Steering rack diagram?

[Helirich]

Does anybody have an exploded view of the steering rack? I?m trying to understand how the inner shaft is supported. Awhile back I made a sleeve for the pax side that works well. But it appears you can?t do that on the drivers side. My rack seems to be a little loose on that side. There?s a thread on rebuilding the rack, but it is not very clear on this and very few pics.

[dn010]

Looks like you've already seen this thread but here it is again.

https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?7991-How-To-Rebuild-Steering-Rack

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FRZxVOtv9gP6GQe5IxwfvIEOOG9DUNJZ/view?usp=sharing

[Mark D]

The shaft on the RH side is supported by a sleeve bushing and on the LH side it is held tight against the pinion gear with the crescent shaped nylon bushing and a spring. The amount of spring pressure / preload against the pinion is adjusted by shimming the cover that holds the bushing in place.

https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=30779&d=1410802700

https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=30781&d=1410802751

I posted a few photos when I rebuilt mine in the thread linked up above, but there are more in this album here:

https://dmctalk.org/album.php?albumid=160

This video should also be helpful. You could possibly have some bearing wear that is allowing for some slop in the pinion. There are also shims below the pinion shaft seal that you can remove to adjust.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffLRDUxevPA

[Helirich]

Looks like you've already seen this thread but here it is again.

https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?7991-How-To-Rebuild-Steering-Rack

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FRZxVOtv9gP6GQe5IxwfvIEOOG9DUNJZ/view?usp=sharing

Yes, I?ve looked at that. From what I gather, the pax side is located by the plastic sleeve I made and the drivers is located by this plastic piece.

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I guess that piece goes in the top of the box here. Shown upside down.

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If that plastic piece gets worn or the spring breaks, you have some looseness. Does that sound correct?

Edit Mark D beat me to this post. lol. Thanks

[Helirich]

Next question, I need to go out to the car, but can I replace this plastic niece and spring in the car? Or must I remove the whole rack?

[Helirich]

That video is great, Mark.

[Mark D]

Next question, I need to go out to the car, but can I replace this plastic niece and spring in the car? Or must I remove the whole rack?

It's been quite a few years since I rebuilt mine, but if I'm remembering correctly access to that area while the rack is installed in the car is pretty restricted due to the crumple tube surrounding it and the nearby rubber bushing that holds the rack in place being in the way.

https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=26893&d=1398976042

You'll probably have to pull the rack, but that will give you the opportunity to check it over more completely and see exactly where the play is coming from while you have it on a bench. To get it out it's just the four nuts that hold the two brackets in place, and you lift those brackets up and out over the rubber support bushings. Then you'll have to pop the tie rod ends from each of the steering knuckles and then the rack will pull out through the side of the crumple tube.

I had some play in my rack which lead to me rebuilding it, and the major wear on mine was actually where the inner tie rods attach to the rack bar. Those small cupped shaped plastic bushings had failed causing the tie rods to be able to chatter back and forth. To replace those you have to drill out the staked in pins that hold the threaded collars in place, then unscrew the collars to remove the inner tie rod ends and then you can replace those small white bushings:

https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=29862&d=1407416608


https://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14696&d=1352218163

From what I've read over the years that larger inner plastic bushing on the LH side that rides on the rack bar and forces it up against the pinion gear doesn't really wear much, and worst case you can just add additional preload if needed by removing shims, or adding a spacer between the spring and the bushing. The more common failure mode is that RH side cylindrical bushing which tends to split and disintegrate, or the inner tie rod end bushings failing like I had. The replacement parts I got were from Rob Grady, which I believe he still sells if you call and ask.

I also replaced the original pinion gear bearings with sealed bearings like in that video I shared, but I don't think Martin Gutkowski is selling those anymore. Chances are your original bearings are probably fine, and you just need to clean them out, grease them, and make sure you have enough oil in your rack and the rubber boots around the tie rod ends are not torn, allowing all the oil to leak out.

