I tried the search and I'm sure it's there but cannot find. Question is, what type/brand/part number of grease/oil to use in a 1963 steering box. The liquid I removed from the steering box seems to be like a real thick oil but hard to tell if it's just old grease or oil.
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Chester:
The steering box takes chassis lube. It requires a grease gun and a special adapter/fitting to add it to the box. You can either make one or buy from folks like Paragon. That is where I purchased mine. Price is $$. Fill instructions are included.
The chassis lube I used is GM #12377985.
If you take the box apart for rebuild/restoration, then most folks use a good quality synthetic chassis grease instead to repack everything during box re-assembly
Larry -
Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Larry and Chester-------
GM #12377985 is the lubricant I recommend. It is the "direct descendent" of the lubricant originally used and of GM #1052084. In fact, it's an improved formulation.
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Why did I picture a cartridge of the original lubricant? Well, it was easy for me to get at.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
I recommend a full synthetic NGLI #2 grease for wheel bearings, chassis joints, steering gear, headlight gearbox... just about every application that requires grease. Mobil 1 grease is good example and is commonly available at parts stores.
DukeComment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
I've also used mobil 1 everywhere and I guess if it's good enough for the wheel bearings, it should be good enough for the steering box. My concern was, I did not know if it used an oil or grease. When I took the box apart, there was nothing but liquid in it. I guess over the years the grease broke down into a liquid state. Thanks for all repliesComment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Chester-------
I highly doubt that the grease broke down into just an oil. Grease = an oil + a soap. The soap is not going to go away. More often, the oil component of the grease "goes away".
Here's what I expect occurred: most other GM manual steering gear boxes of the period used a heavy weight gear oil. Some mechanics and steering box rebuilders think that ALL used this type of lubricant. They were/are wrong in the case of Corvettes. ALL 1953-82 Corvettes used the grease. So, I expect one of those misinformed have been in your steering gear in the past.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Do not use Mobil 1 in a box, I have had several weep out the red oil from it. It doesn't take much heat to cause it to come out the seals or past sealed threads. Granted I used Mobil 1 grease in hundreds of vette boxes with only 3-4 leakers but 3-4 is too much. I switched over to Coastal bearing grease several years ago and haven't had one leak yet. I stopped using Mobil 1 on rear bearings, ball joints, rod ends for the same reason.
Another good grease is Lucas Red & Tacky.
More importantly is the condition of the gears and the proper setup of the box.Comment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
When I restored my 67 I decided that everything would get a rebuild. When I rebuilt the steering box it was in great shape. Yes, when I added in the past I used gear lube. I didn't really notice before the rebuild if it leaked.
After I finished I thought I would use a good gear oil, after all it did have a rubber seal. Well It dripped, even past the seal so I thought I must have messed the seal up. Another seal and the same thing. I asked the TDB here and got the answer that was in my manual to begin with, grease. Now it does not drip.
Before all of that, I thought I would try to blow the gear oil out with air pressure and nothing. So I made a fitting and screwed it in the fill hole. Then I hooked the air to it and put a pan under the box to catch the gear oil. Not a drop came out, the 150 PSI actually made the seal work.
As soon as I removed the air the drip started again. Only about 5 drops a day but enough to make it look like there was bad work done.
DomComment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Gary,
Just saw your post. You were the one that recommended the costal in my thread. All is good now after removing as much gear oil as I could and using the grease. I believe Costal is Auto Zone. There is still a bit of gear lube that I didn't get out and It finds it 's way past the grease, but only about a drip a week and I expect that to end.
DomComment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Dom
Many still think they need to use gear oil or a combination of gear oil and grease. It doesn't work. One of the leakers I had was on a bare frame sitting in the hot sun, the mobil 1 grease weeped out the lower seal and the lock nut.
I have not used the GM grease Joe recommends so I can't comment on it but the others I have and they work.Comment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
The Coastal/Uniplex high-temp grease (if that's the one you used) has an operating temperature of 325. The Mobil 1 is 302 temperature. The reason I pulled my box is it was leaking by way of the threads in the large nut. The seals were not leaking. Can not find a temp rating on the GM 12377985Comment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Yes that is the grease I have used the past 5-6 yearsComment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Gary-----
Although I love synthetics and Mobil 1, I agree with you on the grease. I've had the same problem with it. It seems that the oil partially separates from the base.
I've not found that the GM #12377985 has this problem. It's also a good all-around chassis lubricant and replaced both the GM #1052497 and the GM #1052084 (the Corvette steering gear lubricant). It can even be used for Corvette rear wheel bearings but it's not what I use for those. For both front and rear wheel bearings I use either GM #1051344 or StaLube High Temperature Wheel Bearing Grease. I really like both of these. Absolutely no separation of oil and base and just wonderful lubricants. The 1051344 has been around forever and it's still among the best.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: What grease/oil to use in 63 steering box
Dom------
As I mentioned earlier, the misuse of about a 90 wt steering gear lube in Corvettes persisted for years among automotive service technicians and Corvette owners. It even extended to dealerships. In fact, for many years if you had gone to a Chevrolet dealership and asked for lubricant for your Corvette steering box, about 99% of the time you would have been sold GM #1052182. This was the about 90 wt oil that was specified for most other GM manual steering gears but not Corvette. I don't think it was ever used on 1953-62 Corvettes steering boxes and am absolutely certain it was never used on any 1963-82 Corvette steering box.
The myth still persists today:
In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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