Steering rack u-joint fix?

[Mikes Z car]

The steering u joint on my car that is on the lower end of the steering column in the engine bay right above the rack itself has some play in it that is noticeable when driving. Is there a replacement (short of buying a whole column) or a way of fixing it? Can it be removed from the steering column or is it pressed on? I have thought of taking it apart if I can and then squishing the u joint part in a vise so it grips the cross arm part more tightly after taking the yoke apart (if that can be done). Below is an old thread on this.

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/suspension-steering-s30/25012-new-source-steering-u-joints.html

[EuroDat]

The u-joint cups are held in by 4 lips (for the want of a better word) pushed in from the outside. Its like a burr that pushed in from the outside and stops the cup from coming out. You can tap them out easy enough, but the challenge is locking them back in place after assembly.

You could get a machine shop the machine grooves on the outside to mount circlips. The circlips would then hold the cups in place. It would not need to be a thick circlip. The steering doesnt have the centrifugal forces like in the driveshaft or axles.

The U-joint size is 15mm x 38mm.

These could be possible alternatives:

Universal Joints - (UJ15) 15mm x 40mm U-JOINT - Driveshaft Parts

Steering Ujoints

Chas

[Mikes Z car]

EuroDat,

That helps a lot thank you! Another possibility that occurs to me from your description that might work would be to spot weld the new cups in 2 or three places? The spot welds could be ground off later if needed to replace the cups again though I have never heard of u joints done that way so it might be a bad idea. Heat on the grease would be a cautionary item.

Mike

A picture of my steering u joint after wiping off some of the 43 year old grease:

[Captain Obvious]

Mike, I harvested an older style steering column as part of my steering wheel project

Let me see what I've got left...

[Captain Obvious]

How convenient! I already had pics!

This is what I have left, with the exception of the shaft in the upper right. Is what you need in here somewhere?

[Mikes Z car]

Captain Obvious.

Thanks for the picture. The bottom steering rod in your picture is like the one I have. It has dawned on me that the similar looking rod three parts up from the bottom of your picture is the middle rod for the steering wheel and that there are three of them in all. I went out and double checked the round coupler next to the master vac on my car for play and noticed there is a u-joint on the side of the round coupler closest to the steering wheel on the lower end of the middle rod. That u-joint has play in it too. I appreciate the picture you posted and the other info I have received but fixing both u-joints may take more time than I want to take on this year as I would like to get the car ready for painting. I may as well fix both u joints at the same time so this fix is going to have to wait for the fix it list for next year. My original priority for this year was to paint the car but if I keep fixing it I won't have time to paint it. Anyone ever decide to just keep the paint they already have?

Steering rod near rack:.........Upper steering coupler in engine bay:

Mike

Edited May 27, 2013 by Mikes Z car

[Captain Obvious]

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I put up the picture as there are more than one U-joint and I wasn't sure which one (or both) you were having troubles with.

That column I took apart in that pic is kinda laid out as it is installed in the car. Towards the top is the steering wheel, and towards the bottom is the rack. I cut up the top shaft (second part from the top) to use as a test piece for my wheel hub, but other than that, I've still got the rest of the parts if you need any of them.

Don't know if this impacts your decision to wait, but... The shaft that connects to the rack AND the lower shaft inside the steering column can be both be removed without taking the column apart. In other words, both shafts that include U-joints are able to be replaced without disassembling the rack. (Unless I'm forgetting some detail, of course!)

Now, I don't know if there exists enough room to draw the center shaft out of the bottom of the column while the column is still in the car (or if it hits the engine or something), but if there is enough room, it just slips in and out the bottom. So something to think about... Replacing those lower two shaft parts might not be as difficult as it sounds.

The TOP shaft (the part that contacts the steering wheel) would be a pain because it requires complete disassembly of the column to get it out, but the other two? Not so much.

Anyway, these parts don't fit my later design column so some (or all) of them are available to you for shipping plus a buck or two for packing material and gas to get to UPS. If you find that you can't get new and want used, let me know. Just remember that I'm not gonna keep them forever.

[EuroDat]

I found a couple of photos of my steering U-joints. You can see the lips I was talking about. Your idea of welding would work, but I would try to use extra rings to fill the gap behing the cups. That way you would get any heat into the cups.

Chas

[Mikes Z car]

Captain Obvious,

Thanks for the offer for the parts. They would make it easier if I need to put in new u-joints as the car wouldn't have any downtime for other work. I have no idea what Nissan would want for new ones or if they are NLA, I will check and send you a PM if I want the parts this week. Thanks!

That middle rod will hit the left frame rail though if the top part were unbolted (without disassembly hopefully) so it could swing around it might be easy to get out.

EuroDat

Once I scraped the grease off of the u joint I can see the same lips on the one I have that are on the u joint in your picture. Is the lip a separate part or just the edge that has been peened down to hold the cup? I am having trouble visualizing how they made the u joint, they must have pressed the cups in from the outside so unless the burr is a separate part they must have peened the lip I guess.

[EuroDat]

Im looking at your u-joint in the photo. I cant see any burrs. Looks like yours have snap rings on the inside holding the cup in place.

I have seen these being made in a ford plant and looking at how mine are made, its the same procedure.

In the factory they mount the 2 cups by pushing them in from the outside with a press. The operator fits the cups into the press (the press has magnets to hold them in place) places the spider in the nuckle and fits that into a jig. The press pushes both cups in and makes the burrs to hold them in place all in one movement. Then he turns it 90 degrees and fits the other knuckle and repeats the procedure.

This is how the 280z joints are made, but the 240z might be before the procedure was used and still used the type using circlips on the inside. The type with the circlips is easy to service, but parts could be harder to find. You could revert to your idea of welding the newer type or maybe getting circlip grooves machined onto the cups on the new type.

Third option would be to take up Captains offer, which would be the easiest.

Chas

[bacarl]

Sorry to bring back an old thread with an off-topic question, but Chas - do you have a write up on your steering rack resto? Finished product looks really nice!