Steering Rack Overhaul

[casalunge]

Hi

Can anyone please recommend where to get a steering rack refurbished?. Perferably somewhere familiar with Lotus/Triumph racks?

Thanks

Colin

[ricarbo]

I regret I am posting a not very helpful response.
I found my rack was worn, the problem was that the hole for the shaft (linking to the dteering wheel) had become enlarged, so you could turn the wheel a bit before the rack did anything to turn the road wheels. In other words the pinion moved, but the rack didn't, which was very unsettling to drive. It made the steering very jerky.
So i sent it off for an exchange unit to one of the well known companies - here's the useless bit - i can't remember which one!
What I got back was a rack which seemed to be ok, in that I no longer had the original fault but it wasn't very good in fact. It didn't have the correct spacer, so the tyres rub on full lock - instant MOT failure!!!!
Aside from that, they had 'staked' the pinion bearing. This is a technique of punching the pinion bearing around it's periphery, to squeeze up the bearing by distortion so that it is no longer loose. I suppose it get's over the problem of a loose pinion, but it's not the same as 'good as new' is it?
So, I think you need to ask your proposed repairer as to how they deal with worn bushings. Do they machine away the worn part and replace it with a good grade bush, or do they stake it?
Richard