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Steering rack to hard/tight
Jonte - 30/7/08 at 06:37 PM

At my SVA the man didnīt like that my steering was to hard/tight (heavy to steer).
How do I adjust that?
Its a 1988 Sierra steering rack as seen in the pic.


steering rack
steering rack

James - 30/7/08 at 06:47 PM

If you jack the car front up does it turn ok? ie. is the rack ok?

If the rack is fine then it's just suspension settings and tyre pressures that you can adjust really.

A larger steering wheel will help, as will narrower front wheels/tyres.

Remind him it's not got power steering like his tin top!

Cheers,
James

britishtrident - 30/7/08 at 06:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Jonte
At my SVA the man didnīt like that my steering was to hard/tight (heavy to steer).
How do I adjust that?
Its a 1988 Sierra steering rack as seen in the pic.


steering rack
steering rack


Could be a few things two most likely are.
(1) The rack damper has been adjusted up too much
or
(2) The rack is bent due to accident damage

After that you have too look at things like steering column problems --- the usinversal joints.

Jonte - 30/7/08 at 06:56 PM

The rack is modified by MK but Ïīm not sure if itīs the one I sent to them to be modified that I got back.

Rack damper, where what is that

Maybe I give it some more toe in (1-2 degrees) and check the tyre pressure.
There is this old problem with self centering also....

skodaman - 30/7/08 at 07:03 PM

Did he actually fail it on this?

Jon Ison - 30/7/08 at 07:07 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Jonte


Rack damper, where what is that



Here, is it a quick rack, they tend to be a bit stiff especially with a small wheel....... Rescued attachment 7steering.jpg
Rescued attachment 7steering.jpg

britishtrident - 30/7/08 at 07:22 PM

Jack both front wheels clear of the ground and try turning the steering from full right to full left, it should require equal effort through all its travel.
Ty the same by pull/pushing the road wheel.

If it tightens up more on one lock than the other it generally indicates a bent rack.

If it stiffens equally in both directions it could still be a bent rack but the rack may just be worn and over adjusted.

If the steering stiffens then becomes free then stiffens and becomes free then stiffens as the steering wheel is turned it indicates a steering column universal joint problem.



As it is a modified rack it introduces the third likely possibility that the casing has been welded slight out of alignment.


The rack damper is called the slipper plug in the Haynes Sierra manual it not easily adjustable on the Sierra rack.

Kev99 - 30/7/08 at 07:32 PM

Check that Mk have not removed the roller bearing at the bottom of the input shaft they had on my quick rack. I had to rebuild it into my other rack.
And it was over tight on the Rack damper as well since I redid these things the car self centers fairly well for a seven as well

BenB - 30/7/08 at 07:37 PM

If it turns easily with the front jacked up then the tester was being a BGB....
Try pumping up the tyres good and high or fitting (temporarily) a bigger steering wheel....

Hellfire - 31/7/08 at 12:09 PM

I'd recommend removing the rack completely and overhauling it as per the Haynes manual. You'd be surprised at how little force it actually requires to operate correctly.

Once it's done, you should be able to operate the rack by turning the pinion with your hand.

Phil