1982 Clark c500-30 Rebuilt rear (ball joints, spider bearings). I had about a quarter turn slop in the steering wheel (steering wheel turns but pitman arm does not. I cranked the thrust screw (one on the side) all the way in and reduced it to about an eighth of a turn. Much better but still pretty sloppy. The up and down of the column is real tight. Questions: can the gear box be rebuilt or does it have to be replaced? If I pull the plate off from the side (the one the thrust screw adjuster goes through) can I get to the gear parts or do I have to pull the whole thing off? Thats a pain because the bolts holding it are (as always) real pain to get to. Has anybody ever rebuilt the gear box?
I have rebuilt many of them years ago but I would be surprised if you could still locate internal parts for them. Most manufacturers went to hydrostatic steering 30-35 years ago so manual boxes have become pretty much obsolete in these machines. If you pull the cover off you can see the worm and sector but you cannot remove them. The pitman arm has to be removed and I would be surprised if the thrust bearings were not wore out.