1961 lincoln engine

[action]

I forget exactly how this bracket is mounted.
I think it is on the bottom of the AC compressor and does have a location for the pulley to be mounted.

Action

[action]

This is the AC idler pulley attached to the bracket above.

Action

[TonyC]

The pictures Action posted are a big help; I can verify or correct their installations.

The first one posted goes to the outer side of the compressor. The fatter section with three bolt holes attaches to the outward-facing compressor side; the extra piece shown in that section is two pieces, actually—the smaller loop piece is a retainer for the electromagnetic clutch's power wire, the larger piece is a bracket for the "muffler" that is inline with the low-pressure freon line (that is supposed to be spot-welded to the "muffler"; this one has been broken off). The elongated section with two bolt holes actually attaches to the cylinder head; it snakes over the exhaust manifold, but it bolts onto two head bolts that are of a different design from the rest of the head bolts. NOTE: When you reinstall the left-bank cylinder head, make sure you place those two bolts into those holes in the lower-left corner, side-by-side.

The second one posted is correctly identified; one end, the round hole, attaches to the intake manifold, on a bolt that has a stud beyond the hex head (on 430s that stud will hold only that rod; on 462s it will hold both that rod and the ignition coil bracket). The other hole, the elongated one, attaches to the idler-pulley bracket (incorrectly identified, will elaborate).

The third one, incorrectly identified as the idler-pulley bracket, is actually the base bracket for the compressor. It bolts onto the engine block, just above the power-steering reservoir, and also wraps to the side of the block where it's also bolted (you will see how when you line it up). The compressor is mounted onto this bracket at its base, held down by four long bolts.

The fourth one is correctly identified, although its placement is not. It is the A/C idler pulley. However, another bracket is missing; that missing bracket bolts to the inward-facing side of the compressor (and subsequently to the rod in the second picture), and the pulley then mounts onto the bracket. When adjusting the belt, the two retaining bolts need to be loosened so you can pivot the pulley with a wrench to tighten the belt; once tight, you torque down the bolts, starting with the one in the sliding hole (the adjusting point) followed by the one in the round hole (the pivot point), while at the same time holding the pulley until the bolts are torqued down.

Hope all this helps out.

---Tony

[Dan Szwarc]

I forget exactly how this bracket is mounted.
I think it is on the bottom of the AC compressor and does have a location for the pulley to be mounted.

Action

It goes on the inboard SIDE of the AC compressor with the idler pulley bracket area on top.

[TonyC]

Dan and Action are right; I was wrong. That is in fact the bracket for the idler pulley and not the base bracket for the compressor. In that picture, it did look like the base bracket as I described...until I studied it again and remembered what my own looks like.

But yes, one bracket is still missing in the group of photos, just not the one I stated earlier. The base bracket that goes on the block, wraps around the forward-left corner of the block, and which the compressor secures to with four long bolts, is missing a picture.

---Tony

Edit: I took a picture of that missing bracket for reference, so everyone can know what I'm talking about. I forgot that it was actually two bracket pieces until I saw my own. So, here it is; the left piece attaches to the block side at the V-angle, then is secured by a nut to the right piece, which attaches to the front of the block above the steering reservoir. DISCLAIMER: Depending on the device you use, the preview may show upside-down. On my computer it shows properly, but on my handy it shows upside-down. Click on the preview to load the picture in its proper orientation, and my references to "left" and "right" will make more sense.

[ammiller83]

What would cause my power steering bolts broke off when the engine is running. Am I going to have to pull the engine out to fix this?

[TonyC]

Whoa, hang on; "brake" off...? Or did you mean, "break" off? I am sorry if that comes off as scathing, but homonyms and all that. The right or wrong word can alter everything. I'm assuming you meant the latter; based on that assumption, I have to say I'm having a hard time trying to picture that...and I've experienced nearly all of them, to include the worst steering problems of anyone. I have never come across a broken bolt. That isn't to say they can't break; they're slim enough to break, yes, but they're made of iron. The aluminum cover they screw into is liable to give way first. And if that happened with the engine running, then there have to be far bigger issues with the pump itself. As I never experienced that either, I'm only guessing that something inside the pump caused a seizure that twisted the whole housing and sheared the mounting bolts. Was the pump recently disassembled, and if so, are you 100% certain that the innards we're reassembled correctly? Did you have any warning signs beforehand, like groaning with a full fluid level, dragging resistance from the engine, fluid belching up the filler pipe, or anything? I'm still having trouble picturing it; please take and post pictures of the problem if you can. Granted, the most common cause of bolt breakage is overtightening; but again, you're more likely to strip out the threaded holes of the front cover before you break a bolt, barring stress fractures in said bolt.

Good news, the engine does not have to be taken all the way out for any steering repair. Bad news, if my guess is right and the front cover is compromised, that will have to come out; and that involves taking out the whole front of the engine (all pumps, expansion tank, associated brackets, pulleys, forward oil-pan bolts, etc.) just to get to the front cover. I really would like to see what we're dealing with here, if possible.

