Baz, you can convert to a later box if you have a die grinder, a mig welder and a big hammer. A more relaxing drive - more turns lock to lock and less twitchy in a straight line.
Dont. Grease will keep metallic particles is suspension and turn into grinding paste, essentially. using the proper weight oil will allow wear debris to sink into the bottom away from the gears. grease does more harm than good if used inappropriately.
I get what you're saying and what I said was tongue in cheek but........how about something like an old land rover, their steering boxes are filled with steering box grease couldn't that be used?
I've just looked on the land rover forum,, how sad am I, and there's a thread on this very subject they use something called swivel grease
if it doesn’t keep particles in suspension, then go for it, what would the manufacturer spec say to use? The gear layout may be different to VW ones which is why a grease may have been used.
You know how you amuse kids by making a thick cornflower paste that drips between your fingers if you hold it still but solidifies if you roll it into a ball and keep it moving? There's something called corn head grease that does the opposite, but with any grease you'd have to be 100% sure you didn't trap any air inside apart from some at top for expansion. I think you'd have to empty, dissemble and thoroughly clean everything first so you might as well just fix it at that point and use oil which then wouldn't leak out. There's never a ruddy easy AND good way is there?
So a quick google search tells me that Swivel Grease is used in swivel pin arrangements (a pin which turns in a housing). A steering box is a worm gear arrangement with multiple surface contact points. Not quite the same. If it was me, I’d use the correct grade oil as per spec
She did indeed and a good job she did as well, I just asked her if she fancied repairing the steering box and she said and I quote" go forth and multiply"
Or you could just keep topping it up with gear oil if its a tiny leak. Easy to check and top up. Just keep the top of the steering box clean before removing the filler plug. I would try topping it up and see just how much it leaks over time.
The problem is that I think that steering box leak became an automatic fail in the latest Mot.....that's why I eventually got around to doing it. Alternative is clean box so leaking oil is easily cleaned away prior to mot ( and fit a front under pan, which hides most of box ) ..but keep it topped up, which is a pain in itself.
