Steering box leaking badly

[GoMangoBoys]

Now that the engine is running, I can see that the steering g box leaks.  I had no way to know if it is good or bad.  I should have just assumed that it was bad.  It would have been much easier to replace while the car was all apart.  Now. What is my best course of action?  Rebuild this one, replace with a new one or replace with a rebuilt one.   I haven't driven the car yet, but it seems to work OK aside from the big leak around the input shaft.
Thanks

[Brads70]

Easiest solution for you in under 2 hours away?
Get stage 3 firmness.
https://www.steerandgear.com/

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[VCODE]

If it's the Steering column shaft seal, you can replace it in the car. Back off the steering column shaft and replace seal. Not that hard 

[anlauto]

... I had no way to know if it is good or bad.  I should have just assumed that it was bad.  It would have been much easier to replace while the car was all apart......

Customers often ask me why I have all this stuff sent out for rebuilding, if it was working okay before I took the car apart....Well Sir, you just hit the nail on the head 

[RUNCHARGER]

"If it's the Steering column shaft seal, you can replace it in the car. Back off the steering column shaft and replace seal. Not that hard "

I agree with this, a couple hour job and maybe $10.

[GoMangoBoys]

If I want to replace the shaft seal myself in the car, where do I get one?  I found a youtube video of a guy doing a 69 B body box that had a shaft seal and a couple O-ring seals on the input shaft.  Is there a special tool for removing the big nut, or just use a hammer and screwdriver to turn the nut?

[VCODE]

If it's just the shaft seal you don't take the housing off. You just remove the seal and replace it. Just be careful of the splines when installing the new one.
I think NAPA, Rockauto or you can find a Mopar one around.

[GoMangoBoys]

I assume that I have to remove the big castle nut to take the end cap out with the seal in it.  Right?

[VCODE]

I assume that I have to remove the big castle nut to take the end cap out with the seal in it.  Right?

No, if it's just the shaft seal leaking.

[RUNCHARGER]

Remove the steering coupler and move th steering column back so it's out of the way. I screw 2 sheetmetal screws into the side of the old seal so I can pry on them to remove the seal, then it's a simple matter of tapping in the new seal and reinstalling the steering column.

This Rock Auto listing isn't really that clear but the seal looks like the right one. (it's the medium sized one insice the big O-ring that looks similar to an axle seal).
Hmm, I may be wrong on this link, it might be called the worm shaft seal, I would order both to be sure. (it's been about 10 years since I've done one)!


https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/dodge,1970,challenger,6.3l+383cid+v8,1078444,steering,steering+gear+input+shaft+seal,7353

[Rich G.]

I've never replaced that seal in the car but it's not a bad job on a bench.

[Blowout]

When I bought my Challenger, it was pouring power steering fluid from the shaft area everytime I moved the car.  So I decided well I'll take half the car apart to get that steering box out before I knew here you could do it while installed.  I replaced the seal, cleaned my box up and stuck it on my workbench and planned to install it the next day.  I walk outside the next day and it was still leaking.  Now it was coming from the big o-ring that's included with the seal in the Rockauto link above.  Luckily the way I had the gearbox sitting showed me it was still leaking before I installed it back in.  Hopefully yours is just the seal.

[GoMangoBoys]

I wanted to follow up on this thread.  The steering box is now leak free and seems to work correctly.  I decided to just pull the box out and work on it on the bench.  With the car on the lift, it was very easy to just pull the box.  The Rock Auto seal that I bought, came with 2 O-rings which I also installed.
When I pulled the end cap that had the seal in it, there was a thin metal plate and 2 rings that were under it.  I took them out and cleaned some gunk out of that area.  In order to install the rings and metal plate back in the right place, I "glued" them to the cap with wheel bearing grease.