Steering rack gaiter - renewal

Steering / Steering rack gaiter - renewal

1 If lubricant is found to be leaking from the gaiters (at the ends of the housing), first check that the gaiter clips are secure.

2 If the lubricant is leaking from the gaiter through a split, the gaiter can be removed in the following way, without the necessity of withdrawing the gear from the car.

3 Remove the tie-rod end from the side concerned, as described in the preceding Section.

4 Release the gaiter clips; draw the gaiter from the rack housing and off the tie-rod.

5 If the gaiter has only just split, road dirt is unlikely to have entered and lubricant can be wiped away. If it is severely grit contaminated, the steering gear should be completely removed, the original lubricant flushed out and new lubricant pumped in.

6 If the gear does not have to be removed from the car, slide the new gaiter into position and secure it with the inboard clip.

7 The rack lubricant is molybdenum disulphide type grease.

8 When recharging the gaiter with this type of lubricant, give full steering lock to the side being replenished so that the extended section of the rack will take the grease into the housing as it returns.

9 Reconnect the tie-rod end to the tie-rod and the eye of the steering arm. Provided the locknut is tightened by only rotating it through the same distance by which it was loosened, the front wheel alignment (tracking) should not have been unduly disturbed. Even so, check the alignment as described in Section 8.