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Hi Gents,

I cleaned up the area really well and filled up with gear-oil (90W is all I had) the top-part of the steering-column, where the worm-wheel is. Strangely enough I have not seen anymore oil leaking. Possibly when I hit the speed-bump, it 'threw' out some oil where the horn-wire goes in ???
Anyway for the moment I see no more leaks...

Thanks very much for helping me out on this. It really put my mind at ease getting replies that point in the right direction.

Best regards,

Jules

Gents,

It turned out that there was no more oil leaking, because the small reservoir was basically empty... I filled it up and thought all was OK, until 2 months later I detected a 1/2 coffee-cup of oil in the area below the Alu-foot-plate.
I would really like to avoid taking off the whole steering column and the connection to the actual steering-rod. If possible only the steering wheel column... I see 4 screws or so, some very hard to get at (bottom), but would that be enough ? I mean install a new O-ring (nr 20) or even the bushing (nr3) and screw it all back? Did anybody have this problem before and what did they do ?

Thanks for any replies

Best regards,

Jules
PS The exploded-view-picture is a scan from a print of the www.puch.at site, where you can order parts, but also have pretty pictures of assemblies...

Won't stop it, but might slow the leak down, try 85W-140 weight Gear oil.

I've replaced that o-ring before and you do have to remove the entire steering assembly to get at it. The aluminum casting (#12) has to be slid off the short steering shaft (#5) and it's also a good time to replace the seal (#14) at the other end of the casting. As long as the large steering arm nut (#16) comes off okay the rest of the process is fairly easy.

If the upper section is draining empty, I'd suspect the joint between #31 (the end cap with the horn wire tube), #32 (all the thin shims) and the main casing (#2). When I rebuilt my column I carefully cleaned all the shims and put just the thinnest film of aviation sealant between them to prevent leaking. Your leak might also be at the #9 to #2 joint, or the #20 o-ring. Realistically you need to remove the steering box to work on any of this (PITA, but there are worse things to get at). If you can get the steering wheel off and the pitman arm off then it is just six easy bolts. You might try cleaning EVERYTHING really well first and try to find the source so you know what to work on when you get it out.

Best of luck,
Jim

A UV dye kit from FleaBay could be useful to tell you where leak is coming from
Should be able to find one for under $30-40

Hi gents,

In the first place thanks very much for replying so quickly. This is really such a great forum !

I will fill up with 85W-140 oil and maybe the seal-expander (when I find it) to slow down the leak, while I am ordering other parts.
I am ordering all the relevant seals and O-rings and then take the whole column off as suggested, after first cleaning it and finding out if I can locate the leak better.
I have not seen any UV dye-kit, but will try on the Internet.

I am not a mechanic and 'changing parts' on the steering-column worries me some because, as with the brakes, they are of vital importance for road-safety, not only mine, but especially others on the road. But in the end it is common-sense and tightening nuts according to schedule should be safe.

Thanks again for your support !

Jules

Jules,
This is what they are talking about, with the UV dye. I've used this particular type before and it worked very well. http://www.napaonline.com/p/NTE788101
This is from NAPA, but they must sell similar stuff where you are.