Ford Comet 1964 - PART 3-3 MANUAL STEERING; Steering Worm and Sector Gear Adjustments

PART
3-3
MANUAL STEERING
Section Page Section Page
.................
1 Description ............................ .3-14 4 Major Repair Operations .3-17
.................
2 In-Car Adjustments and Repairs ........... .3-14
5 Steering Linkage Repair
.3-18
3 Removal and Installation ................. .3-16
DESCRIPTION
SECTOR GEAR
SECTOR SHAFT^ ,, .
STEERING SHAFT BEARING
ADJUSTER LOCK NUT
7 UPPER STEERING
SHAFT BEARING
TURN BALL RETURN
GUIDE CLAMP
ic*?
SECTOR SHAFT BEARING
\/ G1026-A
FIG. I -Recirculating Ball Type Steering Gear
IN-CAR ADJUSTMENTS AND REPAIRS
STEERING WORM AND SECTOR
GEAR ADJUSTMENTS
'
The'ball nut assembly and the sec-
tor gear must be adjusted properly
to maintain minimum steering shaft
end play (a factor of preload ad-
justment) and minimum backlash
between sector gear and ball nut.
There are only two possible adjust-
ments within the recirculating
ball-
type steering gear, and these should
be made in the following order to
avoid damage or gear failure.
1. Disconnect the Pitman arm
from the sector shaft.
2. Remove the steering wheel,
spring and the centering cone from
the shaft and note the relation of the
shaft to the bearing.
The steering gear (Fig.
I) is of
the worm and recirculating ball type.
The sector shaft rotates in needle
bearings that are pressed into the
gear housing.
The worm bearing preload is con-
trolled by the large bearing adjuster
which is threaded into the housing.
The sector shaft mesh load is con-
trolled by an adjusting screw located
in the housing cover.
A steering gear identification tag
is provided under one of the cover
attaching bolts (Fig.
2).
STEERING GEAR SERVICE IDENTIFICATION
SERIAL NUMBER OR DATE CODE
G1218-A
FIG. 2-Steering Gear
Identification Tag
3. If the shaft is not centered,
attach a spring scale to it.
4. Center the shaft by pulling on
the scale and note the reading.
5. If more than 20 Ibs. pull is re-
quired to center the shaft, the steer-
ing column should be aligned as de-
tailed in steering gear installation, be-
fore adjusting the preload and mesh
load.