Steering relay removal and replacement

 3/28/2023

Nightmare! I’ve run ito some tough jobs (bushings, rusted bolts) but this relay takes the cake.  I may need to buy a $100 puller and hope even that works. Stay tuned.

Steering Relay removal (#%^&*) and replacement

So we've determined that the steering relay is about frozen.  Although we were able to move the wheels to turn when moving the rolling chassis around, we cannot move it by hand now that the wheels are disconnect.  I tried adding oil for a week but no improvement.

I know from Youtube that getting them out can be hard to impossible.  So have used very big hydraulic jacks, heat, hammers and even cut them out of the frame.  When I did my 109 it was fairly easy to push it out with a bottle jack, but this time it all different.

First, Ive soaked it with PB Blaster for a couple of weeks.  Then I tried to chain a floor jack to the frame and push it out.  No luck; even broke the handle on the floor jack I had it chained to.  The way the relay is made only the bottom 1.5" is press fitted.  From the top its most open and allows water to get down inside over the years, rusting from the inside.  Next I'm going to try a 50/50 solution of ATF and Acetone.  Then I'm going to flip the frame over so I can beat on it from the underside (or top side with it turned over).  I'll try big hammers and a pneumatic hammer.  Stay tuned for what happens next.

UPDATE

It was a 12 round fight but I KO’d it in the end.

After weeks of various fluids, heat, hammers and presses I finally dismantled my 20 ton press so it would straddle the frame (2 hours to dismantle, straddle, reassemble, press, disassemble, and reassemble the press frame).  It finally did the job, probably aided by all the PB Blaster, ATF/Acetone, and brake fluid I put on it every day for 3-4 weeks).  There is a lot of rust in the cylinder but at least I didn’t have to cut the frame.

The new relay is in place.  Note that the new relays do NOT come with oil in them so make sure you fill them with oil first.  I use 80-90 weight (same as the rest of the truck).  Take out 2 top bolts across from each other, one as a breather and one to fill.  it's a very slow process it only take the oil a few drop at a time.  I don't remember what the spec is but I think I put 60-100 ml in.  I used a basting syringe with a large basting needle; fill it and without the plunger in it will gravity feed. Stick it in an come back to refill when the fluid has gone down.