# 3400 power steering



## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

finally received my parts today and started the reassembly of my steering sector. i installed the lower adapter with a new bearing and seal,but after bolting it down i noticed when rotating the steering shaft slightly to give it a quick polish,that the thrust bearing moves up and down but the steering shaft has no end play.is there a particular place the steering shaft should be turned before installing the control valve,i was assuming from reading other posts that the special nut and washer is what controls the end play.is the end play in the steering shaft or in the control valve. thanks for looking, Steve


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

well i put it all back together with new bearings and seals,set the nut in the control valve then staked it, still no power steering,any advice on what to do next,any help would be appreciated,thanks Steve


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

I just read your post, what is the status?

On these series tractors it is helpful if you post the year, as Ford changed the power steering pump style in May of 1970. The valve and components in the steering gear and the power steering cylinders remained the same.

In response to your first post, the conical preload spring above the valve assembly and over the upper thrust bearing will keep the proper load on the assembly and controls end play. Set the nut to the proper torque and all will be in order. I do replace that spring with a new one at rebuild to avoid any problem from a fatigued spring. As far as positioning the shaft, just follow the instructions in the repair manual with respect to centering the rack and positioning with the pitman shafts.

The second post is more concerning. Did you rebuild the valve itself? At the bottom of the valve are two plungers, a ball, and a spring. If any of those fall out and do not get replaced during the assembly process, the valve will not work. Refer to your parts diagram and you will see those components.

Are you sure the power steering pump itself is working? Filter new, and full of fluid? Apressure test may be in order.


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

i did rebuild the control valve, as i had stated in one of my earlier posts,mine has 8 equal control valves and 4 springs,i tried to order those 2 special plungers and balls from messicks,but are no longer available they are superseded to the regular plungers. getting the nut location was a little bit tricky because my steering shaft endplay was hard to check even with a dial indicator.after putting it all back together i still had no power assist.so then i decided to take the lines loose from the control valve and test with air pressure from my compressor.when i blow air in to the pressure inlet and turn the wheel to the left,i have pressure coming out of the bottom holes in the control valve,and when i turn to the right, i have air coming out of the top 2 holes,so that kinda tells me that my control valve might be working properly.the next thing i am going to do today, is try to find the necessary fittings to tee in a pressure gauge instead of deadheading the gauge like i did last time, maybe that will tell me something,but really don,t know what pressure should be with a teed in gauge,any additional insight would be greatly appreciated,thank you very much for the response,if you have any other suggestions,i am all ears, thanks Steve


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

one thing i forgot to mention,was that i believe this is a 1967 tractor with the power steering pump and reservoir are 2 seperate units,with the reservoir being mounted above the pump. the pump number begins with c5 and all the ones i see listed begin with c7,only reference i find for replacement pumps are used parts,so it must be a good number


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

You do need the T the pressure test fitting, then turn the wheels against the locks with engine RPM at 1,000. The pressure reading should be 1,250 PSI for pumps installed after April 30, 1975.


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

well i put a tee in the line with a gauge and cranked the tractor, but the tee did not have a valve on it to shut down the flow,it only read about 200 lbs.i called a number given to me by a tractor friend,who he calls for advice,this is a man who has been working on these tractors for 40 years,he said dead head the pump,but pull the fuel shutoff so it doesnt crank, i did that and the engine turned over about 3 times and went immediately to 1000 lbs.i am beginning to wonder if my old control valve needs the two special plungers and 2 check balls,don,t know what to do next Steve


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

well, i still have not made any progress getting my power steering to work,as i have stated before my control valve does not have the 2 special plungers with the balls between them,it only has 8 regular plunges with 4 springs between them ,can anyone tell me if this is really my problem.i tried to buy the special plunges,but can,t seem to find them anywhere,am i fighting a losing battle with incorrect parts. has anyone put one together with 8 regular plungers and had it work,hopefully someone can advise me,thanks again for looking, Steve


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## Guest (Sep 26, 2018)

Just a thought....although new parts are preferable, perhaps try the used parts market? Just for a try.


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## RC Wells (Dec 26, 2008)

The four spring and 8 plunger rebuild kit should work unless the valve body itself is excessively worn. 

Did you remove the check valve during the rebuild process and not reinstall it? That is the critter with the screwdriver slot.


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

i will probably start looking in the morning,thanks i did remove it and make sure it was clean,just a small fitting with a check ball staked in place with a small orifice.


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

well, i put it all back together again for the third time,this time i went through the whole sector,all new bearings,seals,and 2 new pitman arms,which were badly worn with rust from water.adjusted the retaining nut by the book,which is somewhat confusing ,but once again i have no power steering.i took the rod ends loose from the steering and l wired them up with the front axle jacked up,and started the tractor and turned the steering wheel.the cylinders will move when i turn the wheel a long way,but they are so weak,my buddy could hold them back with his hands,i am at my wits end with this steering issue,any ideas would be greatly appreciated, thanks Steve


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

i bit the bullet and spent $500.00 on a new control valve,hoping that would solve my power steering issues,but it did not fix a thing,still have no power assist and foamy fluid with air bubbles,tired of wasting money,can bad cylinders cause my problems? any help would be appreciated,thanks Steve


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## deerhide (Oct 20, 2016)

Are you using automatic transmission fluid? It is good and doesn't foam.


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

i was using type f but converted to j20c since i have a 5 gallon pail. doesnt seem to matter what i use, no power assist.


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## sbarrett (Sep 5, 2018)

finally fixed my power steering,i bought new o-rings and seal from messicks and rebuilt the power steering pump.i have read some posts online saying that parts for the c5nn3n675a pump are not available but the parts are the same as the c7 pumps listed on the website. i geuss i should have known that air getting in to the system was caused by the pump,but i thought good pressure meant the pump was good,that was not the case,air sucking in to the system caused all my problems,live and learn.


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## dozer966 (Dec 30, 2014)

Thanks for sharing your findings and glad to see you finally fixed your dilemma .
have fun.


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