stuck rack pinion

["Steve Holst"]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working at rebuilding my plus 2 steering rack and have
everything dismantled but the pinion. I removed the circlip but the pinion
won't lift out. It rotates freely but appears to be stuck somehow. Any
advice on getting this out would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Steve
69' Plus 2

[saarhus]

Steve,

I racked (sorry) my brain with the same problem. The problem is probably
corrosion. The aluminum housing and the steel thrust bushing corrode and
become stuck. Also the recess for the circlip could be damaged as well. In
either case the pinion has to be PULLED out before the rack can be removed.
I recommend putting the universal joint on the pinion (to protect the
splines) and simply tapping around the u-joint to work the pinion out. A
small slide hammer with a grapple end works well too. Once the pinion is
removed, the rack can be removed. Once the rack is removed, the lower
pinion bushing can be driven out from the bottom. HTH

Stan
66 S3 Coupe'
64 S1 DHC

Hi everyone,

I'm currently working at rebuilding my plus 2 steering rack and have
everything dismantled but the pinion. I removed the circlip but the pinion
won't lift out. It rotates freely but appears to be stuck somehow. Any
advice on getting this out would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Steve
69' Plus 2

[Foxie]

Hi Steve,

I have twice replaced the steering rack in my Plus 2 with a CN supplied rebuilt unit. I am beginning to wonder about the quality of these units. Shortly after fitting the last one I took the car for an engineer's report where the mechanic pointed out that the bush in the non-pinion end was badly worn. He said this bush was a common wear item in rally escorts and was readily available from Ford motorsport suppliers.

I now intend to rebuild this rack myself in the near future. I would be very interested in hearing of your experience rebuilding your rack, like what wear you found, any machining work involved, and what and where you sourced replacement parts.

Best wishes,

Sean Murray
70 Plus 2S
68 Plus 2 (New project)
----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Holst
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 3:49 PM
Subject: [LotusElan.net] stuck rack pinion


Hi everyone,

I'm currently working at rebuilding my plus 2 steering rack and have
everything dismantled but the pinion. I removed the circlip but the pinion
won't lift out. It rotates freely but appears to be stuck somehow. Any
advice on getting this out would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Steve
69' Plus 2

[Elan45]

But it is NOT a Ford rack, but rather a Triumph Herald based unit. I had to replace both these bushings on my Lotus FJr rack, which is a shorter version of the same.

Roger

[Foxie]

Hi Roger,

I know, I know, the Elan rack is Triumph based. But are these bushings available off the shelf, who supplies them, do you have part nos, or did you make them up, and if so, any drawings/dimensions available ?


Sean Murray
----- Original Message -----
From: Roger Sieling
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 8:20 PM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] stuck rack pinion


But it is NOT a Ford rack, but rather a Triumph Herald based unit. I had to replace both these bushings on my Lotus FJr rack, which is a shorter version of the same.

Roger

["ezuskin"]

Check the online catalogues. Moss motors, Spitbits, Roadster Factory,
for available Spitfire parts. Ebay also for whole racks.
Eddie Zuskin
Lurker from Europa List

["ezuskin"]

Check the online catalogues. Moss motors, Spitbits, Roadster Factory,
for available Spitfire parts. Ebay also for whole racks.
Eddie Zuskin
Lurker from Europa List

[Elan45]

Sean,

I would suppose there could be a slight chance of the bushes being the samebetween small Tr and Ford Escort, but I would think the Escort being a heavier car would have a more robust rack. The TR based one is certainly not oversized, even for the light loads placed on it.

I was able to buy rack bushings from a US based firm, Victoria British. They were the one aftermarket source I could find listing them. Actually, the modification of the rack for use on the small formula car included only using half the length of the bushing in each end, so I cut one in half. The bushes are special sintered bronze w/ perforated holes in the surface to retain lubricant. I'm sure they have to be available on your side of the pond.

The biggest problem I had with this job was the bushings supplied are made w/ an undersized ID and had to be reamed after fitting. Ideally, this wouldbe done with a line ream and then honed in line. Even the moded formula car rack places the bushes about 20 inches apart and that was longer than theream I had available, so I did it with an expansion reamer in ever so small steps. The job was less than perfect but the result was at least 100 times better than the with the worn bushes. I am pleased with the result.

Roger




I know, I know, the Elan rack is Triumph based. But are these bushings available off the shelf, who supplies them, do you have part nos, or did you make them up, and if so, any drawings/dimensions available ?


Sean Murray
----- Original Message -----
From: Roger Sieling
To: ***@***.***
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 8:20 PM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] stuck rack pinion


But it is NOT a Ford rack, but rather a Triumph Herald based unit. I had to replace both these bushings on my Lotus FJr rack, which is a shorter version of the same.

Roger

["Steve Holst"]

Well I finally got that stuck pinion out of the rack. No amount of gentle
coaxing was going to work. I ended up using a pickle fork (not sure if
that's the official name for it) and some open ended wrenches to force it
out. The open end wrench was just a hair larger than the bushing and was
held in place against the pinion housing. I attached the flexible steering
knuckle and wedged the pickle fork between the wrench and the knuckle. As I
hit the pickle fork the pinion and bushings slid up into the open ended
wrench. The wrench protected the housing. Sure enough the bushings were
corroded. The rack housing wasn't damaged by this operation so I thought
I'd pass it along.

Steve
69' Plus 2

----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger Sieling" <***@***.***>

Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 4:46 AM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] stuck rack pinion



heavier car would have a more robust rack. The TR based one is certainly not
oversized, even for the light loads placed on it.

the modification of the rack for use on the small formula car included only
using half the length of the bushing in each end, so I cut one in half. The
bushes are special sintered bronze w/ perforated holes in the surface to
retain lubricant. I'm sure they have to be available on your side of the
pond.

be done with a line ream and then honed in line. Even the moded formula car
rack places the bushes about 20 inches apart and that was longer than the
ream I had available, so I did it with an expansion reamer in ever so small
steps. The job was less than perfect but the result was at least 100 times
better than the with the worn bushes. I am pleased with the result.

you make them up, and if so, any drawings/dimensions available ?

version of the same.

author,

["Steve Holst"]

Well I finally got that stuck pinion out of the rack. No amount of gentle
coaxing was going to work. I ended up using a pickle fork (not sure if
that's the official name for it) and some open ended wrenches to force it
out. The open end wrench was just a hair larger than the bushing and was
held in place against the pinion housing. I attached the flexible steering
knuckle and wedged the pickle fork between the wrench and the knuckle. As I
hit the pickle fork the pinion and bushings slid up into the open ended
wrench. The wrench protected the housing. Sure enough the bushings were
corroded. The rack housing wasn't damaged by this operation so I thought
I'd pass it along.

Steve
69' Plus 2

----- Original Message -----
From: "Roger Sieling" <***@***.***>

Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 4:46 AM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] stuck rack pinion



heavier car would have a more robust rack. The TR based one is certainly not
oversized, even for the light loads placed on it.

the modification of the rack for use on the small formula car included only
using half the length of the bushing in each end, so I cut one in half. The
bushes are special sintered bronze w/ perforated holes in the surface to
retain lubricant. I'm sure they have to be available on your side of the
pond.

be done with a line ream and then honed in line. Even the moded formula car
rack places the bushes about 20 inches apart and that was longer than the
ream I had available, so I did it with an expansion reamer in ever so small
steps. The job was less than perfect but the result was at least 100 times
better than the with the worn bushes. I am pleased with the result.

you make them up, and if so, any drawings/dimensions available ?

version of the same.

author,