Hello from a continually hot place. It's not easy crawling around underneath a 1966 Jaguar S type trying to fix a problem that has me stumped. Grrrr.... I hope someone who sees this post might shed some light on what the problem is.

Ok, the car is a 1966, 3.4 L Jaguar S type, imported from England last year. Condition overall is patchy. I firstly attended to a stuck valve, since compression on No 4 cylinder was zero. Engine now running quite well, idles OK and has good oil pressure above 40 p.s.i at 2000 revs. Attention then turned to the front cross member, since the n/s front wheel was further ahead than the o/s. Removed the cross member and have spent the last six months replacing tie rods, track rod ends, v mounts and sandwich mounts. With a general clean up including new discs and overhauled calipers it all looks good now it is back on the car. Alignment now makes sense because the new V mounts actually secure the cross member in the right place. The problem however is with the power steering.

The cross member was removed from the car for several months. but while it was off I decided to hook up the sterring box and check it for leaks. All seemed good with that rough and ready test, so I was happy to re-fit it to the car. I could easily crank the steering box by hand. It didn't do what it is now doing and I am at a loss to know what to do next, help is needed.

So the entire assembly is mounted back on the car, and after much fiddling, the steering is reconnected. New top and bottom bushes are fitted to the steering column, resevoir is filled with standard ATF II transmission fluid, engine is switched on. As if there is a poltergeist, the steering wheel flies around on right lock until it meets the stop on the steering box. After some research, I top up the steering box with fluid. I then attempt to move the steering wheel either way to bleed the system, but that is practically impossible since the full force of the steering pump is driving the wheel over to the right. So I move the steering wheel from side to side with the engine off. About ten times if memory serves me right.

What is going on here? I thought it might be a blocked filter which whould prevent the return feed from the s/box to the resevoir, but still the same problem. The box itself is odd. It is a burman type, with HALE stamped on it and it has only three holes for mounting onto the cross member. Only two marry up to the pre formed threaded holes on the cross member. On removing the steering box and closer inspection of the surrounding area, it looks like the entire casing of the steering box has been chaffing on the underside of the oil filter housing.

My question is: Am I wasting my time here trying to sort out this particular s.box? And also, how can the present box perform ok when it was sitting on the garage floor and when put back on the car swing with such force to one side. Feedback is sorely needed. Sorry ,if this has turnd into a ramble, but I am not sure of what my next step should be and need advice on what the right thing to do next should be. Thanks for reading this, John

 

John,

I've copied this question from your Intro for advice from members with the same model.

Graham

 

Is it possible that you have a box for a LHD car? On my 66 the 3 holes all line up correctly but it is LHD. I recently got a RHD 64 and will have a look at it today and report back.

 

did you do any disassembly of the box itself? It is not clear in your post.

 

I would like to see a few photos of the steering box.
The upper bushing on the drop arm probably needs replacing, as the O-Ring does as well in that area _ all the O-rings should be replaced.
High pressure fluid gets past the bushing and O-ring and puts pressure inside the steering box where it's not needed, this is probably causing the steering to behave in its erratic way.

But before getting into the box, I would follow Jerry's advise, and make sure it's even the correct one.

 

Hi Jose,

No, as I said I connected up the power steering box with the hoses below the car, as it sat on axle stands. Started the engine up and watched for leaks as I rotated the drop arm. No leaks, normal action, so assumed all was well to go ahead and bolt it to the cross member ready for hanging back on the car. There was no apparent reason to disassemble. Thanks for taking an interest.

 

...

 

The O-ring I'm referring to in my post is an internal leak, and you wouldn't see it.

 

Hello Jeff,

Thanks for responding to my post. photo attached. Photo was taken soon after removal of cross member. I think you can make out most of the steering box in this, from what I gather this an early type 1 burman. But comment that it may be LHD is sound advice. I say this because the sapcing of the mounting holes on this box correspond more towards that of where the idler arm mounting points are (on the left of the cross member) and it would be those that this unit correctly fits.. Any further comment is welcomed. very much appreciated. John

 

OK ~ So it's RHD. It is fitted with the Second Type Steering box with HALE & a series of numbers on the side which is correct. Now you need to find out whether it's a LHD or RHD unit. Second Type is correct for 1966. Cross-member seems correct.

S Type steering types ~ all available in LHD & RHD.

1) Burman Manual
2) Burman First Type PAS (feels as if you are driving by remote control) That is not a First Type.
3) Burman Second Type with torsion bar and quill valve for better feel ~ measures pull at steering wheel ~ vast improvement in feel.
4) Marles Bendix Varamatic (built by Adwest in Reading under license) ~ Variable ratio & best feel. Requires cross-member with suitable depression to fit. Only on very late cars.

