Technical 605 STEERING BOX

Need help in making my 605 power steering box less sensitive. If you cough..you could change lanes......scary!!! Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Mason wingom8250@bellsouth.net

 

What power steering pump are you running and did you do a pressure check? Gary

 

The nature of a 605 is to be somewhat twitchy. If there's a solution I'm not aware of it. The only solution I know of is to replace it with another box like a CPP 500.

 

That's what I did. Replaced 605 with CPP 500, much better.

 

If you don't want to change boxes, resetting your caster will help. (more negative will increase steering effort)

 

Seems like there is a valev?? within the box?? or pump - that can be replaced when this happens? seen an article on this long ago somewhere?

 

Probably not the valve, but the little torsion bar that operates the valve. If you look at the end of the input shaft, you will see a small shaft within it. The 'twist resistance' of that little torsion bar determines how much and how soon the 'boost' comes on. That, in combination with steering box ratios, it makes for a wide range of steering box feel. Whether or not it is feasible to change that in a 605 box is something I don't know.

Ray

 

I have a 605 box in my '55' Chevy with an early 70's type pump. When I first installed the unit it too was a little (or a lot) "twitchy". Borgeson ( and possibly others) sells a kit to lower the pressure in the pump. I put two of the shims in the pump and the steering is much nicer. Another shim could be used if I ever want to take the time to make the steering a little more mellow. Drives nice now.
GM P/S Pump Pressure Reducing Shim Kit

Includes clamping tool, 6 shims and installation instructions for lowering the bypass pressure on all GM self contained and Type II power steering pumps.
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GM P/S Pump Pressure Valve Shim Kit
Part #: 899001

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Retail: $17.86

 

You mean POSITIVE caster will increase steering effort, I hope...

I think he can get to where he wants by fiddling the pressure as noted above, but the 605 was the cheapie GM box and not nearly so good (or as commonly tweakable) as either the 700/800-series boxes that preceded it or the excellent 600/640 boxes that followed.

There's a wide array of torsion-bar spool valves available for the 700-series box, from something like 14 oz as used in old Buicks and Cadillacs up to 35 oz which I think was a WS6 Trans Am part, but I'm not aware of anyone doing anything like that for the 605.

 

Try a bit more caster. I know the tri-5 builders add some from stock settings.