I have a RH Sheppard M110P? Steering gear box that is leaking. First what type of fluid does it take? It is red and looks like Dextron ATF.
I found online that Sheppard has reman units, and Weller is saying they do too. I will contact Newell, Sheppard, and Weller tomorrow. I am also in Spearfish SD and wondering how I am going to get this fixed in a timely manner. Anyone been down this route?
Mike & Jeannie Ginn
2000 Newell #555 - sold July 2020
2019 Leisure Travel Van FX model
(This post was last modified: 06-16-2019, 08:28 PM by Land Yacht.)
The fluid is ATF. The reservoir is in the engine compartment passenger side. It is the same system that powers the hydraulic fan.
That gearbox is HEAVY. Almost any truck shop should be able to replace it for you. Weller is a well know reman company.
However, the steering gear boxes can have a common exterior case but different ratios and internals that affect the steering characteristics, so a rebuilt one may not be exactly like yours. You will have to find the tag on the box to get the specifics. If you can’t match the exact model, then sending yours to Weller for reman may be an option.
Richard and Rhonda Entrekin
99 Newell, 512
Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, FL (when we're home )
I made about 50 phone calls today, mostly to find a mobile heavy truck mechanic. Finally, a towing company recommended Josh at Road Rangers that takes care of any heavy mechanic work that they don’t want to. I have a new seal kit coming Wednesday and and Josh coming Thu or Fri. He has done this repair on semis before and may be able to do it without pulling the unit, but he thinks he can do it either way.
Here is summary of Sheppard and Weller conversations in case it helps someone:
Sheppard - known issue with this vintage. the urethane high pressure seal breaks down over time. Replace it and it should be good for another 175k miles. The kit is 5545481 and sold on Amazon $76. I ordered it.
Weller - they carry/distribute reman units. Just like Richard said the model Sheppard M110P1 is not enough. A representative has been coaching me where to shoot pictures to try to find the specific unit number. I will take another tour underneath tomorrow to photo another spot. This is my backup plan if the seal kit does not work.
Mobile vs repair facility - when I arrived yesterday and discovered the leak, I had driven for 6 hours and the gear box was hot. The unit appeared to only be leaking when turning the steering wheel, it was not leaking just sitting at idle. This morning after everything cooled down, it was leaking badly just at idle. I was concerned about driving it an hour to the repair shop. Finding a mobile mechanic was not easy, I called at least 20 people trying to get names and numbers or asking if they did this type of work. I was afraid I was going to have to be towed. Julius had a good idea. Get a pan and put under it to catch the oil, run on high idle and try to determine the quantity of the leak. I purchased the supplies then found the mobile mechanic. I will post an update later in the week as this plays out.
Mike & Jeannie Ginn
2000 Newell #555 - sold July 2020
2019 Leisure Travel Van FX model
Good write up! This will be helpful to someone down the road. I guess one of the take-aways is to closely monitor the level in your hydraulic tank. If it goes down (AT ALL) it is the signal that you have a leak.
I for one will be looking at my steering box and the fan motor to see if there is any (even slight) leak.
)
