Joined: Nov 02, 2007 Posts: 437 Location: Seguin, Texas
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:49 pm Post subject: Additional M-38A1 Steering Questions
Okay.....after cleaning up my steering box and refilling with 80/90 weight oil and cleaning up my draglink ends I reinstalled both items and now notice that I have a lot of forward and backward rocking going on with my bellcrank. This rocking doesn't move the tires but it does result in a lot of free steering wheel movement. My questions are.......
1. Is the rocking condition of the bellcrank more likely caused by worn out bearings in the bellcrank housing mount or the pin (bolt) that runs through the whole assembly or a worn out bellcrank?
2. Are the bearings at the top and bottom of the bellcrank shaft the same and are they readily available or does someone have bearing cross references for the bearings and seals from a current manufacturer?
3. If the problem is a combination of all three things (bad bearings, worn mounting bolt, and worn bellcrank....has anyone ever tried to over-bore the housing and re-turn the bolt to fit a currently available bearing and if so......did it retain enough strength to do the job?
4. Does anyone have a picture or pictures of an installed bellcrank and double ended ball joint on a 1955 M-38A1?
Once again........thanks in advance for everyone's help.
1-most likely worn bearings. You can buy a bearing kit from Midwest Military
2-Yes they are the same ORD# 712159
3-That would be tough. Look at your bellcrank pivot shaft (bolt)
.
Parts list:
3- WO# 647008 Bellcrank
14- WO# 649240 Nut locking
15&19 washers ORD# 181016 (5/8" ID) and 181018 (1 3/4" ID)
16- ORD# 120678 Bolt, pinch (3/8" 24 x 2)
17- ORD# 712159 Bearing, needle, open end, no inner race. 2 ea
18- ORD# 7375185 Bearing, bushing type spacer
20- WO# 649219 Shaft, Bellcrank
21- WO# 645663 Seal 2 ea
22- ORD# 503351 Nut, self locking 3/8" x 24
Note, there is a spring WO# 801666 that goes between the bellcrank and the tie rod end. and a seal, rubber WO# 901566 that goes between the bellcrank and the bracket. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
The bearings (items 17 on Wes's illustration) are manufactured by Torrington and are part number B-188. They may also be marked Y-188.....same thing. The inner sleeve (item 18 on Wes's illustration) that they ride on will normally wear or pit at the bearing contact points. On some bellcranks (later style) the sleeve can be simply flipped upside down and the bearings will ride on a new surface. But on the older bellcranks the sleeve being flipped won't make a difference, because the bearings will still turn on the same worn surfaces. Understand that I am relating my experiance with Canadian military bellcranks. I am not sure the US ever used anything but the earlier style.
As to the through bolt itself (item 20), it should not wear. The sleeve should be held tight when the bellcrank assembly is bolted together. However, if the bolt was not tight in the first place, then the sleeve may have spun and worn the pin.
A ggogle search for the torrington number will find them priced at around $4 to $7 each.
Good info. Does the Canadian parts manual show a blowup of the bellcrank? None of the ORD 9's do. The illustration I have been forced to use is from my CJ3B parts manual. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
Joined: Nov 02, 2007 Posts: 437 Location: Seguin, Texas
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:05 am Post subject: Thanks again
Actually.......the picture that you supplied provided more information then you can imagine. I had no idea there was supposed to be a spring between the bellcrank and the tierod cause I sure as heck don't have one there now.....or if I do its busted and covered in old grease. I'll check that out more closely when I disassemble the bellcrank. Surprisingly I found the Torrington bearings available locally (and in stock) so I should be able to move forward with the steering overhaul this weekend.
How close is the tolerance on the spacer? Is it possible to fabricate one at a machine shop.....or is this part made out of some kind of exotic steel that can only be machined with special tooling?
Also, how much sagging of the front springs is allowable? My tie rod does NOT arch upward like the one in your picture and others I have looked at in the galleries. Mine is pretty much flat and straight across. Is this caused by sagging springs or mis-aligned ball joints?
Thanks again for all y'alls help.......at least somebody is helping to keep me on the straight and narrow!
Item 18 is listed in the ORD 9 as a "Bearing, bushing type spacer". I don't recall if it was steel, bronze or brass.
Spring sag is meaured eye to eye with the spring unloaded. That means you must eliminate the weight of the jeep and the axle and make the measurement. The simplest way to do this is to jack the frame untill the tire is just about ready to come off the floor and then pull the spring pivot bolt. Now measure between the pivot and U bolt shackle eye centers and compare to the spec in the serivice manual. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
The sleeve is hardened steel. Tolerance is reasonably tight, as any play between the rollers and the sleeve will just result in play of the bellcrank. If you are going to have a mchine shop make one, it shouldn't be that big a deal. There will be surface area that is not subject to wear as the bearings do not ride all of it. A good machine shop should be able to estimate the hardness of the sleeve and replicate it.
Sorry Wes, but the Canadian parts manual skips any illustration of the bellcranks. It does break down the parts of each style , but surprisingly, no illustration. There is a Canadian mod to drill the top of the main bolt and install a castellated nut, but it only shows the bolt and nut....not the remainder. My Canadian (1967 era) maintenance manual is on loan right now, and I don't recall if it showed anything more.
Joined: Nov 02, 2007 Posts: 437 Location: Seguin, Texas
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:36 am Post subject:
Over the weekend I managed to get the bellcrank off (after removing the front grill and the radiator) and got the entire assembly cleaned up and rebuilt with new bearings and seals. The bearing spacer sleeve was a little pitted but not so bad that I couldn't reuse it (although I doubt I'll get another 52 years of service out of it). After reinstalling the bellcrank I have absolutly NO slop or rocking in it so I'm pretty sure this was at least most if not all of my steering looseness. My only remaining question is.....I found no spring under the connection of the bellcrank to the tierod....just a large rubber dust cover. What function does the spring provide and can I get by without it.....or should I start looking around for a replacement?
Good to hear that it worked out for you.
Forget about the spring. It was used to keep a metal plate pushed down against the tier rod to act as a dust seal. The later rubber seal type doesn't need a spring, as the design of the rubber keeps it pushed against the tie rod.
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