Hi all, I have an 88 G20 van and I noticed a significant PS fluid leak the other day that was coming from the top of the steering gear box.

I was able to determine that it was leaking around the stub shaft so I figured I'd get a reseal kit and see if I could replace the leaky seals.

I fought to separate the steering input shaft from the stub shaft for quite a while (rusty new england car) and then got the dust seal/washer (243, diagram at bottom of post) out with a pick. The second seal (242) doesn't want to come out so I figured ok, I'll take the adjuster plug (240) out and maybe it'll be easier to get at the seal.

In order to get the adjuster plug out, I need to remove a lock ring (245) from the top of the adjuster plug. This is where the panic started to set in.

I was able to get a pry bar hooked into one of the little notches in the lock ring and tried to beat it off with a hammer. All I ended up doing was driving the tip of the pry bar into the metal of the lock ring without budging it a millimeter. I'm not sure that thing is ever going to spin again.

I'm looking for any advice as to how to proceed.It seems like I should probably take the steering box out of the vehicle and get it on a bench, but even then I'm not sure that lock ring is going to budge.

 

I ended up walking away from it and came up with a plan that worked! I was looking at the new seal and noticed that it looked like a scaled down version of the front main seal so I figured I'd try the same technique I used to remove that when I was rebuilding this engine. I drilled two small holes on either side of the seal (it was thin metal covered in rubber) and then I twisted in a sheetrock screw a few threads. Then I was able to fit a claw hammer around the head of the screw and I was able to tug it out that way, going back and forth between the screws until it popped out.
Hammered the new seal into place with a 7/8 socket and a few extensions. Leak solved!