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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.
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.