RP Steering Box Oil Level

[David Stepney]

This is probably yet another silly question, but what is the correct way of ascertaining the oil level in a worm and wheel steering box?

During the recent service, I dutifully topped the steering box up with SAE 140 oil to the level of the oiler. The car was then used for an eighty or so mile run on Saturday. Today, when I moved the car out of the garage to give it a wash, it deposited a gloop of oil onto my overalls. Investigation showed that the oil had come from the top of the steering column which the handbook suggests means that I have overfilled the steering box.

Its not a frantic problem, as there is always plenty of rag under the drivers seat of the car and it is not a problem to check the situation and wipe away any excess, but there is always going to be a point when I forget and I will get SAE 140 on my best trousers.

I don't remember this happening with either of my previous Sevens, but there again, I was probably not so fastidious (for that read OCD!) about maintenance. The whole car is in good fettle and as reliable as 'Old Nick' (one could almost say that it is a devilish good car (ha ha)). In particular the steering box itself is smooth throughout its travel and has slightly less that 1 inch of free play at the steering wheel rim and i do not want to spoil this situation by inadequate lubrication. However, I fear that I may have 'over-egged the pudding' so to speak.

The combined wisdom of the cognoscenti would be greatly appreciated, please.

[Howard Wright]

Hi David

Seeing as no one has responded I’ll respond, if only to put you up the thread list  .

I’m not sure that oil is the best thing to use.  All the steering boxes (all three!) I’ve dismantled have had grease in various forms encrusted around their workings.  I not seen a gasket between the box and cover (it would get mangled as you adjust the mesh) so does that preclude the use of oil?

Perhaps “groil” is a happy medium and only a few squirts at each service?

Hope others will agree or contradict me as I’d like a definitive answer too.

Cheers

Howard

[John Mason]

I like David found out the hard way and got the wrath of “Her who must be obeyed” when I got oil on my trousers. The problem you are left with is how often do you top up and with how much. I now tend to under fill rather than overfill and rely on how the steering feels before topping up.

John Mason

[Dave Mann]

I suspect most RN/RP steering boxes are filled with grease because of their propensity to leak (from the seal and the lowest stud) and because they have a grease nipple, certainly every one I've stripped has been full of grease. However, when I rebuilt ours I realised that grease wouldn't flow into the the worm bottom thrust face or through the holes to lubricate the worm wheel shaft. So the rebuild included fitting new worm wheel shaft seals and once the adjustment was finalised the slot round the bottom cover stud hole was filled with multigasket. It was then filled with Castrol D140 since when I can get hold of the front wheels and move them lock to lock all day long if I wanted to whereas previously i couldn't. I fill the box up to the grease nipple hole.

[Hugh Barnes]

I've used Penrite Steering box lube that has the consitency of something like Swarfega that seems to do the job quite well and doesn't leak...

[MartinH]

As commented above it really needs to be oil not grease. There are a number of products available that are considerably thicker than EP140. There are steering lubes from Penrite, as Hugh mentioned, and Millers. I use an SAE250 gear oil from Westway who a useful supplier of all the more obscure oils we need for our vintage cars.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111746417158

[Charles Levien]

At some point ( mid thirties?) the steering box lubrication changed from grease to oil — my special has an earlier box which has a nipple, the later car, 1937, has a threaded oil filler plug.
The earlier steering box seems less free and in the past I have made the classic mistake of over enthusiastic greasing resulting in the stuff oozing out below the steering wheel. Had to strip the whole thing down and remove enough grease from the column to keep Halfords going.
The later box doesn’t suffer from this (  perhaps I’m lucky) —  it don’t leak and keeps the steering feeling free.

[Bill Dixon]

I go with Hugh & Martin and use 250 steering box oil,works well for me.

[Steve Bryant]

Just a suggestion:
Has anyone used CV joint grease  instead?
It was the hot tip on Land Rover front hubs that were supposed to have oil in them but seldom stayed there long enough to do its job. Once filled  with CV grease it not only did a better job, but it stayed in the hub and didn't leak out.
Stephen

[David Stepney]

Thank you gentlemen for your informative replies.

I am perhaps fortunate inasmuch as my steering box (in common with, surprisingly, the transmission gearbox) is reasonably continent, and, as have mentioned earlier, is in good order, being smooth from lock to lock. Judging by the 'gloop' that came out of the top of the steering column, I suspect that the box was at one time filled with graphited grease. The car's handbook (edition No: 972) suggests grease, but Woodrow recommends filling it with SAE 140. I prefer the idea of a thick oil, for the reasons outlined in Dave Mann's reply and I have filled it up to the bottom of the grease nipple hole.

Series Landrovers now use a thin graphited grease that seems to flow quite easily, as the spherical housings and attendant seals are useless at keeping oil in the swivel housings. I have used this special grease in my own Series III for many years after finding that I was previously replacing the swivel bearings virtually every year for the MOT and anyone who has owned a Landrover will know that it is not the most convenient of jobs. Thus the use of this grease in the steering box may very well be the way forward.

This leaves me with a dilemma: either I can remove the steering box from the car, dismantle and clean it out, charging it with Landrover swivel grease on reassembly, or I can leave things alone and monitor the situation, making sure there is always some rag in the car to wipe away any excess lubricant hopefully before it drips into my lap!

I am inclined, at least at this stage, to the latter course. Removing the steering box from a standard saloon looks to be a bit of a 'Chinese jigsaw puzzle', as I have already discovered that there is insufficient clearance between the top of the column and the roof to get the control tubes out. I am also in the position of not having 'SWMBO' (well, not one that is resident, anyway) and thus any incontinence from the steering gear will only cause me annoyance, rather than also getting either an 'ear-bashing' or three day's silent treatment.

Once again, thank you all for your combined wisdom.