Steering Rack Gear Lubricant and Adjustment

[kwilford]

What kind of lubricant goes in the steering rack? The manual makes a cryptic reference to "steering gear lubricant", and to add 1 3/4 ounces to the rack. But it doesn't specify what KIND of lubricant to use. Is it Hypoid (EP) oil, similar to the transmission and differential? Or power steering fluid? Or just engine oil?

Or is it just a type of chassis grease? Which is what seemed to be in there whan I disassembled it to clean it up (years ago in this restoration), but the boots were torn back then. And the manual says to "Fill the area under the pinion shaft rubber boot with steering gear lubricant and slide boot into position." So I presume they are referring to a grease, not a liquid, since it is just a rubber boot without seals.

If it is a liquid oil, are there seals that need to be replaced when rebuilding the rack? I see O-rings in the illustration above the top needle bearing and below the bottom bushing in the column (pinion) shaft. Are these suffucient to seal in a liquid lubricant?

Finally, what (if any) trick is there to adjusting the rack pressure spring? The manual says to set the rack to the mid-point (which they call the "highpoint") and then thread the adjusting screw in until a resistance is felt (it says the rack will be "blocked" at that point, whatever that means). Then it says to back off the screw 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn, and tighten the lock nut.

But what "resistance" are they referring to? Is when the spring starts to compress, or when the rack starts to become a bit stiffer to actuate?

Thanks for your help.

[kwilford]

This just came in from Bob Legere (RallyBob) via the classicopels list:

--- "Keith Wilford
> What kind of lubricant goes in the steering rack?
> The manual makes
> a cryptic reference to "steering gear lubricant",
> and to add 1 3/4
> ounces to the rack. But it doesn't specify what
> KIND of lubricant
> to use. Is it Hypoid (EP) oil, similar to the
> transmission and
> differential? Or power steering fluid? Or just
> engine oil?

*****I use Redline synthetic grease, CV-2. Works
great, does not 'run' out and will not thicken
substantially in colder climates. When rebuilding the
rack, I always install grease zerks at either end, to facilitate bi-annual greasing...just a shot on each end is all.

> Finally, what (if any) trick is there to adjusting
> the rack pressure
> spring? The manual says to set the rack to the
> mid-point (which
> they call the "highpoint") and then thread the
> adjusting screw in
> until a resistance is felt (it says the rack will be
> "blocked" at
> that point, whatever that means). Then it says to
> back off the
> screw 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn, and tighten the lock
> nut.

*****I tighten once 'fairly' hard, so it essentially
feels like you've bottomed out a bolt. Then I back it
off, as this has 'set' everything internally. I
tighten again until the 'bottoming' is felt, but only
with light pressure being applied. I then back off 1/8
turn, 1/4 turn is too sloppy for my preference.
BTW, I do this tightening with a wrench, not a ratchet/socket, and grab the wrench at mid-point. Hopefully this gives you an idea of how much torque is applied to the nut, it's not a whole lot. Certainly not breaker-bar material.

Bob


Thanks a bunch, Bob. I am right in the middle of re-assembling my front suspension clip, and I wanted to have the steering rack done so I can bolt it up as one piece. Back to the garage I go. Maybe I just need a computer and Internet connection in there? I do have a wireless network set up in the house. Another PC (or laptop), then I could install hot and cold running water, and a shower and a crapper. I could LIVE in there! Hmm.....

[tomking]

Kwilford wrote:
Thanks a bunch, Bob. I am right in the middle of re-assembling my front suspension clip, and I wanted to have the steering rack done so I can bolt it up as one piece. Back to the garage I go. Maybe I just need a computer and Interet connection in there? I do have a wireless network set up in the house. Another PC (or laptop), then I could install hot and cold running water, and a shower and a crapper. I could LIVE in there! Hmm.....

I had to chuckle when I read about living in the garage. I built my 4 stall garage 1.5 years ago and bought one of those composting Canadian toilets and put in it. I have water just outside and could sleep upstairs in the storage loft I added. I added a phone line and cable to it at the same time. I just chuckled at the thought.
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