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Omix Sector Shaft Safety Warning Fellows!!!!!!!

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Oilleaker1 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 12:42am
We now have two fellow members that have had catastopic failures of their steering sector inside their Ross steering Box!!!!!!!!!!!  The shaft completely shears from the plate with the two cones that follow the worm gear. Rick Cline and Glen (Red Willy). Glen's broke in the middle of Tin Cup Pass and Rick's broke backing into his driveway in  Omaha. What results is your steering is no longer connected to the front wheels at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your Jeep at speed will go wherever it wants to with you possibly getting killed. The culprit is made by OMIX ADA and is sold by both Walck's and Kaiser Willys. It comes in a all white box. If you have one, get it out of there now! RickG has pictures of both. I can send them to you if I have your emil. Posting isn't my thing when it comes to pictures.  This isn't bull fellows. Mine I think is made by crown, but I'm going to check it soon. My Jeep is in the shop and won't leave until it's checked. The pictures of the end where it's welded will help ID it. The inner side is not welded on Omix, but is on crown. That's where it shears. Imagine it breaking at 13,500 feet on Mount Antero! Your only hope would be to jump clear. Ouch Oilly
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote RICKG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 12:59am
OK.. I was there when Glen's broke. 2 documented breakages in a relatively small group of folks. 
 Ya think your part supplier needs to address this, or you're gonna be next..
 


Edited by RICKG - 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:07am
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SE Kansas 46 CJ-2A View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SE Kansas 46 CJ-2A Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:08am
Rebuilt the box about a year ago...It's been in the shop all year long on a major restore. I honestly can't remember whether it was K-W or Walck's where I bought the sector, but I do have the records out in my shop.

I will definitely have to check in to this. Having to pull the steering out of the assembled jeep is going to be a PITA.

So now what? Where do I obtain a safe sector?

I have already experienced a 40 mph loss of steering when the bellcrank pin fell out some 40 years ago...it ain't fun... A barb wire fence stopped me in a farmer's field and I managed to pull down about fifty foot of fence. I paid the farmer to fix it and used a tire iron as a draglink pin wired to the front cross member as a get-it-home fix. With a broken sector, a field fix wouldn't be possible...

Sure don't want to go through something like that again...

Thanks for the heads-up Oilly...

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unkamonkey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:11am
I don't like Omix Ada junk in general but even the old stock parts can fail. We broke a sector shaft in our old MB in around 1979. We were about a block from our house and my brother drove as I ran along and kicked the front tires to steer, so we got it home.
I understand the point of your message.
I really do need to do the Saginaw steering in my 3B. I have most of the parts and my Commando has a Ross box too.
Now you have me worried about the steering in every vehicle.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SE Kansas 46 CJ-2A Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:15am
Just thinking... one should be able to pull the side plate off the steering gearbox and remove the nut an pitman arm off the other side of the box while still in-frame. Slide the sector out... the only thing that would have to be removed would be the left fender, I think...

Sound feasible?
46 CJ-2A #64462 "Ol' Red" (bought April 1969)(second owner)(12 V, 11" brakes, M-38 frame, MD Juan tub)

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oilleaker1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:19am
 Type in a search on Ebay for Willys Jeep Sector. There are crown made ones shown. The inner part looks welded and machined nice. Omix Ada has no weld on the inner side!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Muley for posting, we may have just saved a friend. Oilly
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Oilleaker1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:20am
Originally posted by SE Kansas 46 CJ-2A SE Kansas 46 CJ-2A wrote:

Just thinking... one should be able to pull the side plate off the steering gearbox and remove the nut an pitman arm off the other side of the box while still in-frame. Slide the sector out... the only thing that would have to be removed would be the left fender, I think...

Sound feasible?

That's exactly how I'm going to check mine! Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unkamonkey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:51am
You can remove the shaft in that manner but any way you do it the Pittman shaft can be a real bear to remove. Some pullers don't fit well between the engine and steering box.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unkamonkey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:52am
Sorry, that should have been Pittman arm.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rick Cline Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 1:57am
[QUOTE=SE Kansas 46 CJ-2A] Just thinking... one should be able to pull the side plate off the steering gearbox and remove the nut an pitman arm off the other side of the box while still in-frame. Slide the sector out... the only thing that would have to be removed would be the left fender, I think...



