Steering Gear

Cleaning

 CAUTION: Do not clean, wash or soak steering gear input shaft seal kit (3E502) in cleaning solvent.

1. NOTE: Disassembly and assembly of the steering gear (3504) and the subassemblies must be made on a clean workbench. The bench, tools, and parts must be kept clean at all times.

   Thoroughly clean the exterior of the unit with a suitable solvent.

2. When necessary, drain as much of the hydraulic fluid (or gear grease) as possible.

3. Handle all parts very carefully to avoid nicks, burrs, scratches and dirt, which could make the parts unfit for use.

Inspection

1. check steering gear input shaft seal kit for damage. Replace if necessary.

2. Inspect the valve housing for scoring or burrs.

3. Inspect the tube seats in the housing pressure port and return port for nicks, etc. If necessary, replace tube seats.

4. Check all fluid passages for obstruction or leakage.

5. Inspect the steering gear housing for cracks, stripped threads, and mating surfaces for burrs. Inspect the piston bore of the housing for scoring. Check roller bearings for damage. If necessary, replace the housing.

6. Check the steering gear input shaft seal kit after installation to be sure that it rotates without binding or roughness.

7. Check the piston rack teeth and sector shaft teeth for nicks and burrs.

Flushing

Flushing the steering gear is required when installing a repairedpower steering pump (3A674).

1. Remove the power steering pump pulley, and then remove the pump. Refer to Section 11-02A or Section 11-02C.

2. Install the power steering pump and connect only the power steering pressure hose (3A719) to the power steering pump. Install the pulley on the repaired pump.

3. Place the power steering return hose (3A713) from the steering gear in a suitable container and plug the tube on the power steering oil reservoir (3A697).

4. Fill the C-II pump power steering oil reservoir with Motorcraft Ford Type "F" ATF XT-1-QF or -DF or equivalent meeting Ford specification ESW-M2C33-F.

5. On ZF pump-equipped vehicles only, fill the power steering oil reservoir with Motorcraft MERCON® ATF XT-2-QDX or MERCON® equivalent.

6. Disconnect the ignition control module (ICM) (12K072) to prevent the engine (6007) from starting. Raise the front wheels off the ground.

7.  CAUTION: Do not hold steering wheel (3600) in the far left or right position, or damage to power steering pump may result.

   NOTE: Be careful to avoid excessive cranking as the battery will be drained and the starter motor (11001) damaged.

   While approximately 1.9 liters (2 quarts) of power steering fluid are being poured into the power steering oil reservoir , crank the engine using the ignition key. At the same time, cycle the steering wheel from stop to stop.

8. As soon as all of the fluid has been poured in, turn off the ignition key and attach the ICM.

9. NOTE: When the battery is disconnected and reconnected, some abnormal drive symptoms may occur while the powertrain control module (PCM) (12A650) relearns its adaptive strategy. The vehicle may need to be driven 16 km (10 miles) or more to relearn the strategy.

   To clear fault codes, disconnect battery for one minute and then reconnect battery.

10. Remove the plug from the tube on the power steering oil reservoir and attach the power steering return hose to the power steering oil reservoir.

11. Check the reservoir fluid level. If low, add fluid to the proper level. Do not overfill.

12. Lower the vehicle.

13.  CAUTION: Do not hold steering wheel in the far left or right position, or damage to power steering pump may result.

    Start the engine and cycle the steering from stop to stop to expel any trapped air from the system.