Anyone ever rebuilt/rehabbed a steering box using the available kits. How difficult is it?? Any special tools required?

Can the gears be replaced if they are worn? The kits don't include the gears and I don't find any sources for them.

Help much appreciated.

Mark S. in Minneapolis, MN - '65 122s, '93 850 GLT

I just looked over the instructions in the manual. Here's the deal according to Volvo:

If any of the shafts bearing surfaces are worn you must replace the shaft in question.
There is a replaceable bush at the bottom of the box called the pitman arm shaft bush. The second pitman arm shaft bush is located in the pitman arm shaft cover and are not replaceable, you must replace the entire pitman arm cover.
To replace the bottom pitman arm shaft bush you must pull out the old one out with SVO 1819 & SVO 2228 which looks like a slide hammer and an drift of some sort. Then the new bush is installed and the new bush is reamed with reamer SVO 2225 and guide SVO 2245. Then you press in new bushings, and install the stearing column, put the cover on with shims and check for .87-2.17 lb.in. of torge to turn the steering column, if not, change the shims in the cover to adjust the bearing. Put the rest of the thing together and adjust the adjusting screw so a spring balance on the pitman 8.25in. from the pivot point, should read .88-1.54 lbs when the arm turns the steering column through the central position.


So you could probably do this at home but you would need some way to pull the old bearing (It looks like you could even bang it out from the inside) and you could hand ream the bush if you had the right size reamer and made up a guide. But I would just take the empty box, new bush and the pitman arm shaft to a machine shop to remove the old one and fit the new on to the box and shaft. They should be able to tell you whether you need a running fit or a push fit etc.. just explain the application. Shouldn't cost you much more than 50 bucks.

If the gears are worn, it's not worth fixing... better to start with another gearbox.

Other than that, it's really simple. The two oil seals are NLA, but you can take your old ones to any bearing/seal supply house and they'll match them -- they're just generic parts. I think you can get the top gasket, but I just cut them from gasket material.

There as several thin steel shims that serve as gaskets on the front end of the box. Be careful not to kink them, and they're reusable. They set the endplay, so however many are in there need to go back on.

The nut that holds the steering arm on may resist removal -- I've had to take it to a place that has air tools.

Mark the position of both shafts relative to the case before disassembly. Mark the steering coupler so you don't end up with the wheel upside down.

The horn wire only feeds in from the front of the box -- you'll see why once it's apart.

What is in the kit is it doesn't have gears, seals or gaskets?

Thanks Phil S.

The kit I refer to is listed in parts catalogs (part number 54929) and appears to include the top cover gasket, another gasket at the end of the steering shaft, input shaft oil seal, brass bushing, bottom oil seal, maybe some shims, and something that looks like a key blank. CVI automotive (sweden) describes the kit as: Steering box re-bushing set (complete).

Sounds like I might not even need the kit. Guess I find out when I dismantle.

Any others' tips/experiences would be much appreciated.

Thanks again.

Mark S. in Minneapolis, MN - '65 122s, '93 850 GLT