Maintenance And Adjustments; L U B Ric A Tio; A Djustm En - Chevrolet 1977 light duty truck Service Manual

Lubrication
The m anual steering gear is factory-filled with
steering gear lubricant. Seasonal change o f this lubricant
should not be perform ed and the housing should not be
drain e d no lubrication is required for the life of the
steering gear.
Every 36,000 miles, the m anual gear should be
inspected for seal leakage
oily film ) If a seal is replaced or the g ear is overhauled,
the gear housing should be refilled with
container) Steering Gear Lubricant which meets GM
Specification GM 4673M , or its equivalent.
N O T E : Do not use EP Chassis Lube, which meets
G M Specification GM 6 0 3 1M, to lubricate the gear
DO NOT OVER-FILL
The steering linkage
should be lubricated with any w ater resistant EP
type chassis lubricant every 7,500 miles or six
months, whichever occurs first. Lubricate every
3,000 miles or two months whichever occurs first
when operating in dusty or muddy conditions or if
the vehicle is used "off-road". Lubrication points
an d additional info rm atio n on the chassis lubricant
recom m en ded can be found in Section 0— General
Info rm atio n and lubrication.
Adjustm ents
See Caution on page one o f this
CAUTION:
section regarding the fasten ers referred to in
steps 9d a nd 10.
Manual Steering Gear
CAUTION: See C A U T IO N on page 1 o f this
section regarding the fa sten er referred to in
step 10.
Before any adjustments are made to the steering
gear attem pt to correct complaints o f loose or hard
steering, or other wheel disturbances, a careful check
should be m ade of front end alignment, shock absorbers,
wheel balance and tire pressure for possible steering
system problems. See Diagnosis in sections 3A and 3B.
C orrect a d ju stm e n t
im portant. W hile there are but two adjustmentss to be
made, the following procedure must be followed step-by-
step in the orde r given.
1. Disconnect the battery ground cable.
2. Raise the vehicle.
3. R em ove the p itm a n
relationship o f the p itm an arm to the p itm an shaft.
Remove the pitm an arm with Tool J-6632 or J-5504 as
shown in Figure 3B-50.
4. Loosen the steering gear adjuster plug locknut
an d back the adjuster plug off 1/4 turn (fig. 3B-29).
5. Remove the horn shroud or button cap.

MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS

(actual solid grease - not just
1051052 (13 oz.
the gear housing.
un der norm al conditions
o f steering g ear is very
arm nut. M a rk
6. Turn the steering wheel gently in one direction
until stopped by the gear; then turn back on e-half turn.
CAUTION: Do not turn the steering wheel hard
against the stops when the steering linkage is
disconnected from the gear as damage to the
ball guides could result.
7. M easure and record "b e arin g d ra g " by applying
a torque wrench with a socket on the steering wheel nut
and rotating through a 90° arc (fig. 3B-30).
NOTE: Do not use a torque wrench having a
maximum torque reading o f more than 50 inch
pounds.
8. Adjust "thrust bearing p relo ad " by tightening
the adjuster plug
Fig. 3B 2 9 -Steering Gear A djustm ent Points-Typical
the
until the proper "thrust loading