2 Remove the three bolts and washers attaching the steering gear to the frame side member See Figure 4 10 3 Remove the nuts and bolts on the steering gear shaft coupling and slide the steering gear forward and down removing it from the vehicle Disassembly All steering gear parts must be kept clean and free from dirt Spread clean paper or rags on the bench before starting disassembly of the steering gear Figure 4 11 shows a disassembled view of the gear 1 Loosen lock nut on end of pitman shaft and turn the lash adjuster a few turns counterclockwise This will remove the load from the worm bearings caused by the close meshing of the rack and sector teeth 2 Loosen the lock nut on the worm bearing adjuster and turn the adjuster counterclockwise a few turns 3 Place a pan under the assembly to catch the lubricant and remove the three bolts and washers attaching side cover to housing 4 Pull the side cover with the pitman shaft from the housing fig 4 12 J P 71 Fig 4 12 Removing Pitman Shaft NOTE If the sector does not dear the opening in the housing easily turn the wormshaft by hand until the sector will pass through the opening in the housing 5 Remove the worm bearing adjuster adjuster lock nut and lower ball bearing from housing 6 Draw wormshaft and nut assembly from housing fig 4 13 Remove upper ball bearing CAUTION Use care that the ball nut does not run down to either end of the worm Damage will be done to the ends of the ball guides If F Fig 4 13 Removing Wormshaft and Ball Nut the nut is allowed to rotate until stopped at the end of the worm 7 Remove lock nut from lash adjuster and unscrew adjuster from side cover by turning adjuster clockwise Slide adjuster and shim out of slot in end of pitman shaft Ball Nut Disassembly As a rule disassembly of the ball bearing nut will not be necessary if it is perfectly free with no indication of binding or tightness when rotated on the worm However if there is any indication of binding or tightness the unit should be disassembled cleaned and inspected as follows 1 Remove screws and clamp retaining ball guides in nut Draw guide out of nut 2 Turn the nut upside down and rotate the wormshaft back and forth until all 48 balls have dropped out of the nut into a clean pan With the balls removed the nut can be pulled endwise off the worm Inspection With the steering gear completely disassembled wash all parts in cleaning solvent Dry them thoroughly with clean rags With a magnifying glass inspect the ball bearings bearing cups worm and nut grooves and the surface of all balls for signs of indentation Also check for any signs of chipping or breakdown of the surface Any parts that show signs of damage should be replaced Balls must be replaced with genuine Chevrolet parts made according to specifications for this steering gear Inspect wormshaft seal for defects Inspect the pitman shaft for wear and check the fit of the shaft in the housing bushings Inspect the fit of the pilot on the end of the pitman shaft in its bushing in the side cover If this bushing is