Rack and Pinion Rebuild?

[The Pirate]

Ok so the good news is that my rack is in pretty good shape. Just a little rust, one factory burr on one of the racks teeth and a little wear on the pinion. Getting new bearings next week. Pinion wear on this rack consists of a burr edge along each tooth where each side meets the flat top of the tooth. This will need to be filed and removed. A basic diagram of this is attached to this post as viewed from the end on.

The bad new is that the foam stops are completely destroyed. Fell to peices because some mechanic or PO repacked the rack with a grease that was to caustic. I need to know how thick these peices are in centimeters. Are they both the same thickness or is one thicker. As it stands I am going to have to make new stops out of something. Perhaps some urethane......

Matt. One question which way did you drift the needle bearing out? From the inside out or the outside in? Plus any suggestion as to what tools to use to do this.

[Tedzbug]

I would make them out of urethane possibly. They were about and inch thick if i remember correctly. i think i knocked the needle bearing out from the inside out.

[The Pirate]

Now I just need to find something made out of uerthane. Perhaps some bushing or such though I would prefer to use something that does not have a hole drilled in it....... Hmmmmmm

[The Pirate]

Ok found some uerethane that should work just need to cut it to size. I may mount it to a metal cup win a three coil spring attached to it to give it some springy resistance. [//[( kinda like that. I will have a better drawing up later when I am not at work. LOL

[Tedzbug]

yea, urethane is mostly not very compressable.... the spring idea seems like it could work as long as there isnt a chance of the cup and urethane pivoting inside there and ending up sideways..........

[The Pirate]

How springy and squishy were the foam stops?

[Tedzbug]

they were like....maybe as springy as the bottom of an air sole running shoe...... (best thing i can think of off hand to compare)

i would imagine a urethane type rubber would work though.

[The Pirate]

Right. Adding a spring is going to make the stops to wide. Just going to have to be a chunk of uerthane.

[The Pirate]

Mat could you draw a simple diagram of how the studs from your steering stop mod interact with the foam bump stops? Kind of like a side cut away of what is going on inside.

[MattKab]

I used stainless steel washers, they were bonded to the stops with glue. The washers are 28mm with a 6mm hole. The studs were filed to have a nipple that turns in the washer, nothing special.

Green is weld. Jamb nut not shown.

[The Pirate]

Thanks Mat. Hope you don't mind but i am using your diagram as a base for a litle something i am cooking up will post the modded pictures a little later.

[vwbao]

great stuff here. anybody can give a step by step how to fit the rack and pinion especially for the 2 bolts model.thanks

[cleggp]

I know this thread is really old, but I wanted to express my thanks for the instructions and photos gathered here. I decided to rebuild my rack and pinion steering and it was all invaluable. I have much more work to do on the car, but the steering feels like it's now going to be a solid part of the car.

Thank you all.

Peter

[Wally]

Cool! Nice of you to express that!
I wasn't even aware of this thread tbh ;-)

[Steve C]

Hi

Wow such an old thread but with good info, sure beats Facebook.

I needed to cut down my rack travel as my wheels were touching the inner mudguard/fender/wing on my car. I used a hole saw and made some urethane spacers and fitted them in the end of my rack, then re centred the rack.

Steve