Here goes....

Started to look at my steering rack before I look at putting it on.

Good:

Rod ends are perfect, zero play

minimal if zero backlash

Bad:

when the rack is centered, there's almost a dead spot, a tiny notch you can feel when sliding the rack side to side by hand.  I couldn't see any damage on the rack, so I guess its on the worm gear and rack combined around the dead center spot, anyone had this?  I can't find specs for measuring the rack 'teeth'.  how do I narrow the culprit?

Steering shaft U joints have a MM of play or so, however I think I can find these.....

 

Any steering rack gods?

@Captain Obvious

I can't accept the mantle described above, but I've messed with a steering rack or two.

This "notch"... Do you have the friction bushing shoe tightened down when you are sliding the rack back and forth? Do you have the pinion gear installed?

50 minutes ago, Captain Obvious said:

I can't accept the mantle described above, but I've messed with a steering rack or two.

This "notch"... Do you have the friction bushing shoe tightened down when you are sliding the rack back and forth? Do you have the pinion gear installed?

 

 

Its with the rack and pinion all installed, just the steering shaft removed, straight side to side movement.

 

You can narrow the culprit by taking stuff off... You can take the pinion out and see if your still feel it.

If you do still feel it with the pinion removed, you can then loosen or completely remove the friction shoe and see what happens.

So pulled it apart, it seems not all racks are the same. This is pre-loaded on a brass bucket and spring.

I've got it apart, can't find any wear, however can't rotate the any part as they're not ended the same.

Lots of plastic hard 40 year old grease removed, which might have created the feeling of the 'notch'. a bit of wear on the brass bearings/shims inside the outer rack, however should be fine. i'll have to rebuild to check its just rock hard grease that's caused the feeling.

I had to scrape it off with a stanley blade.

What have others done when rebuilding theirs? Also how many have replaced the steering rod UJ? Mines got a good mm of play in it, its a service part

So pulled it apart, it seems not all racks are the same. This is pre-loaded on a brass bucket and spring.

 

I've got it apart, can't find any wear, however can't rotate the any part as they're not ended the same.

 

Lots of plastic hard 40 year old grease removed, which might have created the feeling of the 'notch'.  a bit of wear on the brass bearings/shims inside the outer rack, however should be fine.  i'll have to rebuild to check its just rock hard grease that's caused the feeling.

 

 

What have others done when rebuilding theirs?  Also how many have replaced the steering rod UJ? Mines got a good mm of play in it, its a service part.

Edited June 7, 20195 yr by Jason240z

Oh, sorry. I thought you had already torn the rack down and cleaned everything up.

Yeah, you have to get all that old crusty plastic grease out of there. That could certainly be an issue. Hopefully it's that simple! Clean that old stuff out and replace with fresh. Keep us posted!!

Reminds me of the half-shafts and people thinking there were two different sizes. It's just the grease all caked up around the normal travel zones causing it to bind.

My ‘76 rack disassembled:


And reassembled:

I have pictures in my build thread of working on a 240z rack.

57 minutes ago, Patcon said:

I have pictures in my build thread of working on a 240z rack.

Thank you. can you link to your thread please?

In here somewhere. Probably the last few pages