Steering gear - overhaul

Steering / Steering gear - overhaul

1 A worn steering gear should not be overhauled, but a new or factory reconditioned unit fitted.

2 After a high mileage, the following adjustment may be needed however.

Rack damper - adjustment 3 The slipper in the rack housing presses the rack into mesh with the pinion. This cuts out any backlash between the gears. Also, due to its pressure, it introduces some stiffness into the rack, which cuts out excessive reaction from the road to the steering wheel.

4 In due course, wear reduces the pressures exerted by the slipper. The pressure is controlled by the cover plate and a spring.

5 The need for resetting of the slipper is not easy to detect. On bumpy roads, the shock induced through the steering will give a feeling of play, and sometimes faint clonking can be heard. In extreme cases, free play in the steering may be felt, though this is rare. If the steering is compared with that of a new rack on another car, the lack of friction damping is quite apparent in the ease of movement of the steering wheel of the worn one.

6 Centralise the steering rack. Do this by counting the number of turns lock-to-lock and then turning the steering wheel from one lock through half the number of turns counted.

7 Take the cover plate off the damping slipper, remove the spring and shims, and refit the cover plate.

8 Screw in the cover plate bolts just enough to hold the slipper against the rack.

9 Measure the gap between the cover plate and the rack housing using feeler blades.

10 Select shims from the thicknesses available (0.10, 0.125 and 0.30 mm) to provide a shim pack thicker than the gap by between 0.05 and 0.13 mm.

11 Remove the cover plate, fit the spring and bolt on the cover plate with the selected shims.

Fig. 10.5 Sectional view of rack damper (Sec 7)