Steering rack lubrication

[William2]

I am stripping my steering rack to fit the correct lock spacers for an S4 and was going to use grease to reassemble all the parts. Is this correct it should I use oil?

[Quart Meg Miles]

Grease is correct as there is nothing to retain the oil. The grease nipple is also for grease, unlike the uprights which need gear-oil.

[rgh0]

........ unlike the uprights which need gear-oil.

who is trying to start a debate again

cheers
Rohan

[Quart Meg Miles]

........ unlike the uprights which need gear-oil.

who is trying to start a debate again

cheers
Rohan

Pass

[alan]

someone has just opened PANDORA'S BOX again

[john.p.clegg]

William
While you have it apart you might look to drilling and tapping for a grease nipple on the opposite side to the existing one to enable you to grease from the underside ( or oil as is your wish).

John

[KevJ+2]

Am I quite literally missing something here? I can't find a nipple on my rack (oil or grease )
Also can anyone tell me what the limiters look like? I have a tube on the passenger side but nothing on the other!
Maybe it's a DPO bodge, more than possible.
Kev.

[mbell]

Am I quite literally missing something here? I can't find a nipple on my rack (oil or grease )

As far as I have seen there is no grease nipple on my +2 steering rack. I expect it is a +2 or year related difference.

I would expect the limiters to be inside the rack and not visible with out stripping the rack down (or at least removing the boots). I am not sure if the +2 was fitted with them or not.

[fatboyoz]

Kev',
Not sure what the +2 has in the way of lock limiting spacers.
My S4 has a tubular spacer on the pax side that is free to slide along the rack. The driver's side has a lock limiting spacer welded to the backside of, and becomes part of, the locknut that locks the ball housing (on the end of the rack) into position.
The grease nipple is normally not fitted. To fit the grease nipple, the plug, underneath which the earthing strap resides, has to be taken out and a suitable grease nipple screwed into its place. I use a liquid grease that I mix up from a recipe available on this site.
Cheers,
Colin.


[quote="KevJ+2"]Am I quite literally missing something here? I can't find a nipple on my rack (oil or grease )
Also can anyone tell me what the limiters look like? I have a tube on the passenger side but nothing on the other!
Maybe it's a DPO bodge, more than possible.
Kev.[/quote]

[au-yt]

Thought I would add note. Grease for the rack , recently I overhauled a Porsche 912 ZF rack.
The Grease Porsche spec is Molybdenum disulfide, which is commonly used in CV joints.
The rack was made in 1967 and I replaced the ball bearings as a matter of caution. There was no discernible wear! might help because there are bushes at both ends and a 912/1 rack has a 30mm dia rack shaft!
I am putting the my Elan rack together with Moly grease on the strength of the Porsche insight.
Interesting Wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molybdenum_disulfide


Cheers
Graeme