Sound feasible
That's how I changed mine and Redwillys did his that way also. If I remember right I got it in 2011 or 2012 from Walcks. I don't want slam them they have a lot of quality parts and good customer service. I called and told them about my sector shaft breakage they were willing to replace it. He said they don't sell that type any more. All I wanted is to them to let others know that that there was a defect with these sector shafts. Thanks John and Rick G for posting again.I didn't ever think that I would see another one fail.

Edited by Rick Cline - 27 Sep. 2016 at 2:12am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Red Willy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 2:57am
Kicking the tires to turn them wasn't an option for me when we had four miles to go down the mountain and probably another 30 back to base camp. Fortunately for me, CBauer had a removable tow bar that was custom made to fit a Willys front bumper. Also the trip home was made a little easier with Ray (don't know his last name) and his not so stock Willys with a V8 volunteering to tow me back.

I haven't had a chance to look back in my records to see who I purchased my Sector Shaft from but it was in 2012 which to my understanding is about the time there was a bad batch of them being produced.

In answer to checking or changing the Shaft it probably took less than an hour to change mine out with a few fellows lending a helping hand. I had no problem getting my Pitman Arm off as it had only been on for a couple of years and I tend not to over tighten them. All we did was remove the fender/grill bolts and the fuel line clip and laid the fender down onto the tire. Four bolts and the cover is removed. I removed the nut securing the Pitman Arm and placed a piece of 1x board between the end of the shaft and the engine block. I struck the Pitman Arm with a Cold Chisel and it came off with a few good hits.

Hopefully no one else experiences what Rick and I have but you know there will be or have been more cases of broken shafts. If this was on a new car there would be a Safety Recall but I guess in this situation it comes down to John posting the warning.

Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention John.


Glen
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mike in oregon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 3:06am

Thanks for the info guys as I am about to rebuild 2 box's in the near future. I blew those pictures of the broken shafts up the best I could and it looks like there is little to no radius in the machining on the step down. This is a stress riser and will almost always create a crack which will sooner or later break. Would be nice to see how they were made back in the day.  Thanks again.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BENSH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 3:38am
Good work guys, hope the other sites pick this up. To bad the dealers can’t go through their sales records an d notify customers buying these items from them. I know it would be a pain but hate to think of what’s going to happen to them if someone gets hurt and files a suit. Sure they will blame the mfg., but they will be caught in the middle.

Don’t know anything about converting to the Saginaw but will have to do some reading and seriously consider it.

Glad nobody was hurt, what a bummer!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Oilleaker1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 12:33pm
I recommend you guys go on ebay and look at original,  Crown and the new Omix ada sectors for sale. Notice where these two broke. Notice that Omix Ada looks unchanged. Wow. Shocked
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote PaulEdm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep. 2016 at 3:15pm
Scary!  I think my sector shaft is original.  It hasn't been in the Jeep since the late 80's--I've only just reverted to original steering (and am not on the road yet).  Hopefully it will last a while longer!  (It and the Ross box are the only original parts in my steering system.)

I did have a loss of steering once in the power steering system I had before the rebuild.  I hadn't properly tightened the nut on the pitman arm (located roughly where the bell crank is on an original system), and it came off.  Thankfully, I was doing less than 5 mph on a trail at the time.  Got back to the cabin by running the winch cable under the pitman arm to hold it on the power steering unit.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote russnj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep. 2016 at 2:47pm
Original and correct reproductions are like this one.






Edited by russnj - 28 Sep. 2016 at 3:45pm

43 MB, 48 CJ2A, 50 CJ3A, 55 M38A1, 56 CJ5, 79 M151A2, M100 ,65 M416
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote russnj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep. 2016 at 2:50pm
This is what the omix one looks like before it fails.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mike Gardner Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep. 2016 at 2:59pm
I have contacted Omix-ADA directly. We work directly with them with some of our parts as well as our turnkey Jeep builds for dealers. I didn't speak to just anyone. I went right to the top so the message is heard and taken care of.

I have one of these in my 45 2a. I just spoke to them and the returned broken shafts will be sent back to Omix for inspection. The warranty should cover the broken parts.
In the mean time I'm looking for a replacement till I hear from omix.
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