Review on 🔧 Revive Your Steering Performance with Edelmann 8896 Power Steering Gear Box Complete Rebuild Kit by Dwight Tim

This is not an easy post-process. Expect many hours for this overhaul. I bought a special tool - a box wrench (T66P-3553-B). I used a hydraulic press to change the bearings. One bearing will end up in a "blind" hole, but I was able to push it out the other side with the right size socket (1 1/16" worked for me). I snapped off a pin on my Craftsman snap ring pliers ( the circlips are extra thick and strong on this steering box. For some operations, a large vise is of great help. On the advice of Edelmann technical support, I was able to install Teflon piston rings by heating them in hot water before installing. The most difficult Surgery for me was to fit 4 Teflon piston rings. I did not clamp the rings to 'put them back' - again on Edelman's advice. The repair instructions included in this kit are a revised Ford OE repair manual. If you are so opt for this repair assume the instructions are terrible the Ford OE manual lists about 12 Ford servo specific repair tools However, I think only one is absolutely necessary (T66P-3553-B wrench) and a few others would be nice to have (piston ring installation). Tool). Wouldn't it be nice if their manuals rated their special tools as either absolutely necessary or useful? After researching the internet I have come to the conclusion that almost all of these specialty tools are NOT available in new condition. I got lucky though and found a used wrench on eBay - T66P-3553-B for about $25. Of course, as a hammer fitter, you don't need any special tools. You're one of those very special people who can wield a hammer with precision (or you write for one of those 4x4 magazines where you can reconstruct everything on a page with a few photos in about an hour). And you probably don't need a vise or hydraulic press either - you just hammer in all your bearings and seals and you're the kind of person who can do mechanical work with little to no tools. There are many videos on Youtube showing how this type of "mechanical" work is done. And it goes without saying that you don't know anything about torque wrenches - you have a special flair for tightening. If you happen to be one of those people - you must be really happy with this set - you will LOVE it. You can easily tighten the locking ring with a hammer and punch. For the rest of us mere mortals, you'll need at least a wrench (T66P-3553-B) to tighten the mainshaft retaining ring to specification. Of course, you can make a wrench out of the right size steel tubing and cut the shanks to fit the slots in the lock nut. Scale - 10 is the most difficult. Call me a wimp, but I've repaired engines (easy) and gearboxes (difficult) and worked as a "professional" industrial mechanic. The problem with any review is that expectations of acceptable quality mechanical work vary widely. People have very different opinions about what they consider to be "good enough." And that leads to some reviews saying it's an easy rebuild, while others say it's difficult to rebuild. Especially with shaft seals that contain some kind of liquid, the smoothness of the shaft seal surface is very important. Some people clean all parts, then carefully inspect the sealing surface, then clean and polish the sealing surface (myself included). And in extreme cases they may even consider resurfacing or discarding severely jagged/corroded shafts. They fight hard for a smooth sealing surface and restoring them can be a big project. Others simply ignore this detail. These "mechanics" simply collect things, and if there is no leak after passing a block, they declare their victory. It doesn't matter that the rough surface of the oil seal damages the seal over time - and after a while it begins to leak. The same "mechanics" will then post a review boasting about how quickly and easily it was restored. A guy who takes his time - avoids swinging hammers - and does his best to keep the shaft seals in tip-top condition - checking them out might show this is no easy rebuild. So what's the economic return on your efforts compared to buying a remanufactured power steering system? I have found several rebuilt units for around $100. And I have about $70 in this Edelmann 8896 kit including wrenches. So there isn't much of a difference in price - what matters is the quality of the repair itself. You may or may not be lucky with a repair block. Expect some disappointment when you find that "special tools" are not available to install Teflon piston rings. OTH, I've found it easy to swap out bearings and shaft seals. A universal gasket kit, a wide range of large heads and a hydraulic press worked well for me. LOTS of frustration and worry will focus on installing an INCREDIBLE LEAK INSTALLATION - 4 x Teflon Piston Rings (blue in photo). The Ford OE manuals are dedicated to this topic. Too bad Edelmann doesn't offer disposable plastic bushings for 4 Teflon piston rings. It can take this repair kit from "just okay" to really great. Yes, this is a very complete kit - ALL the parts are included. I was pleased to find that a stock part number exactly matched the original stock part number. But after completing this change, I was left with an extra O-ring. Basically this kit consists of bearings, circlips and seals - you will know where they all go when you match them up with the old seals. When I couldn't find that one extra O-ring, I called Edelmann Technical Support (based in the US). I gave them my gearbox ID number and they confirmed that I don't need this o-ring for my particular gearbox. I verified that the person on the tech support phone line actually did this conversion. So Edelmann had knowledgeable support staff to answer my questions.