Datsun Roadster Forum-311s.org

good info here - I don't think I've driven mine 1000 miles yet.

Looked for the steering box adjuster. I have a 70, my box is wet so there might be seepage. Where to fill and what kind of fluid to use?

I believe 75W90 or 80W90 gear oil for the steering box and there should be a screw cap on the top that is used to top it up. Get a second opinion before you take my word as gospel, but that's what I did at the advice of others.

That fluid cap comes in two sizes, and mine fell apart in my fingers when I tried to unscrew it. It's right next to the adjustment nut/screw on my '69.

mine has a big square screw on top. dont know where the adjuster is.

See items 17 and 19 on this diagram for adjustor and filler screw. This is for reciruclating ball (1970)

http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun311 ... fault.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

here is a decent pic of one in the flesh....http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/sho ... 0&format=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like a pic of one in the grease to me!! LOL!!

thanks for the great diagram. in which direction should the adjuster be turned to get it tighter?

You loosen the lock nut, and gingerly screw it in to tighten things up, then lock it in place with the lock nut again.

spl310 wrote:You loosen the lock nut, and gingerly screw it in to tighten things up, then lock it in place with the lock nut again.

The trick is to get a balance between too tight to turn and too loose in straight-ahead. Probably 90% of the wear is within half a turn of center, so nice and snug straight ahead may bind near full lock.
If it's leaking, maybe the "Liquid Grease" Ross mentioned. I'm going to try SuperLube in spring.

I was considering using the Redline 75W90 GL5 I am running in the diff. Any experience with it in the steering box?

According to Clymer's the capacity is 0.25 liters of MP#90 hypoid gear oil. (MP#140 for ambient temps >32 deg C)

Until I just looked at the diagrams I hadn't realized there was a drain plug, at least for the worm gear version.

im not that familiar with the late rb box.
Should the steering wheel be turned right or left 1/4 turn to adjust?
I agree with Dbrick most of the wear occurs at center.

You can jack the car to where the tires are JUST touching the ground, then test steering for binding. I watched Will adjust mine, and OH what a difference!

jrusso07 wrote:See items 17 and 19 on this diagram for adjustor and filler screw. This is for reciruclating ball (1970)

http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun311 ... fault.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

here is a decent pic of one in the flesh....http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/sho ... 0&format=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was wondering if anyone ever heard of using "John Deere Cornhead Grease" for a Roadster Steering Box ?

The reason I ask is that several people use that including myself in our 55-57 chevy truck stearing boxes wbicb are circulating ball type boxes. the The reason some used it is because usjng 90 weight gear oil seemed to always leak unless you keep replacing seals frequently enough.

the JD cornhead grease comes in a grease tube for use in a grease gun. it is thick enough not to leak but is self leveling with a bit of warmth. seems to work in the trucks.

some talk from another forum :

"On a corn head, which is an attachment used on a combine for the purpose of harvesting ear corn, there is a gearbox on each row. A 6 row corn head will have 6 of these gear boxes. The gear boxes have a set of bevel gears that turn a pair of counter rotating "snap rolls" that pull the stalk down and strip the corn cob off of the stalk. The designated lube for these gear boxes is corn head grease. Corn head grease is a semi-fluid grease, thick enough to pump, but will liquify at least to some degree when it gets warm.

As a point of reference as to the reliability of corn head grease in a roller. A gear box on a corn head has some pretty small gears in it, and they will run for hundreds of hours without fail on corn head grease. Dad bought our corn head new in 1979, and it is still running today on a neighbors farm. In the beginning, we ran Mobil synthetic gun grease, in later years, corn head grease. This header to this day has not had a gear box failure."


Also, on the classic chevy stovebolt form they did a "study" comparing the old expensive hard to find Penrite oil which is also recommended for old chevy recirculating ball steering boxes and John Deer cornhead grease. it is talked about here:

http://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubb ... Post785457

that site also includes a slump test.

some specs:

Applications
· Formulated for John Deere corn head and other slow-speed gear cases
· Extra-soft grade of lubricating grease, required for row-unit gear cases of John Deere corn heads
· -30 to 330°F (-34 to 165°C)
Service rating
· NLGI grade 0
· JDMJ13A5, J13E6, and J25A
Physical properties
· Green color
· Contains extreme-pressure additives
· Excellent at high and low temperatures
· Resists moisture and water washout
· Polyurea thickened
· Contains anti-rust properties


so that is why I was asking if anyone ever heard of using it on roadsters for the stearing box. same type of steering box as my old chevy truck.

Switching to a Redline newer product (as was suggested above) might be good, but material/oil compatibility needs to be checked out in advance, as some don't play well together. (brass syncros and non-hypoid oil is the combo to avoid, but their site explains it better)
Swapping with a "period" oil like you are suggesting is a great idea, just these kinds of gear boxes are usually using some sort of splash-oiling technique (often times a tang on one of the shafts acts like a scoop/spoon when spun). So similar viscosity is kinda important (I won't say critical). The constant movement of a gear box in a combine will create heat to thin the oil (and cause seals to be more highly compressed, thus no leaks), but our steering boxes actually do very little movement, and I really don't know how much they get heated up by the surroundings. Older trucks had a very low steering gear ratio (I remember the 69 Ford F100 had what seemed like 26 turns lock-to-lock, a U-turn felt like a swimming race!)
Field tester you have now been appointed, let us know how it works, sounds like a great idea.