VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Steering box lubrication/ transmission lubrication

Hi, I saw the following response in the 46-48 chat forum for the question "What weight lubricant should be used in the steering box of a 37 truck and a 48 fleetwood?"

ANSWER

"The service manual calls for 600W. If you go to your local John Deere tractor store, get some "corn head" grease. Its right stuff."

Does this apply to my 41 sedan's steering box? Would this work ok in my transmission or shocks? I think I just read a column in the VCCA magazine about a guy recommending 600w lubrication in a transmission and how it improved the shifting?

I need a little lesson on what weight lubricants work best where?
Thanks, Mike

Chevrolet never listed 600W as it was no longer available in 1937. The 1939 shop manual says it is factory filled with a special all-season lubricant. ....When ever additions are required a lubricant that will remain fluid and nor "channnel" in cold weather must be used. In other words chassis grease will not flow into the bearings and bushings. Straight gear oil such as 140 will probly leak past your present "old" seal. I fill with somthing like 140, see if it leaks after a few days of deiving. If it does I refill with some chassis grease which will thicken the mixture when steering the car. You can purchase some "thicker" grease that will work well but would be a waste of money due to the small amount required.
Up till several years ago Chevrolet sold a steering gear grease. It came in a tube and was about the viscosity of honey.
The shocks must have a light hydraulic oil.
The 1941 transmission can be filled with 140 for summer. If the cars was driven in cold winter weather the recommended #90 is required......I use 85W-140 in my cars, covers all temperatures. Would not use 600 in a 1937 or newer car transmission.

I put some made up grease/ oil in my 41 's gear box as When I put the gear box in last summer I used the 90 weigh and it has been seeping out all winter. I called around for the heavy stuff you talked about but was told by several people that know there lubricants that they could mix me up some-they added the 90 weight and some type of wheel bearing grease {not sure type as they told me if u use the wrong mixture it will separate} and blended them together and that was in Feb 2009 and I still have some left on the shelf and it did not separate and is very thick.

As Gene noted you need a "self leveling" grease that won't cavity out. The JD corn head grease is a self leveling grease. There are others on the market as well.

over the years i have done a survey of old chevy steering boxes the ones that had heavy oil in them seam to be in better condition than the ones with grease usally you see a zerk fitting where the plug goes so the owner greases it or they see the oil on the floor or running down the frame rail and in goes the grease as there is no seal to hold the oil in . if it flows it will come out and onto the floor and a mess . on the first one i removed the box groved the shaft installed a o ring no more leak . since then there is several ways to stop the leak like machine the end of the box and install a modern lip seal . hope this helps

You guys may laugh but in my 1938 HB I mixed up some 90W and bearing grease for the steering gear and no problems. I do not remember the cut, probably more grease than 90W.

I won't laugh but agree 100 percent.

When I was a kid I worked in a Texaco station, learned a-lot about cars and people. Best job I ever had.

this is about what was mixed up for me and

For anyone interested in self-leveling cornhead grease for their steering box,here's a place you can buy single tubes on-line. http://www.shoupparts.com/catalog/v...6676&Type=Product&FolderID=97796

Shoup's sells parts for various types of farm equipment. Hope this helps.

With an NLGI of 0, it is the 'softest' grease you can get, but I am curious if the EP additives it mentions contain sulphur as this will eat brass bearings on early cars.

i ordered cornhead grease from shupe supply make sure u have enough the freight is pretty steep when i got the 1.49 tubes it says cenex on it...thanks chevgene

The NAPA gear lube I use is supposed to be OK for brass bushings...(Sta-Lube multi-purpose HYPOIDSAE85W90GEAR OILAPI/GL-4,
P/NSL24229,"non corrosive to copper,bronze or non-ferrous alloy bearings and bushings"

I went to my local John Deere dealer and purchase a standard grease gun tube of it for $5 CAD. And guess what, the grease is green, go figure.