[Helirich]

From what I've read over the years that larger inner plastic bushing on the LH side that rides on the rack bar and forces it up against the pinion gear doesn't really wear much, and worst case you can just add additional preload if needed by removing shims, or adding a spacer between the spring and the bushing. The more common failure mode is that RH side cylindrical bushing which tends to split and disintegrate, or the inner tie rod end bushings failing like I had. The replacement parts I got were from Rob Grady, which I believe he still sells if you call and ask.

I also replaced the original pinion gear bearings with sealed bearings like in that video I shared, but I don't think Martin Gutkowski is selling those anymore. Chances are your original bearings are probably fine, and you just need to clean them out, grease them, and make sure you have enough oil in your rack and the rubber boots around the tie rod ends are not torn, allowing all the oil to leak out.

I guess I?ll be pulling mine. I like the way you did your bearings. I can probably make my own if I end up taking it apart that far.

Thanks for the info.

[Helirich]

So the access is not that bad to that cover.

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You can get to the top fairly easy.

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My plastic guide was in good shape, but the spring was collapsed about even with the countersunk.

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I ended up putting two thin stainless washers under the spring. I put it back together and took it for a test drive. It seemed to solve some twitchy feel I was getting at high speed.

A couple things I will mention. There was one shim under the cover and the gasket. I don?t understand the purpose of this. The plastic guide is pushed by the spring, not the cover. So an extra 15 thou is not going to make a differnce. I left it out. I saved it because I might need it in the future for the bearing preload if I rebuild the box.

The other thing is some people mentioned oil in this box. Everything was oily, but there was no standing oil in there. Should I try to fill it? Where and how full?

[dn010]

The PDF tells you the type and amount of oil to use. 4.8oz 90w.

[Helirich]

Mark D,


You mention in the video that you rebuilt your rack because of steering play. But after going through it, you deturmined it was in the tierod ball joints. Did you see or feel any play in them before you took them apart? I?m still chasing some looseness in the system, but I can?t see any real movement loss anywhere when my wife rocks the steering wheel.

I pulled the rubber boots back and put my finger right on the ball when she rocked it and I can?t say I really feel any loss of movement.

I can see the slightest movement in the whole rack in the rubber mounts. But I only see this when she really cranks it over and forces the wheels to turn. It sure doesn?t move much either. I doubt it has that much force when the car is moving.


My wife use to have a C3 Corvette that a case of ?rear steer? because of some loose bushing in the rear suspension. I pulled my rear wheels and I can?t find any looseness there either. Not sure how far I should pull it apart.

I?m experiencing some loose feeling at high speed. I?ve had this car up to 115 mph previously and there was none of this feeling. I can feel it as low as 70 mph now.

I don?t mind throwing money at it, but it would be nice to know where to throw it.

[dn010]

How old are your steering u-joints?

[Helirich]

How old are your steering u-joints?

They look original, but they are tight. I visegripped the shaft in the center of the u-joints. There is virtually no play between the vise grip and the steering wheel. When I turn the vise grip , the box has lots of play with the pinion preload bushing removed. Nearly none with it in. The preload bushing has a kind of weird ware pattern on the outside, so I guess I?m kind of leaning that way. I ordered a new one and the little ball joint buttons for the tierod. But I honestly can?t say this is the problem.

[Helirich]

So I filled it with oil from the plate with the spring and plastic shoe. Took it for a test drive and it was good for the first 10 miles. It got worse as I drove longer. I?m thinking maybe it gets wedged out in such a way that the spring can?t push it back. In any case, I?m convinced it is in the steering rack now.

Here is the ware pattern.

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I?ve got one on order, but I?m going to remove this one again and sand it down so it slips in easy. I?ll report back.

[Lucas]

I'll share my unsolicited advice on my experience rebuilding steering racks. The short answer is that they're finicky. Don't mess with the shim stack if you're reusing the half moon - and never mess with the pinion preload shims unless you changed out your bearings.

