I'm doing a ground-up resto on a '71 240Z, but having a problem with the steering rack. I've removed the outer tie rods and the boots. I did have some difficulty removing the inner tie rods because the lock (jam) nut is quite thin and is crammed between the tie rod one one side and an unidentified object on the inside. This object does not appear in illustrations in either the factory manual or Haynes. Instructions in both books make no mention. Overall shape and size (there's one at each end of the rack) is much like a bearing. It is round, without wrench flats. Push on it hard by hand, and it feels like there might be a spring inside. Immediately adjacent to it is a hole drilled into the rack. I've poked around the hole with a punch, but that has yielded nothing. Until I get rid of these things, I can't withdraw the rack.

My local Nissan dealer has no knowledge of, or interest in, early models.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. If someone needs photos, let me know.

Regards,

Richard McDonell

Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

Turns out the skf 6641 seems to be the exact seal and skf 6003rs seems to be the correct bearing - both readily available on ebay or amazon for under $10 a piece.

Let's hope everything makes it here from Amazon, Ebay, Courtesy and Smith's Family Nissan!

Jay

I took a later 280 style rack apart in my rebuild thread and it's clearly different in a bunch of ways. One thing that was definitely different was that the pinion gear did not use standard ball bearings in the later racks. And there were two ball bearings, one on each end of the pinion gear shaft.

And you've got just one ball bearing at the top of the pinion? What's at the lower end supporting the "down inside" tip of the pinion gear shaft? Is there a bronze bushing down in there or do they just run the pinion shaft right on the rack casting?

Cap,

It is a bronze bushing. No luck on finding that and I am REALLY reluctant to pull it out. Had a bad experience with my rear disks mangling a bearing and needing to get one machined later one. There is clearly a little slop but I think my haste of "while I am at it" might be stronger than the case for actually replacing it.

Jay

Cap...

While thinking about it, I need to take some pictures of my rack, and old/new parts and add to your thread. That would help the next guy and the info really should be in that thread.

Jay

I took a later 280 style rack apart in my rebuild thread and it's clearly different in a bunch of ways. One thing that was definitely different was that the pinion gear did not use standard ball bearings in the later racks. And there were two ball bearings, one on each end of the pinion gear shaft.

And you've got just one ball bearing at the top of the pinion? What's at the lower end supporting the "down inside" tip of the pinion gear shaft? Is there a bronze bushing down in there or do they just run the pinion shaft right on the rack casting?

It looks to me that this is one of those cases where the parts microfiche is incorrect. For the 240Z rack assembly it shows both the bearing (item 10) and the bushing (item 3) on the lower side of the pinion.

Jay,

That lower bearing is definitely different than the later racks then. Both the bearings on mine were balls and they were bot the same. I'm with you... If you don't have a confirmed correct replacement for that bronze bearing in hand, I wouldn't mess with it.

As for adding pics of the older rack style to that rebuild thread, I think that's a great idea. Would add to the resource.

CanTechZ, That drawing is fine. Drawn by esteemed draftsman M.C. Eschersan.

...CanTechZ, That drawing is fine. Drawn by esteemed draftsman M.C. Eschersan.

Interpreting a drawing depends on your point of view...

Source: M.C. Escher ? Life and Work

Mike

Yeah, that's the guy! So he does architecture too, huh?

Nice comparison Jay, and it's nice that this seal works for all zeds up to 09/73.

1972 Steering Rack after market bearing versus original

This is an excerpt from the SKF "Vintage Bearings and Seals" catalogue that includes only the Nissan pages.

SKF_VintageBearingsSeals_Nissan.pdf

It lists every bearing and seal part numbers on every Nissan made up to 1995. I mean all. engine, axles, and yes, rack and pinions...

The whole catalog is here on SKF's website, all 881 pages of it. I thought you'd appreciate an abridged version. Don't ask me how I extracted pages from a locked pdf either...

Media Library

Edited September 17, 201410 yr by zKars