Inspecting Your Manual Steering Gear

*EASY*

Consult your owner's manual for the maintenance requirements of your manual steering gear. Your vehicle has manual steering if it does not have power steering. Inspect the manual steering gear occasionally as follows:

  1. Park the vehicle on level ground with the engine OFF, the parking brake engaged, and the transmission in PARK (for automatic) or REVERSE (for manual).
  2. Crawl underneath the car and identify the manual steering gear housing. Visually inspect the exterior for leaks. A manual steering gear housing will be packed with oil or grease. Some steering gear housings may have grease fittings or an inspection/fill plug.
  3. If your steering gear housing has grease fittings, lubricate the steering gear with other suspension/steering components at every engine oil and filter change. See Lubricating Your Chassis.
  4. If your steering gear housing contains oil, check the oil level every six months. Maintain the appropriate oil level according to the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation. Use lubricant specified by the vehicle manufacturer. The correct level of oil is usually up to the bottom of the fill hole. It is usually not necessary to change the steering gear grease or oil.
  5. Have any leaks repaired immediately.

Because of the special tools and skill required to repair the manual steering gear, any such procedure should always be performed by a professional automotive technician.


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