ford 3600 power steering

s bird · Sep 16, 2020

I have a 1980 Ford 3600 with power steering. My question is when I turn the wheel to the right the left cylinder pushes away from the drag link causing the cylinder shaft to bow. what could be causing this?

SkipperII · Sep 16, 2020

Good chance it's a sticking pressure relief valve in the pump. It should bypass before that rod will bow. Took me a couple bent shafts to
figure it out.

Ultradog MN · Sep 16, 2020

Yes.
Too high of pressure in the system.
3000/3600 pump should produce 700-800 PSI
4000/4600 pump produces around 1100 psi.
Lots of parts sellers have never seen a tractor. So they list the same pump for different applications.
The pressure relief valve can be adjusted.
You have to put a guage in the pressure side to know what it is reading.
Too high of pressure also causes the upper seal to fail early too so it pukes fluid from under the steering wheel.
One more thing; don't hold the steering wheel hard against the stop. I will bump the stop then back the steering wheel off about 1/8 turn. That takes presence of mind. Takes training yourself and learning. But pain is an effective teacher. And replacing those steering cylinders at around $300 a pop is a painful thing.

RM-MN · Sep 17, 2020

The steering cylinders on my 3600 were 1/2 inch shafts. When I bent one so I needed to replace it the replacement had a 5/8 inch shaft. This shaft is quite a bit stiffer and harder to bend than the 1/2 inch ones.

ford 3600 power steering

s bird

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SkipperII

Well-known Member

Ultradog MN

Well-known Member

RM-MN

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