It sounds dumb, but done wrong these racks are very temperature sensitive. You'll only figure that out if you set them up too tight. You'll shim the half moon with it cold in the garage to where its seems perfect. When you take the car out the rad heat and fans begin to blow hot air directly onto the rack. The nylon/delrin/plastic bushings expand and begin to jam the rack and your steering becomes tighter and tighter and harder to turn. When that happens the steering no longer self centers and will ironically make the car feel loose and overly sensitive. It will also create a dead zone in the steering wheel from the extra torque needed to do minor corrections. This is due to the racks resistance overcoming the cars natural self aligning torque that allows the car to track straight and follow with the road. When you shut the car off in frustration and get in it cold the next morning, it'll feel great again. Rinse repeat

The same thing will happen with too tight of a passenger bushing. When I first rebuilt my current rack I machined a bushing and gave it a perfect .001-.002 slip fit. it needs to be more like .008-.012 to compensate for expansion.

Always reuse the OEM half moon bushing if you can help it and its in good condition - Which yours looks to be. The OEM half moon has a near perfect and tight fit to the bore that the half moons used in rebuilt racks don't even come close to. The half moon in the rebuilt rack that I had problems with had around .005-.008 clearance in the bore which would allow the rack to "climb" the pinion gear and give a dead spot. If your current half moon tolerates any kind of misalignment when putting it into the bore than It's probably undersized. It should be pretty finicky and only want to go in if you've perfectly lined it up with the bore. That half moon profile is the only thing that supports and constrains the racks position on the drivers side.

Your preload spring looks typical. They don't have a lot of preload on them. If you need to shim the half moon in you need to buy a set of round shims., they looks like washers that are slightly smaller diameter than the half moon diameter. I can't remember the size off the top of my head.

As you already experienced, the majority of rack issues is just the passenger bushing disintegrating. If it's caught in time it's a simple R&R. If the owner continues to drive the car with the bushing shot it quickly begins to wear the gear teeth and will give you a rack that a rebuild kit can't fix. You can sometimes make up for it if you rotate the pinion 180 from its original position in center - from what I've seen the rack teeth go before the pinion.


A suspension issue can also make the car feel upset, I'm assuming you've made sure that you've verified bushings, bearings and ball joints are good? If they aren't, then boy howdy, do I have one heck of a product to try and sell you 😏

Hope this might be of help!

[Helirich]

I don?t understand the shimming of the ?half moon? or shoe as I call it. The back does not protrude out the housing. So I don?t care how you shim the housing cover, it?s not going to push on the shoe. I don?t know how you would push on the shoe except for the spring. Mine was flush with the countersunk in the shoe, so it didn?t push either. Putting washers under the spring was the only way to get it to push. I guess I could stretch the spring, but I didn?t want to get into that.

My shoe fit the housing very tight. So tight, that it was difficult to remove it. It does not slide in. I have to tap it in.

I have been contemplating making a bushing for the drivers side similar to the pax side. It?s a bit more difficult because I will lose a little steering angle when turning to the right.

The other thing I was considering is a new cover for the housing that would have a threaded plug to push on the shoe. I was looking at a steering rack on a Fiero recently and that?s the way they do it. In fact, it might be possible to fit a Fiero rack on the Delorean. That rack seems to be more heavy duty and has a built in steering stabilizer.

I?m going to try simple stuff first. The steering has been great up until a few months ago, so it doesn?t seem like I need to get extreme in its repair.

[Lucas]

I don?t understand the shimming of the ?half moon? or shoe as I call it. The back does not protrude out the housing. So I don?t care how you shim the housing cover, it?s not going to push on the shoe. I don?t know how you would push on the shoe except for the spring. Mine was flush with the countersunk in the shoe, so it didn?t push either. Putting washers under the spring was the only way to get it to push. I guess I could stretch the spring, but I didn?t want to get into that.

