Replacing the steering rack. Steering rack repair

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

Often on various forums dedicated to auto topics, you can find complaints from car owners about knocking in the steering wheel. In this case, most often the best way out is to replace the steering rack. Let's look at how this part is arranged, typical malfunctions, and discuss repair options.

How does the control gear work?

This part performs the function of communication between the steering wheel and the wheels of the car. With the help of this part, the force from the steering wheel is transmitted to the wheels of the car, and as a result, the car makes a turn.

The reducer is connected to the wheels by means of steering rods, as well as tips. This part is a gear train. The gear, which is mounted on the column shaft, meshes with the teeth on the rack. When the shaft rotates, the gear shifts this gear piece to the side.

In most cases, the design of the control gear consists of a shaft, seals, anthers, sealing rings. You can see what the steering rack looks like. Photos can be seen below.

Typical malfunctions

OnThe first place among the breakdowns is a knock. This is the most disgusting and most unpleasant for the motorist of all those sounds that are heard from under the front axle of the car. At first, this knock is barely noticeable, but then its intensity constantly increases. Then, after a while, these knocks are given into the hands. After a few months, driving on rough roads becomes like death. The steering wheel jerks like a wounded animal.

It's interesting that this only appears on small road potholes. But the car overcomes deep pits quietly. This is the first sign that the steering rack needs repair.

Another popular sign is the tight work of the mechanism. It happens that the steering wheel works very tight in only one direction. After a short parking under the car, you can observe an oil puddle and a characteristic hum in the power steering. All these are signals that soon the car will become impossible to control. This applies to hydraulic mechanisms. The cause of such malfunctions are seals that have become unusable.

There is another malfunction. This is a backlash. You can feel it with your hands. The steering wheel can move freely to the right and left when driving at low speed. At the same time, the sharpness and sensitivity of reactions to the driver's influence are necessarily lost. Among the reasons for this, one can single out a disturbed contact angle of the teeth of the gearbox and gear, vertical free play of the bearing, worn silent blocks, as well as other mechanical damage. Here the best way out is to replace the steering rack.

They also highlight the poor return of the steering wheel to the central neutralposition. Here, most likely, the shaft, the gear reducer itself, or its crankcase are deformed.

Self Diagnosis

In order to find out exactly whether a complete replacement of the steering rack is needed, or whether a simple repair can be done, it is worth taking small diagnostic measures. It's easy to do it yourself.

Repair and adjustment can be dispensed with if a normal knock is heard. For diagnostic procedures, you will need to dismantle the steering wheel. Then you should pull the shaft up and down. If there is a distinct movement, it means that there is no grease in the pinion bearing.

You can also check the level of contact between the gear and the gear reducer, as well as possible backlash in the bushing. This is done using a fairly reliable vice, as well as the place where the rods are connected. This is done as follows.

The joint is found under the hood and the shaft is pulled. If the movements are slow, then the knots are loose, it's not scary. If all these actions are accompanied by a terrible rattle and knock, then things are bad. Steering rack repair inevitable.

You have three options to salvage the part and get your car back in control.

This is the purchase of a repair kit and independent repair work, a trip to the service station, and there is also another radical solution - replacing the steering rack completely and completely with all the giblets.

If there is a certain amount of money, then, of course, it is best to install a completely new part. Restoration in the service station will come out a little cheaper, but there are no guarantees for how long the gearbox will last. Do-it-yourself repairs are the cheapest, but require the purchase of a repair kit. Is steering rack replacement expensive? The price of this work for the VAZ is 1500 r, plus add here the price for a new part. It turns out a round sum.

Steering gear bushing

There is a special bushing in the gearbox design. If you feel a significant increase in the effort to turn the steering wheel, if you notice drips from the mechanism, if knocks are clearly transmitted to the steering wheel, if there is play when operating the steering wheel, then the steering rack bushing will need to be replaced.

Replacement process

Professionals in car repair do not recommend doing independent repairs of this kind, because this mechanism has a complex structure, and some operations may require a specific tool. We will not listen to experts. Indeed, for repair work, the usual set of tools, which can easily be found in any garage, as well as a repair kit, is enough.

The repair kit includes anthers, as well as oil seals, clamps, corrugated rings.

How to disassemble the rail?

It is very difficult to do this work alone. This work should be done with a friend, neighbor, whatever. A partner is needed in the first steps. That's when you need to dismantle and disassemble the steering gear.

The first step is to remove the right tire, or rather the wheel completely.

In the next step, unscrew the nutfrom the tip. If the nut is hard to come by, try soaking it in WD-40. Next, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left.

So, using a flat screwdriver, the gearbox must be disconnected from the rods. To work more conveniently, you should slightly raise the car. The next step is to remove the plastic plug and unscrew the lock nut. The retaining rings must also be dismantled, and then the shaft and stuffing box can be removed from below. The upper oil seal can only be removed after the pin that holds it has been removed.

After all these actions, the retaining ring is removed, then the gear reducer, and now the plastic bushing and oil seal can be easily and simply removed from it.

The components will be covered in dirt and oil, so they must be thoroughly cleaned. After cleaning, inspection and inspection can be carried out. The bushing should be changed necessarily, if it is seriously worked out. The bushing usually fails due to corrosive processes.

Replacing the bushing

It's not difficult, but it doesn't always work the first time. You need to work carefully. Putting a fresh bushing into the seat is not very convenient. The body of this part has a semicircular flat shape. It is in this form that you need to get special “ears” on the sleeve. It is also more convenient to do it together. A partner can operate the steering wheel - then the part will go easier.

After installation, the sleeve should be well lubricated. To do this, you can use a special tool or use ordinary lithol. Then, after assembling and installing the thrust, its hinges also need abundantlubricated.

Replacing the steering rack boot

This small detail prevents water, dirt and dust from entering this mechanism.

As you use this boot, it may become unusable, for example, tear - then it needs to be changed. It is far from always possible to understand that this protective casing is torn. In order to make sure that the anther is intact, you should turn the steering wheel all the way to the right and inspect the part of interest to us. Then - the same thing, but turn all the way to the left.

You need to turn the steering wheel because it moves the rod and the gear part. Together with these elements, the protective cover is also deformed.

So, let's try to replace the part without the need for dismantling.

To do this, remove the air filter so that it does not interfere with us later. Also disconnect the water drain pipe. Now unscrew the mechanism protection. This is easy to do by twisting a few M10 nuts.

Next, use a 20 key to unscrew the rods and remove them, unscrew the clamp that secures the mechanism to the car body. Cut through the zip ties on the extreme sides of the boot and remove it.

Now the cleaning stage. Everything should be cleaned and thoroughly lubricated. You can use CV joint grease, lithol or graphite grease. Before putting in a brand new boot, lubricate its inside. After all, it moves along with the rods. Put it on the rail and make sure it moves freely. Then roll everything back.

Replacing the steering rack of the 2110th VAZ

On the example of VAZ2110 let's see how the replacement of this design is performed. Removing the rail is the easiest part of the job.

To do this, unscrew the bolt holding the clutch. You will find it under the pedals. Here you will need a key for 13. Next - move to the engine compartment. Here, unscrew the nuts that secure this entire structure to the body. Next, move the mechanism forward until the mount comes out. Now the part can be reached through the wheel arch. It remains only to install a new part and assemble in reverse order.