Steering box / drop arm - play!

The various threads I've read on here and elsewhere suggest that getting the drop arm off the steering box is a bitch of a job - usually ending with the application of Mr AngleGrinder followed by a new drop arm.

So why is it that I have vertical (i.e. up and down) play in my drop arm? As far as I can tell, the output shaft isn't moving - it's just the arm having about 5mm of movement in it (at the ball joint end).

The previous owner apparently fitted a new (recon) steering box not long before I bought it. I have no proof though so this could be complete and utter bollox.

The big question is - how worried should I be? I'm going through the steering system replacing the TREs and the ball joint - should I be adding new PAS box and drop arm to my list???

Ian.

doesnt seem that bad...

buster has done a how to.

here ' http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f41/drop-arm-ball-joint-renewal-63811.html

some just come loose makesure nut has lock washer behind it and tighten with 3ft breaker bar os such bloody tight,but not a bad time to do ball joint i

Cheers chaps. JP - It's not the ball joint I'm worried about. It's the play between the drop-arm and the PAS box itself.

Have ordered a ball joint kit now - will see if the arm comes off easily or not and then decide what to do...

hooo i see!

does the whole thing move inside the box? or is it just the drop arm moving on the shaft?

Just the arm on the shaft as far as I can tell. Gonna wait until I get my ball joint kit (hopefully before the weekend) then get under there are see what's what.

Either the PAS box shaft has worn and it's been tightened up as it gets looser over the years or the splines on the drop arm have worn thus giving you vertical play in the drop arm.

Whatever it turns out to be plan to replace the arm, and yeah they are a bitch to get off, Mr Anglegrinder will be coming out to play. They are made of the hardest metal known to man and I found the best way to get it off was to cut the arm to the balljoint off first, then square off the section attached to the output shaft, next I cut diagonally across the ring taking care not to go too deep and thus damaging the splines, one last vertical cut to expose the spline and a banana wedge to lever the remaining ring of the shaft.

Yours may be loose enough to knock it off with a few chaps as buster would put it.

its not unusual for the nut to loosen letting arm drop especially if lock washer not done properly or tightened properly in first place, they will allways come off with halft shaft as punch large hammer and patience

You can tell it it's a recon box by the yellow engineer mark's on the bolts around the box itself.

I know you would've researched the idea of replacing it against repairing it, but i'd suggest you replace it with a recon mate, from what i've read the seals aren't all that great and can fail again, thus you're back to ripping the arm off again

As for the play, seems abit suss, these things are usually solid and as has been said, a tapered shaft that the arm sits on which is tightened up with some serious force making em a fooker to get off.

I think 10T pullers are the minimum to get one off, but like anything on a Landy, you could get the one that just falls off with the play on the arm already, and that points to a possible damaged shaft which isn't replaceable ( parts wise ) as far as i can see

have a look at splines but you probably find it was never tightened properly in the first place ,especially a recon one,as long as shaft isnt worn replacing seals is a perfectly reasonable thing to do, sector shafts are replaceable adjustment on top screw should only be done when wheels are straight or center of pas box travel as either side of center there should be free play ,if you adjust either side it will be too tight going thru center

Not got a problem with the PAS box - doesn't leak and has minimal play in it. As long as the splines on the output shaft are not damaged I see no reason to interfere with it.
I'm hoping that I'll find the nut holding the drop-arm on it can be tightened up reducing the play - won't get a chance before the weekend but will report back on what I find!