My shoe fit the housing very tight. So tight, that it was difficult to remove it. It does not slide in. I have to tap it in.

I have been contemplating making a bushing for the drivers side similar to the pax side. It?s a bit more difficult because I will lose a little steering angle when turning to the right.

The other thing I was considering is a new cover for the housing that would have a threaded plug to push on the shoe. I was looking at a steering rack on a Fiero recently and that?s the way they do it. In fact, it might be possible to fit a Fiero rack on the Delorean. That rack seems to be more heavy duty and has a built in steering stabilizer.

I?m going to try simple stuff first. The steering has been great up until a few months ago, so it doesn?t seem like I need to get extreme in its repair.


I call it a half moon, Neither term is probably the correct one lol

You should not have to tap it in, but I'd say that its better to an extent than it being loose. In regards to my mention of shimming using round shims - That should only be done if the half moon is sitting way lower in its bore than it should. it would only be needed if there's too much compliance between the cover plate and the half moon without any of the stock cover plate shims left. Its pretty rare that you have that scenario and you shouldn't have to do it 99% of the time.

I think your issue is that you are putting too much preload on the half moon and its causing it to bind assuming there isn't something else unrelated at fault. Making a cover with a jack screw will just make it easier to overload it even more. These racks are not 100% solid with zero compliance whatsoever. There is and needs to be some compliance. if you're shimming it to where you cant feel the rack move one bit radially then its too tight.

As far as the bushing, I don't think that will be effective. If the rack is adjusted properly, no bushing that you could put in there would be able to effectively constrain the rack from moving radially, 1/3 of the cross section of the rack shaft is gone from gear profile. If you're going to that extreme then there's something else causing your problem and it's not the rack.

Just to be sure, have you checked/installed a Delrin steering shaft bushing? its located where the shaft goes through the firewall. You could have the most precise rack in the world and the car will feel like driving a slopped out tractor if its bad. That might also be more in line with the story of how your cars steering deteriorated - especially If your car has the oem rubber piece.


The best alternative to a bad oem steering rack is a rebuilt oem rack or a reproduction. There is no easy alternative from any car out there that can bolt in this car or be converted over without invasive modifications. I've been down the rabbit hole, the delorean rack is VERY wide and very slim for what it is and it fits in a very unforgiving and tight space with a very unideal mounting design. Pair that with it being a manual front steer car, you can kiss about 99% of even close-ish looking racks and cars made in the last 30 years as viable donors. The only way you can come close would require finding a modern car that uses remote Ep steering and a manual rack and then import a rack from a RH drive variant of it and flip it - I'll bet money that the OEM mounts wont even allow it to fit in the frame extension, let alone meet the width requirements. I don't mean any of this maliciously - but its the reality and I spent a lot of time on it. It's simply not possible without taking a welder and a grinder to your frame extension or abandoning it all together. Also flaming river racks are all way too narrow and most aftermarket racks are too. Now if you redo the whole front frame extension to a completely custom solution you can almost fit whatever you want.

[Helirich]

Just to be sure, have you checked/installed a Delrin steering shaft bushing? its located where the shaft goes through the firewall. You could have the most precise rack in the world and the car will feel like driving a slopped out tractor if it?s bad. That might also be more in line with the story of how your cars steering deteriorated - especially If your car has the oem .

Hmmm, I have not checked this. Do you check it from the front? Or the interior? The steering wheel is not moving around. Not sure how this would make rotational play, but I may not understand how it works.

As far as the preload bushing, I removed it today and lightly sanded it to the point where it slides in with little interference. No need to tap it in. It?s back together, but it?s raining now. So I will wait to test drive it.

I still feel like the problem is in this preload bushing because yesterday it was fixed for ten miles. It did that the last time I messed with it too. I don?t see how other stuff would get fixed when I havnt done anything to them.

