MHF 202 - Can't figure out steering timing

Neither Pitman Gear Shaft has any marking to time them to the main shaft.

None of the manuals are clear enough for me. The clearest one says

1. Turn the steering shaft until the lower tooth on the ball nut is visible through the right opening in the housing.
2. Install lower pinion shaft and cover assembly with the blank portion of the teeth down, and the lower tooth on the steering nut meshed with the groove next to the blank portion.
3. Turn steering shaft until the center tooth on the top side of the lower pinion shaft is in line with the opening in the left side of housing.
4. Install upper pinion shaft with the center groove mating with the center tooth.

It then goes on to say that when the gears are matched correctly, steering is 3 1/2 turns from full right to full left.

#1 is clear
#2 getting through off by the cover assembly, if I can drop that from the install instructions then I am clear. If they mean I need to install the side cover before advancing to the upper pinion shaft, I can do that.
#3 It seems that it is basically there by doing #1 or I do not understand.
#4 I am lost. No idea how to identify the center groove.

Pictures attached of upper pinion.

Appreciate the guidance,
Don

I encountered the same problem with my 35 PS thinking the gears were marked for timing then reading where some are not.

All of the main tractor projects are complete except the steering. I have installed the housing, installed the new steering shaft, bearings, seals, o-rings, power steering adapter. Disassembled, cleaned and installed the power steering control valve.

If I trusted that the power steering was going to work as designed and it were in my budget I would have replaced the control valve. The spool had corrosion on the edge top and bottom and a slight pitting. I soaked it and wire bushed it and it now slides freely in the control valve.

So tomorrow I tackle timing the gears. By trial and error I will get it done. How long it will take will be based on how many gears I need to fool with. I am hoping I can get the main and the lower timed without issue.

While waiting for the sun to come up and rain to stop I did more reading and studying of the gears.

While there are many splines on the pitman shaft gear and pitman arm, each gear has 4 small slots that mate up with the pitman arms 4 keys. These are small, so much so that the grease and paint were initially hiding mine.

They are set at 90 degree increments.

So it would seem that timing the gears will be much easier to confirm as each will be right or off by at least 90 degrees.

If my steering wheel rotation is 3 1/2 lock to lock, then center would be 1 3/4 turns. With the gears installed properly the pitman arm would be going straight down and I will get 3 1/2 turns lock to lock.

If either is not taking place then a change to one or both gears is required.

I will have to wait until I am doing the work, but with the steering centered, each gear has a max of 4 possibilities. I think because of the blank section on the lower and the odd gear formations on the upper, that number will be less.

We shall see.

Not sure........

Have it back together. With the pitman arms disconnected I get a reasonably smooth rotation of 3 1/2 turns lock to lock. So my first thought was the gears are timed properly.

With the front end off the ground and the pitman arms connected to the drag links and the steering arms, at extreme right or extreme left it binds up. Pushing the front wheel towards center (driving straight ahead) happens without any issues or force. It is almost as though there should be a stop to prevent the extreme right or left movement.

So now I am so sure they are timed right. If I have the steering correct I can move on, if its possible to have the 3 1/2 turns with the gears out of time, then I need to dig into it again.

Power steering is not yet hooked up and the tractor is not running.

In addition to the above, I have some new issues that might be related.

1. The drag links have a fair amount of slop at both ends.
2. The front axle is sliding back and forth on the support.

Not sure why the above would cause the steering binding.

Looking for the Advil.