thanks for all the business guys.

M715 if you give up then give me a call.

Brandon, i'll be out there again in a couple of weeks if you want to meet up for lunch or something. Give me a call

by the way O-ring boxes started in 80

[Big Rich]

Originally posted by TheLakeRat
Brandon, i'll be out there again in a couple of weeks if you want to meet up for lunch or something. Give me a call

Matt are you coming out to Calif.? If so you had better let me know.
Rich