Re: (ET) steering spindle sticking

["Banks, Michael J." <mbanks protopower com>]

Did a quick search on-line for the Gibbs rust breakfree stuff, and found
places to order it.   Do you know if any chain stores carry it?  Napa
Autoparts, Home Depot, Lowes, etc?

-----Original Message-----
From: David C Robie [mailto:mycroftxx1 juno com] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 9:14 PM
To: Banks, Michael J.
Cc: elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Subject: Re: (ET) steering spindle sticking

On anything like this, I use the best 'rust breakfree' product I have
ever fopund, and that is Gibbs.  The stuff is expensive but well worth
it if you are into old mechanical items.  It gotta soak in there for a
while, 5 or 10 minutes.   WD40 is useless it don't creep hardly at all. 
Just spray it  on the top of the spindle where the joint is and let it
creep in there.
I do not recommend heat unless it's a last resort.   Chances it ain't
galled (yet) but if it is, Gibbs will help that too.   As to
dissasemble,
 Don't think you'll have to, based on past experience with other
tractors. 

As to the 'gear stripping'.  It's a safety valve.  If it gets to be too
loose and strips a lot, there is a casting underneath that holds the
sector gear and you will find too much front to back play in the shaft
for that gear.  Shim the shaft that goes to the front of the tractor. 
Sometimes excessive stripping is caused by too much up and down play in
the steering wheel's shaft.  Undo the collar that holds it down and
reset it upwards a bit.  Proper play you should have a little less than
1/8 turn of the steering wheel before the bars at the front shows
motion.

Dave
Weymouth MA

On Tue, 11 Jul 2006 08:42:55 -0400 "Banks, Michael J."
<mbanks protopower com> writes:
> My father-in-law's neighbor was getting rid of his E-12.   He was the
> original owner.   My father-in-law said he would take it and gave it 
> to
> me.     I have had it about 2 months now. 
> I love it, so does my 2 and 1/2 year old son.    Anyways....
> 
> It had been working fine, then this Saturday while I was mowing, the
> steering started to get very tight.    It went from working fine to 
> I
> couldn't turn more than a quarter of the usually steering travel.
> After doing some searching on the internet I thought that it hadn't 
> been
> greased recently.     So I jacked up the front end.   I couldn't 
> turn
> the wheel off the ground.   I disconnected the left (when sitting on 
> the
> tractor) spindle from the steering wheel.    I couldn't move the 
> spindle
> by hand more than a quarter of the travel.   So I greased the 
> spindle
> and grease came out the bottom but not the top.    Adding grease 
> allowed
> the spindle to move from the steering wheel when it was off the 
> ground.
> Once I put it back down on the ground it got tight again and the
> steering wheel would skip teeth.    I then greased the other side 
> and
> grease came out the top and the bottom.   
> 
> Currently,  If the tractor is moving I can turn the wheels.  It is 
> tight
> but they turn.   If it is stopped, the wheels will turn but it will 
> skip
> teeth in the steering wheel gear.
> 
> I then jacked the tractor up again, took the wheel off and took the C
> clip of the top of the spindle.    I couldn't get the spindle out.
> 
> To make a long story short.    Any advice on getting the spindle out 
> of
> the front end?   Or Any advice on the tight steering in general?
> 
> 
> Thanks
> Mike Banks
> New Happy Owner of an E-12
> Connecticut
>