I have quite a bit of play in my steering rack so decided it's time to chnge. With everything unbolted I'm now left a floating rack stuck fast in the steering column. I've undone both bolts in te column hoping to release one UJ or the other but both are seize. I've had someone put pressure on the column with me hammering the rack but it hasn't moved at all.
Any ideas? I'm now at the stage where I'm happy to sacifice the part of the column with the rubber doughnut but that's also stuck at the top UJ.
Hi,
The bolt has to be removed completely before the steering coupling can be removed from the rack. This is because the splined section where the bolts go through are flat, but the splines go all the way round on either side, if that makes sense? The coupling cannot slide along the splines with the bolt in place.
The same goes for the other end where the coupling meets the steering column.
If the coupling hasn't been removed for some time, it may need a little persuading with a soft faced hammer, and perhaps a soaking of penetrating oil, but it will go eventually!
Hi again,
Be aware that when you reassemble the steering rack and steering column coupling, the flat section of the splined shaft must be aligned with the hole in the coupling. Otherwise you won't be able to push the bolt back through the hole, and you'll have to take the whole thing completely apart again to align it properly.
Thanks Andrew! Both the top and bottom UJ bolts have been completely removed from the column. I've hammered a chisle into the slot to open the splines but still they won't seperate. Even holding the UJ against the crossmember and club hammering the rack!
I can only suggest putting a big screwdriver in the `slot` where the splines are and using a spanner/mole wrench on it to twist the slot open? I seem to remember this works. (plus plenty of penetrating fluid.)
Toxcity wrote:Thanks Andrew! Both the top and bottom UJ bolts have been completely removed from the column. I've hammered a chisle into the slot to open the splines but still they won't seperate. Even holding the UJ against the crossmember and club hammering the rack!
Try drowning it in penetrating fluid then just walk away and leave it overnight if you can. Then as a last resort heat the coupling with a blowtorch and get it good and hot. The metal expansion should help free it with a few taps of your biggest clouting stick. Try not to damage the splines on the column if you can Nic. This is a last resort though before cutting it off and fitting a replacement lower column.
Cheers all! I've kept the penetrative fluid coming. It's beaten me both yeterday and today. I got it nice and hot with a heat gun, not blow torch hot because I was worried about the rubber doughnut. Starting to realise I may just buy a new lower column and be done with it. I'll try blow torch and twisting a screw driver tomorrow. Wish me luck!
I had the same problem some years ago. I ended up cutting through the shaft on the old rack. With that out of the way you can get a hammer on the remains of the shaft and hit back towards the bulk head. I know that's the wrong way but it broke the seize on the top joint and enabled me to knock it back the other way with a little more persuasion. With the coupling out I could then open the bottom joint and remove the remains of the shaft. Saved the steering joint but if you need the old rack as an exchange unit its no help.
Good news all!
Finally got the rack out without any cutting. In the end, I ground down a metal bar but left it slightly bigger than my chisle. I then hammered it into the slot and then ground down again each time making the metal bar slighly wider. Eventually, I got the slot big enough to get a pinky in it. At which point I hammered the rack and slowly but surely it came free. I cannot believe how "in there" it was!
Looks like I'll be hitting up Martin for a new column section!
Hi,
I replaced my original one with a CCI replacement. I highly recommend them if your rubber thingy on the coupling is looking even slightly perished.
I have a CCI one, whilst functional I wasn't massively impressed with the quality of production if I'm honest. The paint job, if you can even call it that is wafer thin and chips off if you look at it. Also, for the price they charge I wasn't expecting to have to clean burrs out of the splines from where it had been cross drilled just to get it to fit nice.
I had a similar ordeal trying to get my old one off and ended up cutting it and removing in two sections (it was junk anyway as the rubber was cracked all over) so I wanted to make sure when I put the new one on it went on smooth in case I had to take it off again.
In hind-sight I should have spoken to Martin first!