See here for RHD with diagrams. Also identifies wrong diagrams.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/m...ng-box-234129/

 

Hi Glyn,

Thanks for that post. I don't have either a RHD or LHD unit to cross compare and identify that mine is one or the other. My guess is that the position of the third through hole to mount onto the cross member is entirely wrong ( spacing between two holes on one side and single on the other) is too wide, hence it is likely to be a LHD unit. The other evidence that it is the wrong type of unit is the scraping and abrasion that has ocurred to the oil filter casing over quite some time-I can't imagine that Jaguar thought that would be an acceptable way to build a car. The reason I assumed it to be a type 1 Burman, is that the outlet feed (return pipe) to the resevoir points down. Type 2 points up. But hey, I fully accept your points regarding sensitivity of the different power steering boxes. Just wish mine wasn't behaving like it had a mind of its own. With your advice and some of the other input received today, I am of the opinion that this unit should now be removed from the car and I should go in search of a second hand genuine RHD type 2. One that is working or at least a sensible candidate for a rebuild. Would you agree with that sentiment? John

 

I agree with that sentiment & it should definitely not touch the Oil filter housing at all. A good shop will tell you whether it is rebuildable at a glance once open. It might be a Second Type from a very early MkX. RHD. MkX was first to have the Varamatic in 1964. Ensure the unit you find is from an S Type. So many were trashed for the IRS it should not be that difficult.

 

There isn't much that goes wrong with these, all the O-Rings in mine had to be replaced and I made up copper sealing washers as needed.
At the time, there was no O-Ring kit so I went to a place (locally for me) where they rebuild hydraulic presses, jacks, machinery etc. to get the O-Rings.

Mine had a groove in the bore; I'm not sure how that developed, but the machine shop bored and sleeved it and brought it back to spec.
The "slip" ring on the piston was undamaged.
The machine shop also made a new top bushing for the upper end of the drop shaft _ the source of your problem giving the box a mind of it's own, or at the very least, the O-Ring there is shot letting high pressure in the chamber where it's not wanted.

When you find a suitable replacement, chances are it will need the O-Rings replaced at the very least.
It's very unlikley that it has ever been touched.
Surprisingly mine does not leak at all, as they are prone to drip out the bottom.
I read somewhere that a new S-Type sitting in a show room had to have a pan underneath it to catch the drips from the power steering box.

 

Barratts sell a full O Ring kit. Mine is bone dry. We messed up one seal. The usual leak point is the input shaft seal from the steering column due to not covering the input splines where the lower UJ clamps with multiple layer of shrink wrap or similar & putting little spline cuts in the seal inside diameter when fitting the seal.

 

I just used a few layers of masking tape and a bit of grease.

 

I attach a photo of the cross member prior to re-fittting and before discs were replaced. All comments have been gratefully received and the way ahead is a little clearer. I think that having taken the initial decision to check the operation of the steering box and chek for leaks before fitting, and then to find that the box is completely unserviceable, has been a bitter pill to swallow. But, thanks to all your inputs and responses I am satisfied that there is no point trying to overhaul the box given that it is not the right part . Better to find out now rather than later I guess. Once again many thanks to Jeff and Glyn for help in trying to sort out this connundrum. John

 

It's a pleasure. The collective knowledge here is huge. That's what we do. Help one another with our old girls.

 

In my boxes of many parts I have a complete type 2 Burman power steering box from a 1966 S type Jaguar. I have a later 1968 S type with the Adwest Marles system so have no use for this one as a spare. It came from a scrapped S Type (bodywork far to gone to be saved) and has been sat in my garage for 5 years or so. Appears to be in good condition, turns smoothly but not known if it leaks as I have never had it rigged up. If you want to do a deal PM me. I do not mind posting to France as long as you pay the postage.

 

Hi Johnny I have the exact same problem. I replaced all the bushes on the subframe and A arms all went well except the lower A frame shafts were seized in the subframe. After a few hours with heat and air hammer they came out. We installed the subframe using new mount, topped up power steering and started he car. Immediately the steering cranked full over to the right without anyone turning it. We tried blowing air through te steering box forward and backwards. Topped fluid and bleed system. Same thing. I took the power steering pump off the generator and drove without power steering very heavy at slow speeds. At least I could see if alignment was ok. How did you fix yours? What parts did you have to replace. I’m stumped as power steering was working good before I did this overhaul. Thanks in advance. John.

 

There is a procedure for centralising the Adwest Marles Variomatic steering on assembly using a slot in the washer on the steering arm and a pin. The Mk2 an S Type manuals do not cover the Adwest steering box as it was not fitted to the S Type or 340 until late in there manufacturing but it is covered in the 420 manual. If you follow this link it will take you to the S Type forum where there is a PDF version of the 420 manual that you can down load for the information.

https://www.jagstyperegister.com/ima...emanual420.pdf


Centralising washer and slot.