[Lucas]

Hmmm, I have not checked this. Do you check it from the front? Or the interior? The steering wheel is not moving around. Not sure how this would make rotational play, but I may not understand how it works.

As far as the preload bushing, I removed it today and lightly sanded it to the point where it slides in with little interference. No need to tap it in. It?s back together, but it?s raining now. So I will wait to test drive it.

I still feel like the problem is in this preload bushing because yesterday it was fixed for ten miles. It did that the last time I messed with it too. I don?t see how other stuff would get fixed when I havnt done anything to them.


Its located here. See image below

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When that bushing goes bad it allows the steering shaft to deflect instead of purely rotate when steering torque is applied. That shows up as extra rotational play. There's plenty of info and even youtube videos showing replacement. The factory ones are rubber and disintegrate over time, sometimes they completely dissappear. Grab the shaft up at the u joint at the firewall and shake it. If it moves its bad. If its rubber you should replace it anyway.

If that bushing is bad remove all the shims and put your rack back the way you found it, that was never the problem. I personally wouldn't have sanded the half moon, especially as far as you seem to convey, but hell - aint my car ��

I hope that's your smoking gun, as its a overall easy fix!

[Bitsyncmaster]

Some one was selling Delrin column bushings many years ago that owners found were to tight. They had to sand the ID or the steering would be hard to turn. Maybe your PO installed one of those.

[Helirich]

Its located here. See image below

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When that bushing goes bad it allows the steering shaft to deflect instead of purely rotate when steering torque is applied. That shows up as extra rotational play. There's plenty of info and even youtube videos showing replacement. The factory ones are rubber and disintegrate over time, sometimes they completely dissappear. Grab the shaft up at the u joint at the firewall and shake it. If it moves its bad. If its rubber you should replace it anyway.

If that bushing is bad remove all the shims and put your rack back the way you found it, that was never the problem. I personally wouldn't have sanded the half moon, especially as far as you seem to convey, but hell - aint my car ��

I hope that's your smoking gun, as its a overall easy fix!

I just checked it out. I can move the shaft a little with quite a bit of force. I was grabbing the shaft under the dash. It doesn?t move much, but I wouldn?t think Delvin would give at all. So it maybe rubber. I?m going to order one.

Thanx

[dn010]

While you're at it, you might check to be sure the cage around the steering column is not cracking. You would know it if it was completely cracked all the way around, but you can avoid that if you catch it early.

[Helirich]

So looked close and I do have a bushing on the firewall.

Interior

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Front

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It looks to be brown in color. Maybe dirt. I can stick my fingernail in it. I don?t believe you can do that to delrin. So it may be the original rubber. I can move the universal about 1/16? sideways. It sure doesn?t seem like much. Again, I can really see how this play becomes rotational play. I will probably change it anyways when I get the part.

[Helirich]

So I got the bushing and instructions. They say to pull the bushing through the firewall with a bolt and nut. I watched a video where the guy just pounded it in with a rubber hammer. Seems like that would be easy and quick. Is there a possibility of damaging the firewall? How hard is it to push in?

[David T]

So I got the bushing and instructions. They say to pull the bushing through the firewall with a bolt and nut. I watched a video where the guy just pounded it in with a rubber hammer. Seems like that would be easy and quick. Is there a possibility of damaging the firewall? How hard is it to push in?

If it's rubber it can go in easily. If it's Delrin it is a LOT harder, you need to make a puller with some threaded rod, some nuts and washers, a large coupling or pipe nipple and a short piece of steel with a hole in it for the threaded rod. When I did mine the fit was too tight for the steering shaft because it must go through at an angle so I did a little filing with a round file to enlarge the inside diameter at an angle. The Delrin will last a lot longer than rubber.

[Helirich]

They mention filing it to fit the shaft before installing. They didn?t say anything about the angle. I guess you have to do that after it?s installed.

