Massey 65 steering

Working on a 65 Massey diesel and the power steering works fine while driving but is non existant when sitting still. Reving the engine up makes no difference, impossible to turn without moving forward or back.
Any ideas?
INDY

Hello Indy,
First of all enlist the help of an assistant. Have him/her turn the steering wheel back and forth whilst you watch every part of the linkage. Start off by observing the movement of the spool valve on top of the steering cylinder. If you have reduced or no push/pull movement here you will have reduced or no power steering. As the steering wheel is turned you will need to check where the actuation movement is being lost due to wear. The most likely places are;
At the front of the drag link.
In the arm which connects to the adjustable barrel.
The pins on the adjustable barrel.
Up/down movement where the rod of the cylinder is anchored to the casting.
Movement at the lower end of the main shaft where it goes through the casting due to bush and/or shaft wear.
Looseness in the spline where the lower steering arm is attached to the shaft.
These are the main places. The target will be to eliminate all wear by whatever is needed to be done. Any wear particularly in the barrel pins and rod anchor will reduce efficiency significantly.

Please let us know what you find.

DavidP, South Wales

(quoted from post at 15:23:03 12/19/15) Working on a 65 Massey diesel and the power steering works fine while driving but is non existant when sitting still. Reving the engine up makes no difference, impossible to turn without moving forward or back.
Any ideas?
INDY

Click to expand...

heir is a filter inside the reservoir, you might check out..

Thanks for the info. Working with it today, there is some looseness in the linkage to the valve. I pulled the pin and while my Son turned the steering wheel, I manually actuated the valve in the direction of travel. With the valve manually moved to the limit of travel, still have little to no power assist.
While I realize I need to get rid of the slop in linkage, this seems to indicate low pump pressure???
Thanks for any help you can offer.
INDY

Hello,
OK, that's progress! Are you sure that you are activating the spool fully? Whilst the movement is only around 2 - 2.5mm it is difficult to operate it by hand. Yes, it could be low pump pressure. Depending on the type of pump fitted it will normally be a case of removing the cover. It may be necessary to remove the pump to do this. Have a container ready to catch the oil. Inside you should see a filter. It may be blocked. Replace it anyway. I believe that in the US ordinary tractor engine oil is used. Perhaps someone can confirm this. In the UK and Europe Automatic Transmission Fluid is recommended. It might be worthwhile removing the pump anyway. That way you will be able to turn it by hand. A new pump will be quite stiff to turn. If it is badly worn you will probably be able to almost 'spin' the gear. If it is somewhere in between then the pump might just be OK. Replace the filter and replace the cover and fill with fresh oil and try it again. The correct oil level is achieved with the steering on full right hand lock. If necessary adjust the barrel so that you have full movement in ONE direction only. This will at least tell you if you have good assistance from the pump.
DavidP

I pulled the pin out of the linkage on the shaft end, put a small screwdrive through the hole and pulled it to length of stroke. Made no difference either direction in steering effort. Had my Son pull the valve and once I felt the slightest amount of power assist for a split second.
I then jacked up the front end with the tires off the ground and pulled the valve. Front would steer both ways lock to lock without turning the steering wheel.
I pulled the cover off the pump and inspected the filter and it looked ok. I know that doesn't mean anything. I used automotive power steering fluid in it, manual calls for type A trans fluid.
I wish there was an easy way to test pressure.
INDY

I have no experience with the 65 steering. If these pics assist you, great. Take from a MASSEY 65 service manual:
Bob..

Hi, it's not looking good for the pump. I think that the next step is to remove the pump and strip it. Is there any evidence of the engine oil level rising? Quite often the pressure seal will harden and split and allow steering oil to pass into the engine. An overhaul seal kit should be available.

DavidP

No evidence of oil getting into the engine. Fresh overhaul on this unit, I bought it non running so I don't know how the steering was previous.
Thanks for the info, need to tear pump apart.
INDY