Steering Rack Disassembly and Refurb

[Travel'n Man]

I went and bought a used rack because of this thread. Next winters project. It’s a whole lot better when not sacrificing the live part on your car!


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[BDJeff]

Great thread, addresses most of what I'm doing.  However, one thing not mentioned is how should the tie-rod end fit in it's socket?   Mine are pretty stiff and feels like there may be some flat spots inside.  Has anyone taken them apart?  The grease seems OK, not all stiff and old.  Should they move freely or is stiff OK?

 

Edited March 2, 2019 by BDJeff

[BDJeff]

Also, there is a hole it the right side of the rack.  Is it for a zerk fitting that's fallen out?  It doesn't seem to have any threads but I'm still cleaning it out.  Is it a "reservoir" item #25 here and if so, does anybody have a picture of what it looks like?

http://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsunS30/DatsunZIndex/Steering/SteeringGear/tabid/1746/Default.aspx

 

 

[Patcon]

Yes they come apart, 30mm wrench if I remember correctly. They need to move but not flop around. The FSM has some specs for them. The 240z has a reservoir that is NLA .

[Patcon]

The FSM also speaks to those holes. I think they are supposed to be filled with a grub screw, but they weren't there on the rack I tore down.

[Rasmusch]

On 10/8/2017 at 5:41 PM, Captain Obvious said:

Here's a pic of the whole rack exploded. Only thing you can't see is the lower pinion bearing. I pulled it out, cleaned it, and put it back in before I thought to take this shot. And I wasn't going to pull it again just for the camera:

Left end parts:

Right end parts:

Amazing thanks for sharing !!! 

How much grease do you add when assembling the inner tie rod back together ? any pictures of that 🙂 
 

[zKars]

Got a rack with a worn short bushing, then started searching.... 

Found this thread, the size needed. Thanks Mike W.

I'm going to buy a few of these and turn the OD ID to the right number.

ID = 24.98, these are 25mm.  

OD = 28.55, these are 30mm.  

Got the 50mm length so I have something to chuck up. Or up chuck.....

What do you think?  Guess it depends on if I'm happy with the ID fit. Got to better than the sloppy noodle I have now

Edited July 28, 2021 by zKars

[zKars]

Better yet these!

https://www.mcmaster.com/7965K834/

Groove and all!

What do you think now?

[Captain Obvious]

My thoughts (for what they're worth):

There are those that say machining the sintered oil impregnated stuff can be problematic. Unless you do it right, you can "smear" some of the material and close off the oil holes. That said, if you're only machining the OD, then that shouldn't matter. Also, SAE 841 is softer than the traditional "bearing bronze (932 or 660 leaded)". It's probably going to be softer than the original bushing, but for the steering rack application, it's probably good enough. 

As for the second choice from McMaster, I like that it's made from 932, and I like the oil groove. But if you cut 20mm off, you'll be cutting right through the middle of the oil groove. Now since we're using thixotropic grease and not oil... Does it really matter?

And as you mentioned... I think a lot of this will all come down to how you like the fit on the ID.

Good luck with the lathe work and keep us posted!!

 

[zKars]

Well an interesting little something showed up in the mail today.

This is neither of the above mentioned possible sources for raw materials. This is a real Nissan part. What I did was search for the part number of the right hand longer bushing (48128-78500), rather than the number for the shorter left side that always wears out.

Easy to make something shorter…..

I got one, let me see how many more are actually available before I reveal my source No sense gets hopes up too high.

[Captain Obvious]

Looking at the burrs and shiny spots on the end of the shell... Do you think they already cut down the length of a longer bushing?

I also find it interesting that there's a mark on the outside diameter that reflects the location of the lube groove on the inside. I'm guessing that thing was cast bronze and the groove was cast in and not machined in?

[Namerow]

@zKars Are the OE bushings split, like this one appears to be?  If so, it adds some interesting wrinkles to how the ID and OD specs should be interpreted.