[DMC-Ron]

Someone had suggested using sockets and socket extension as a "persuader" to install the Delrin bushing. I rigged up a couple of deep sockets as a guide, and a beefy extension. Line it up and give it a couple of whacks with a heavy rubber or wood mallet. The bushing went right in the firewall. I had struggled trying to get this thing in the firewall for quite a while before giving this method a try. Also note that my steering column was completely removed so I had good straight on access.
Ron



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[Helirich]

Ok, I got the bushing out. It is definitely softer than the new one. It?s kind of a clear brown color.

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I got the new one opinion the fire wall with a bolt and nut and deep socket. It was kind of a pain, but whatever.

Now the problem is I can?t get the shaft out of the cullum enough to get through the bushing. I don?t understand what?s going on. It pushed in fairly easy with a screwdriver. Of course, the manual shows nothing. Everytime I go to the manual, whatever I?m working on, it doesn?t help. It?s amazing. The instructions don?t say anything. It has the same picture from the manual. Why can?t they have a complete exploded view so I know what I?m dealing with. Anybody did this got a trick? I really don?t feel like removing the column and disassemble it.

[DMC-Ron]

Ok, I got the bushing out. It is definitely softer than the new one. It?s kind of a clear brown color.

72112

I got the new one opinion the fire wall with a bolt and nut and deep socket. It was kind of a pain, but whatever.

Now the problem is I can?t get the shaft out of the cullum enough to get through the bushing. I don?t understand what?s going on. It pushed in fairly easy with a screwdriver. Of course, the manual shows nothing. Everytime I go to the manual, whatever I?m working on, it doesn?t help. It?s amazing. The instructions don?t say anything. It has the same picture from the manual. Why can?t they have a complete exploded view so I know what I?m dealing with. Anybody did this got a trick? I really don?t feel like removing the column and disassemble it.

I remember the same thing happening. I had to coax it out with screwdrivers and offset grip pliers. I didn't have the soft jaw pliers so I had to wrap the spline to protect it. Just be careful not to muck up the spline. Once it was out far enough, I put a vice grip on to prevent it from retracting while I pushed it through the bushing.
Ron

[dn010]

You should also loosen the steering column adjusting nut and pull the whole thing towards you while sitting in the seat, gives you more play room down there between the column shaft and wall. 20 years ago I remember tying string around the groove in the inner shaft and pulling it through, doubt it would work for delrin but maybe. I just did this replacement again a month or so ago but had to remove the column anyway to weld the cracked cage so this time I did it with the column out. It's really not that bad of a task should you end up needing to remove it.

[Helirich]

You should also loosen the steering column adjusting nut and pull the whole thing towards you while sitting in the seat, gives you more play room down there between the column shaft and wall. 20 years ago I remember tying string around the groove in the inner shaft and pulling it through, doubt it would work for delrin but maybe. I just did this replacement again a month or so ago but had to remove the column anyway to weld the cracked cage so this time I did it with the column out. It's really not that bad of a task should you end up needing to remove it.

I may try the string thing. I feel like it?s too hard to pull with a string or the string will stretch and slip off the groove. Maybe a piece of safety wire.

[Helirich]

So I removed the column and slide the shaft out. This was a bunch of work and it is not needed to be done. There is an easy way and I would have done it if I had an exploded view. If someone else sees this, here?s how you do it.

Center punch and drill a small divot in the shaft at one of the diamonds in the collapsible section.

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Then it?s an easy job to tap the shaft out with a punch.

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Obviously, I did this on the bench, but I did it again when I got it back in the car. It?s a whole lot easier than pulling the column. The big problem with pilling the column is you must pull the knee pads out on both sides of your steering wheel. There are nuts on studs that must be removed. The studs can turn and bust out of the plastic knee pads. I had three of these do this even though I was very careful. It?s just a very poor design. Now I have to repair these studs with epoxy.


