R107 steering box.

[yundar]

Hi There,

Just wondering if anyone has any experience replacing the bottom seal on an R107 steering box. The car in question is a 78 450SL. It seems to be puking power steering fluid right out the bottom of the box where the steering shaft exits. Will I need a pickle fork to remove the steering arm? I found a complete rebuild kit at the local Mercedes specialist. I can also buy just the bottom seal from Mercedes. It seems like I can remove the steering arm from the box without removing the box from the car. I was planning on drilling two small holes in the lip of the seal and using a puller to remove the seal. Then, with any luck , press the new seal in from the bottom. Any help or info on this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Andy.

[mach4]

Originally Posted by yundar

Hi There,

Just wondering if anyone has any experience replacing the bottom seal on an R107 steering box. The car in question is a 78 450SL. It seems to be puking power steering fluid right out the bottom of the box where the steering shaft exits. Will I need a pickle fork to remove the steering arm? I found a complete rebuild kit at the local Mercedes specialist. I can also buy just the bottom seal from Mercedes. It seems like I can remove the steering arm from the box without removing the box from the car. I was planning on drilling two small holes in the lip of the seal and using a puller to remove the seal. Then, with any luck , press the new seal in from the bottom. Any help or info on this is greatly appreciated.

This should give you an idea of what's involved - How to reseal a MB steering gear

Allegedly the bolts are one-time use, but I'd be inclined to reuse.

[rowdie]

Pickle fork no. Pitman arm puller yes.

[yundar]

Cool! Just read the steering box rebuild article. Thanks. As far as the puller... Just any arm type puller that can reach behind the pittman arm and has a center "bolt" to press down on the shaft right. Or is there a special one for Mercedes? Thanks guys!

[Stretch]

Those Pitman arms are often pretty stubborn to remove.

There is a special tool for it - the chap who helped me remove mine had to use lots of heat too.

What a feeling it will be! A properly adjusted W123 / W116 / W126 power steering box

[Deltacom]

That Pitman arm is really very stubborn and broke a couple of 2-leg pullers to no avail!!.
Finally obtained the MB puller with a 3-ft long bar and a lot of torque before it succumbed!!.



However there are other pullers of approximate size that would do the job, such as the OTC-8150 for a fraction of the cost but have not tried them.





They can be obtained at Amazon

*It seems like I can remove the steering arm from the box without removing the box from the car. I was planning on drilling two small holes in the lip of the seal and using a puller to remove the seal. Then, with any luck , press the new seal in from the bottom.

It is feasible, but would suggest to remove the pitman shaft bearing cap and replace the O-ring and the seal. It would be easier than the process you suggest.








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[meltedpanda]

I will tell you that a steering box rebuild is not for the faint of heart, that said , step by step it can be done. It really should be done on a bench, getting it off the car is not easy. You may have to drop exhaust, some have been able to get it out without doing that . I dont think the process you describe will work
One other alternative I would try , and you may have, is to empty PS fluid completely , lines and all and then refill with the thick PS stop leak product, it basically swells the seals. It worked very well on one of my ol MB'S. The product was the higher end stuff. Some naysayers out there I am sure, but sure was a lot easier than dropping that box

[yundar]

Thanks, for all the good input! Will let you know if I decide to tackle it.

Andy.