Adjusting power steering box to eliminate self-steering - How to?

[harryhood]

The power steering box on my scamp always wants to pull the car to the left. I had the car aligned after I swapped the front brakes and it still does it.

I was reading in my manual that the valve on the top of the box can be adjusted to get rid of a self-steering situation.

I'm not sure I understand the instructions though for how to do so. The manual says to move the valve down on the steering box to compensate for steering in one direction and to move the valve up on the steering box to compensate for self-steering in the other direction. I don't have the manual with me so I can't remember off hand which way adjusts for which direction.

What I don't understand is what is meant by move the value up or down on the steering box. And do you just loosen the bolts holding the valve to the box move the valve and then tighten the bolts again?

Anyone ever done this before and know how to make this type of adjustment?

thanks

[PureGTS]

It is the craziest thing I've ever heard of, but it works. The steering box has a return line to the pump. This line is attached to the steering box via a plate on top of the steering box held in place with two bolts. Loosen the two bolts and slide the plate in one direction and tighten it down. test it and don't reach through the steering wheel spokes to turn the key like I did the first (last) time. It hurts! If it works you're done, if not move the plate the other way and try again. Like I said, it seems silly, but that's what it takes.

[harryhood]

Ok, thanks for the clarification.

Now I need to get the pitman arm off the steering box. I tried last night but the pitman arm puller I have doesn't fit between the arm and steering box. 

I borrowed a pulley puller tool which looks like it should fit.

I'd think I would learn by now that nothing is as easy as it should be. 

[PureGTS]

If it was easy, everybody would be doing it and we wouldn't have that satisfiying feeling when we got done. This was a car question...  right? 

[375InStroke]

Now I need to get the pitman arm off the steering box.

Is this unrelated to the self-steering problem?  Are you trying to correct a driving pull with a box adjustment?  Does it turn with the wheels in the air?  I found out about the steering thing by accident when I was changing a leaking o-ring.  What a shock the first time the motor was started.

[harryhood]

Yes, I was trying to correct a pulling problem with the valve adjustment. The steering wheel was not turning by itself until I started messing with the valve on the control box.

What a shock that was I started the car and the steering wheel took off like it was possessed. I didn't know what PureGTS meant about not sticking your arm between the spokes of steering wheel because it hurts, but I sure do now. 

The guy at the shop who performed the alignment on the car told me the car was pulling to the left because of a problem with the steering box. He also added that he knew it was the box and not the alignment itself because if he turned off the car when driving straight the car would stop pulling.

I mistakenly thought that adjusting the valve on the box would compensate for that.

[harryhood]

Is this unrelated to the self-steering problem?  Are you trying to correct a driving pull with a box adjustment?  Does it turn with the wheels in the air?  I found out about the steering thing by accident when I was changing a leaking o-ring.  What a shock the first time the motor was started.

I missed this point before. Yes, this is unrelated to the self steering issue. The steering box has a lot of play in it. I was going to try and see if I could adjust the play out of the steering box.

I think I will leave this for a winter project when I replace the headers.