---Tony

[frasern]

I'm not sure which bolts are in question, steering box, or pump? The pump bolts are special shoulder bolts with a rubber sleeve, the pump basically floats on them. If the wrong bolts were used, they would vibrate and fail. Likewise, loose box bolts could break, if the steering gear was able to move. Whatever happened, check for secondary damage to the mounting surfaces caused by the loose bolts.

[TonyC]

Right, I missed that detail Fraser caught. Which steering component is shearing bolts, the pump or the gearbox?

If it's the latter, then you need new bolts, and you likely need to extract anything broken from the gearbox. If the consensus is correct, '61 did not use the cushioned spacers, so extracting broken bolts will be a challenge; you'll likely have to remove the gearbox to do that, but that can be done without removing the engine (though it will be harder). There is little likelihood of secondary damage to the mounting spot, as the bolts go through the structure of the car.

If it's the former, then what I stated in my last post applies...and secondary damage can be very likely, as the front cover is cast aluminum, meaning it's more fragile than cast iron. If there is damage on the mounting spots of the cover, the only recourse is to replace the whole front cover. Luckily, that is possible, as the covers for 430s and 462s were identical (minus the 430 covers designed in '58 and '59, possibly '60). If the whole problem is at the pump, I tend to think that the pump was disassembled, and reassembled wrong; either the rotor or the cam ring, or both, was installed backwards...which is an easy mistake to make, but they must be installed only one designated way (detailed in the shop manual), lest you suffer consequences. I don't exactly know those consequences, as I've always taken redundant care to install all the innards correctly...but it may be the symptoms you've described are those consequences, presuming that the pump had been taken apart.

Again, visual aids would help, if you can take pictures, Amm.

---Tony

[ammiller83]

The pump bolts broke off holding it on to the engine.

[Dan Szwarc]

The pump seized internally. Sheared those bolts right off.

[TonyC]

Alright, then...well, not alright, but it seems to fit my hypothesis.
Only two things can cause these pumps to suffer such a catastrophic failure: (1) Total absence of fluid in the system, or possibly use of incompatible fluid, which I don't think is the case here...or (2) the pump was disassembled and not correctly reassembled, which I do think could be the case here. It is easy to install the cam ring or the rotor the wrong way, and such a gaffe is liable to cause that kind of failure. Chances are that, if the pump suffered enough internal stress to shear off its mounting bolts, it suffered enough stress to destroy its innards.

The only way to confirm is to remove the pump from the engine and take it apart. Once it's off, examine the mounting spot on the front cover for damage. If the bolt holes are damaged, you'll need a new cover. I do have one slight correction to make to my last post: Although the covers are identical for 430s and 462s, the dipstick tubes are not. Since the tubes are tightly pressed into place, that means you'll need a 430-specific cover; or if you can only find a 462 cover, remove its dipstick tube and transfer the 430 tube from your old cover to the new one. The latter is involved, as you need to be sure it's set in place exactly, so your dipstick will remain accurate. One more thing: If you do that, try to remove the 462 tube carefully. Having been in need myself, I can tell you that you could fetch extra cash by offering an intact 462 dipstick tube to replace a broken one. Once broken, they cannot be fixed.

But I digress. Remove the pump, examine the engine's front cover to confirm its condition, and disassemble the pump to confirm its internal condition. If you can, take pictures of each stage of disassembly. I know exactly how these pumps are supposed to be assembled, so I can spot anything that's not correct.

---Tony

[ammiller83]

Will My windshield wiper work ?If the pump is not working.

[TonyC]

Simply, nope. In fact, you won't even be able to move the car anywhere if the pump isn't working. These cars were never meant to be manipulated without power steering; try to steer the car without power assist, you'll rip the steering coupler (which may or may not already be weakened, depending on its age) to shreds and have no control over where the car goes. And, not to mention that the steering pump is the only thing holding the engine's front oil seal in place, so doing without is not an option under any circumstances.

You need to fix that pump...or replace it if my guess happens to be accurate about what happened. But we cannot be certain whether my guess is accurate unless/until you remove and disassemble that pump. However, it's really the only thing I can think of that would cause a steering pump to shear off its mounting bolts. I've never experienced that, nor have I heard of anyone experiencing that...and I've experienced nearly every symptom of a failing pump, to include a few that others never have.

Let me put it this way, with this question: Was the pump ever disassembled for rebuilding? I ask because I've just finished combing through this thread from the first page, and I can't find anything definitive to indicate that the pump was in fact disassembled, only removed previously, by you. If it was opened up, or if you aren't sure whether it was, then you need to take it off and open it up. And take pictures of what you see when you open it up, that way I can see whether my guess is in fact accurate. Worst-case scenario, you'll need to replace it; depending on where in Texas you are, that may or may not be an extremely expensive venture.

---Tony

[frasern]

Again, did you use the correct bolts? Bolting that pump solidly, will break something, It needs to move as the crank rotates.