After all this, I drove the car and I have no change in the steering issue. I also got a new pinion bushing. It measures about .008? bigger tha my current one. I installed it and took it for another test drive, and again, no change.

At this point, I plan to tear apart the rear suspension. I had already pulled the wheels off and checked everything. It all looked and felt tight. But I didn?t pull the coil spring off. Maybe it had all the play loaded and gave the appearance of tight. I?m specifically looking at the two lower links.

What about trailing arm bolts. Mine look fine from what I can see. Would be useful to pull them?

[Helirich]

So I pulled the coil springs off the rear. On the drivers side everything was tight as could be. On the pax side, the top link appeared to be slightly spongy. I removed it.

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Once I got it this far, it looked fine. I noticed the hub will twist fairly easy with that link off. The rubber at the front of the trailing arms is very soft. I?m wondering if the bolts are loose or bent. I will check them tomorrow. If they are fine, I don?t know where to look next.

The steering problem I have is very obvious at high speed. It seems like the problem should be easy to find. I would buy a new steering rack in a minute, but I can?t find any play in it. I can stand next to the car and rock the steering wheel and see the drivers wheel move immediately. I can see the pax wheel, so I suppose the tierod button could be loose there. I have some new ones, so I could tear into them. I?m also thinking about backing off the front coil springs to see if the ball joints are loose.

I?m grabbing straws.

[82DMC12]

So I pulled the coil springs off the rear. On the drivers side everything was tight as could be. On the pax side, the top link appeared to be slightly spongy. I removed it.

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Once I got it this far, it looked fine. I noticed the hub will twist fairly easy with that link off. The rubber at the front of the trailing arms is very soft. I?m wondering if the bolts are loose or bent. I will check them tomorrow. If they are fine, I don?t know where to look next.

The steering problem I have is very obvious at high speed. It seems like the problem should be easy to find. I would buy a new steering rack in a minute, but I can?t find any play in it. I can stand next to the car and rock the steering wheel and see the drivers wheel move immediately. I can see the pax wheel, so I suppose the tierod button could be loose there. I have some new ones, so I could tear into them. I?m also thinking about backing off the front coil springs to see if the ball joints are loose.

I?m grabbing straws.

There are plastic cups and metal springs that add tension to the inner tie rods, and the tension is set with how tightly the inner tie rod nut is squeezing the tie rod into the spring. The plastic cups can fail which would mess up that tension. I didn't realize how important this was so when I put my rack back together the first time, I just tried to put the nuts back where they were. Turned out I had to set the tension over again which made a huge difference in steering precision. Essentially the first time I did it, there was no slop in the inner tie rod but it was floppy. After setting the tension, the tie rod should stay in whatever position you rotate it into. You do this with a spring scale attached to the outer tie rod and measure how difficult it is to rotate it in an arc.

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[Helirich]

There are plastic cups and metal springs that add tension to the inner tie rods, and the tension is set with how tightly the inner tie rod nut is squeezing the tie rod into the spring. The plastic cups can fail which would mess up that tension. I didn't realize how important this was so when I put my rack back together the first time, I just tried to put the nuts back where they were. Turned out I had to set the tension over again which made a huge difference in steering precision. Essentially the first time I did it, there was no slop in the inner tie rod but it was floppy. After setting the tension, the tie rod should stay in whatever position you rotate it into. You do this with a spring scale attached to the outer tie rod and measure how difficult it is to rotate it in an arc.

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I bought some new cups after Mark D?s post, but have not installed them yet. The problem is when I have my wife rock the steering wheel, I don?t see any movement there. It?s hard for me to believe the cup deflects when driving when it doesn?t when parked. Would there not be more resistance to the wheel turning.

As I keep grabbing straws, I will do your test. I have a couple other things to check first. What number do you go to on that scale?

