Lower Pitman Seal Replacement - can it be done with the steering box in place?

After reading all the posts about replacing the Pitman arm lower seal, I have just one question. Can the seal be replaced with the steering box in place (after removing the Pitman arm), or does the box have to be removed?

Thanks!

Phred

90 XJ stock

yes

yes, you will most likely get hit with a flood of power steering fluid

Thanks much - I'll try to stay out of the way. There isn't much fluid left in the system - can't see any in the reservoir, even. XJ only gets driven about once every 6 months and there isn't any noise from the steering, so I think it's ok. I'd rather replace a seal than wrestle the gear box off and back on, assuming I can get the Pitman off.

Thanks.
Phred

Yes. Unless the gear is fully empty, you're going to see about a pint and a half to a quart of fluid coming out of there, as I recall. Even with the pump and reservoir empty.

But yes, you should be able to change the Pitman shaft seal with the gear in place - it will just get a little fiddly to do.

Since someone has already posted this up, I didn't want to start yet another thread - are there any writeups on the process? I installed a new (to me) box that I traded for last night, as mine was failing. Started her up after buttoning everything up and topping off the fluid - worked perfectly. Then my buddy tells me to shut it down, fluid was puking all over the garage floor. Upon inspection, it appears the seal blew out - the circlip, washer, and rubber seal were all lying on top of the pitman arm. To be honest, it could've been like this before the install - I've never done one of these before, so the compromised seal wouldn't have stood out.
We fiddled with trying to reseat the seal for around two hours, but couldn't compress it enough to seat the clip. I must be missing something - or maybe the seal is just swollen or hard from sitting dry on a parts Jeep for so long. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Getting the pitman arm off and gaining access to the shaft is not a problem - I'd love to be able to fix this in the Jeep.

And since I had to drive about 4 miles home last night, the system is now completely empty - I won't have to worry about a mess.

Hallo. There are several writeups about the steering box.

one:http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=570869&highlight=saginaw+rebuild

and:http://www.fourwheeler.com/techarticles/drivetrain/129_0801_saginaw_steering_box_rebuild/index.html

wim

Thanks for the links - but they both take in to consideration that the box has been removed from the vehicle and completely disassembled. It appears that yes, replacing the sector shaft seal would be much easier to replace with the shaft removed, but that's not an option with the box still in the vehicle. If the sector shaft bearing is tapered - to fit a tapered bore, that may explain why I had such a hard time trying to seat it the other night. In the first link, look how far in the seal, washer, and snap ring are recessed in to the cast housing - I couldn't get the washer flush with the housing. I'd say I must be 1/2" to 3/4" away from a successful repair. That's quite a stretch.
Sad thing is, this was an apparently fresh rebuild from our local XJ guru - had never even been run. But the fact that it's been a few years, I'm sure warranty repair is out of the question.
So in reference to goodburbon & billyjp2's posts, how would you go about doing this without removing the box from the truck?

I honestly don't see the necessity of doing it with the box in the XJ. I've run into no real issues removing the box on numerous occasions. No big deal really. The last one I did was the original, in the XJ for most of twenty years and even that didn't present any real issues. It took less than an hour to get it out and half that to put it back in.
Instead of messing around with the column, unbolt the box and slide it off the input, reverse the process for re installation.
Center the steering wheel and lock it before the box removal, notice which direction the input shaft keyway is pointing.

Yeah, it's not really that big a deal. But, just found out more interesting information about this particular box - and the truth of how the current owner of the parts Jeep came to own it. The local 4wd shop's owner built up a Cherokee for his son. The box was a remanufactured unit from Napa. After the build-up, the Jeep had a problem with an intermittent wander. Before they'd fully diagnosed where the problem stemmed from, his son stuffed the Jeep in a ditch. After talking to him (the shop owner) today, I mentioned the wandering - he said THAT was the problem his son had, that it probably contributed to the crash. Great.
So now that I've got two boxes, I figured I may as well have them rebuilt - sell one or keep as a spare. Apparently, this is something that few companies want anything to do with - too much liability, the best I've been able to find is farming it out to a company in California.
I'd tackle to job myself, but considering my wife drives the Jeep on the street more than I do (we bought it as a wheeling rig, but she loves it), I'd rather leave the job to a more qualified individual.