Steering worm gear

[Simon Scott]

I have had to take my steering box apart and I don’t like the look of the gear but I just wanted to check before trying to source another one that it is gubbed. It is the same all the way round so rotating it is not an option.

[andrew34ruby]

"gubbed" In all my 67 years in Yorkshire I've never heard that word. Google tells me it is Scotish for 'defeated'. Maybe you mean it's knackered.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

You presumably took apart because something didn't feel right?

Cannot really tell the state of it from one close-up picture.

If you don't have a good spare, it may be worth grinding this one and see how it looks when polished a bit.

Which you do by cleaning the steering box insides, the worm and the gear thoroughly.
Smearing fine grinding paste on the worm and/or the gear.
Re-assembling the box, and working the steering wheel back and forth for some time.
Dis-assemble, inspect - and repeat.

When finished, thoroughly clean everything at least twice to remove any trace of grinding paste.

This is what you do to "re-condition" a worn steering box, if rotating the gear on its shaft doesn't work.

I have spent about 4 hours in total on one, and reckon I'm about half way through the process.

It should only take a few minutes, though, to make yours look a bit better - or not, as the case may be.

[Simon Scott]

Thanks. It was the shape of the teeth that concerned me but I’ll polish it up and see how it looks.

Andrew34 gubbed has many meanings, your team got gubbed = thrashed, he got gubbed = assaulted/beaten up, that thing’s gubbed is indeed knackered.

[Ian Williams]

The shape of teeth look perfectly normal to me.

[Simon Scott]

Thanks Ian. I’m relatively new to sevens.

[Chris KC]

Simon, what was the perceived problem that led you to take it apart?

[Simon Scott]

There was a lot of free play in the box and a lot of idiocy in me.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

Hi Simon

If you have the box on the bench, try the adjustments and see if you can get it somewhere near where you want it.


(Adjustments: endfloat on the worm, endfloat on the drop arm, meshing of the gears, starting point on the worm (maybe).   See manuals and the Forum for details)


That means adjust it until there is still just free movement at each end of the travel required - no stiffness is allowable - and then see what you get in the middle.

Quite a lot of play - one to one and a half inches - is normal.    This makes steering a car that tends to steer itself even more interesting.

Try all three sectors of the worm.   Work out where the drop arm swings fore and aft when the box is in the car, then rotate the whole thing 120 degrees and try the next sector, repeat for the third.

DO NOT, yet, think about taking the gear off and moving it.   It is not easy, and usually (in my case anyway) involves quite a lot of damage to components and an annoying amount of rectification.   And I am very good at taking things apart without spoiling them.

If one sector really is better than any other, then come back for advice about removing the gear.   Better, get someone who knows what they are doing to do it for you.

If the free play is too much, and the sectors all about the same, then you are into finding a replacement, or grinding as previously mentioned.

Cheers

Simon

[Steve kay]

Simon, is the little picture you at Forrestburn?