[82DMC12]

I bought some new cups after Mark D?s post, but have not installed them yet. The problem is when I have my wife rock the steering wheel, I don?t see any movement there. It?s hard for me to believe the cup deflects when driving when it doesn?t when parked. Would there not be more resistance to the wheel turning.

As I keep grabbing straws, I will do your test. I have a couple other things to check first. What number do you go to on that scale?It's supposed to be 5-7 lbs of pre-load when pulling the tie rod end with the spring scale in an arc. It makes a big difference, like I said the first time around I did not respect the measurement and my steering was very imprecise at center. I pulled the rack again and adjusted it properly and it was like night and day.

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[Helirich]

It's supposed to be 5-7 lbs of pre-load when pulling the tie rod end with the spring scale in an arc. It makes a big difference, like I said the first time around I did not respect the measurement and my steering was very imprecise at center. I pulled the rack again and adjusted it properly and it was like night and day.

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So I pulled my tierods off the knuckles. They both were loose. They would just fall down. I still couldn?t feel any play in them trying to push in the direction of the rack. I had already received some new buttons for them. The new buttons have a slightly thicker base and also have a longer center post. Shown here. Black ones are new.

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I assembled them on the rack and tightened the preload. I didn?t have a fish scale to do the pull test you show. I ended up hanging a 3 lb. Weight on the end of the tierod and it would not fall down. I figured that was close enough.

I want to say, I definitely knew that this was not going to work. I took it for a test drive and I was pleasantly surprised. I?m not saying it was perfect, but it?s the best it?s been in a long time. In fact, if I wasn?t actually studying it as I was driving, I probably wouldn?t even notice that it was not perfect.

Next question, do you think I need to get a scale and go for an exact measure of lbs. to move the arms? The other issue is my locknut holes didn?t line up. Did you drill a new hole? Also, what did you use for the pin? I was thinking of a split pin. I would leave part of it sticking out so I could get ahold of it in the future.

Andy, Thankyou so much for posting. I owe you a drink.

[82DMC12]

So I pulled my tierods off the knuckles. They both were loose. They would just fall down. I still couldn?t feel any play in them trying to push in the direction of the rack. I had already received some new buttons for them. The new buttons have a slightly thicker base and also have a longer center post. Shown here. Black ones are new.

72117

I assembled them on the rack and tightened the preload. I didn?t have a fish scale to do the pull test you show. I ended up hanging a 3 lb. Weight on the end of the tierod and it would not fall down. I figured that was close enough.

I want to say, I definitely knew that this was not going to work. I took it for a test drive and I was pleasantly surprised. I?m not saying it was perfect, but it?s the best it?s been in a long time. In fact, if I wasn?t actually studying it as I was driving, I probably wouldn?t even notice that it was not perfect.

Next question, do you think I need to get a scale and go for an exact measure of lbs. to move the arms? The other issue is my locknut holes didn?t line up. Did you drill a new hole? Also, what did you use for the pin? I was thinking of a split pin. I would leave part of it sticking out so I could get ahold of it in the future.

Andy, Thankyou so much for posting. I owe you a drink.

Yes, I know I'm awesome :-)

I would try to get it JUST RIGHT , I ordered the spring scale from Amazon, also used it to set the pre-load on my differential when I had the trans out. Get it to 5-7 lbs and you should have very nice steering.

I replaced the springs and cups (Thanks Rob Grady) so certainly the holes did not line up again. I drilled new holes and tapped a nail, probably a 6-penny, into the hole and then ground the nail off.

There is another spec to check and that is the number of shims which create the pre-load on the pinion. That is supposed to be 3 to 5 lbs. I think you check that by laying the rack down so the pinion is straight up, adjust the tie rods so they aren't dragging on the table or ground, then attach a vise grip to the pinion attach your spring scale to the end of the handle, then rotate the handle via the spring scale and you're trying to get 3-5 lbs. I didn't do this so can't be totally sure of the process but I think that's how it was described to me.

Hope that gets you where you want to be.