How to disassemble the steering rack

Thanks to the steering rack, the wheels of the car are turned, so if it is “sick”, then driving a car can be not only complicated, but also dangerous. Therefore, at the first symptoms of the failure of the rack, it is recommended to check its serviceability directly on the car, and after making sure of the problem, disassemble it and fix the breakdown. Although, regardless of the brand of the car, the rack arrangement differs slightly, nevertheless, before disassembling the steering rack, you need to look through the repair manual for your car and deal with the components in detail.

Signs of a faulty steering rack

• Perceptible knock from the rack transmitted to the steering wheel;
• Reiki play when rotating;
• Notable oil drips;
• Increase the applied effort to turn.

The manifestation of at least one of the symptoms suggests that it is time to disassemble the steering racks to replace the repair kit and repair worn parts.

The main parts of the mechanism are: support sleeve, gear shaft, slide valve mechanism.

A schematic illustration of a car steering rack device.

Before you fix the breakdown, you have to dismantle the rail, which is not equally easy on all cars, but in order to disassemble something, you cannot do without a special tool. And as the steering rack is dismantled, the repair itself is carried out. Having little skills in car repair and a set of tools, it is quite possible to fix the rail with your own hands. And in order to make it easier, we’ll also analyze the main stages of how to disassemble the steering rack, and then it’s up to the small - remember how everything stood and assemble it correctly, since you can disassemble everything you want, but then it can be quite problematic to fold it correctly . Therefore, if you have not had to disassemble the steering rack before, I would recommend photographing any step until the steering rack is disassembled.

Step by step how to disassemble the steering rack

Steering rack disassembly process consists of 9 basic steps:

1. To begin with, remove the protective anthers and free the rack from the steering rods;
2. Unscrew the bottom plug of the gear shaft;
3. next you will need to unscrew the lock nut;
4. in order to remove the shaft, you need to remove the retaining ring;
5. The lower oil seal can be pulled out without problems, but the upper one is locked with a locking pin;
6. By tapping, we pull out the pin;
7. in order to remove the lock ring, you will first need to turn the lock plug, and then pull the wire you see;
8. in order to completely disassemble the steering rack, you need to pull the rack itself out of the housing on the right side. Then remove the oil seal and bushing from it;
9. After removing the gland and plug, it will be possible to remove the spring and the pressure mechanism itself.

Unscrew the steering rack shaft nut.

Dismantling the spool (worm) assembly.

Dismantling the steering rack stem.

This completes the disassembly of the rail and now you can start repairing, you will need to thoroughly soak all the removed parts in gasoline in order to wash off oil and dirt, and if defects and wear are found, replace them with new ones. Regardless of which rack is installed on the car - with a power steering, an electric booster or without an amplifier at all, you can disassemble the steering rack according to the same scheme, the differences will be only in the bushings and the composition of the lubrication fluid. And in order to disassemble the rail for reassembly and repair, it was necessary only in very rare cases, try not to “reckless” on the roads and subject the steering system to noticeable shocks.