[DeTomaso] steering rack question

Asa Jay Laughton asajay at asajay.com
Thu Jun 17 23:39:29 EDT 2010


The thing to remember I think, is that there are two covers on the rack 
at that end.  Once covers the end of the pinion gear, the other covers 
the rack "shoe" (for lack of a better term).  Installing the zerk in the 
shoe cover probably won't net you much, I'm not sure.  But installed in 
the pinion cover, you should get grease up past the pinion bearing, onto 
the pinion gear which then in turn lubes the rack.  From the shoe side, 
the grease would have to travel around the outside edge of the shoe 
(very little space) and then over and end up underneath the rack.

Sounds like a great way to lube the rack actually.  I may do this mod on 
mine this winter.  :)
Oh, and yea... you can fill a grease gun tube with just about anything.

Asa Jay

Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired
&  Shelley Marie
Spokane, WA
******************************
http://www.racingagainstautism.com
http://www.teampanteraracing.com


On 6/17/2010 20:12, John Taphorn wrote:
> Jim
>
> That has worked great.  In fact, I showed a doubting Mike Drew how to take a
> tube of grease that would fit in a grease gun and replace the grease in it
> with white engine assembly grease.  Adding a zerk to the rack, I then
> injected the white assembly grease into the rack.  Mike assured me it
> couldn't be done.  Of course, it worked like a charm.
>
> Now the verdict.  Both Panteras have similar steering feel. It doesn't seem
> to matter which grease that you use.  Regardless, I'll use the engine
> assembly grease in the future as it appears closer in weight to the
> manufacturers recommendation.
>
> JT
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim Gray"<grayjim at att.net>
> To:<MikeLDrew at aol.com>;<justingreisberg at hotmail.com>;
> <detomaso at realbig.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 9:59 AM
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] steering rack question
>
>
> What about John Taphorn's solution of adding a grease zerk in the pinion
> gear cover and filling the rack with some special Euro rack lube. I've
> forgotten the grease type and brand. I know I plan on doing this soon as it
> makes a great deal of sense to me.
>
> But what do I know?
> Jim Gray
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: "MikeLDrew at aol.com"<MikeLDrew at aol.com>
> To: justingreisberg at hotmail.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Sent: Tue, June 15, 2010 8:51:07 AM
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] steering rack question
>
>
> In a message dated 6/14/10 5 17 55, justingreisberg at hotmail.com writes:
>
>
>    
>> anyway, big question is what to do? I think I might just take off one of
>> the rubber bellows while in the car, and turn wheel all the way to one
>> side to expose part of the rack, then lube up rack with thin engine
>> assembly
>> lube, then rotate wheel back and forth a bunch to get lube on the pinion
>> gear and rest of rack. And just dump the rest of the fluid out before it
>> gets all over my nicely restored frame. any thoughts? I would love not to
>> have to remove rack again, even though I have become an expert at doing
>> everything twice on the car. (those who follow my exploits might recall
>> the 4
>> times I had to take the cylinder head off the block in the car)
>>
>>      
>    
>>>> You really can't properly lube the rack with grease without removing it
>>>>          
> from the car and fully dismantling it. Fortunately it's not too difficult,
> especially in light of the fact that you've done the job recently.
>
> If you install new boots (Wilkinson is now selling new factory-style boots
> quite cheaply) with proper-sized hose clamps, you might be able to get it to
> seal. You'll also have to work to keep fluid from seeping past all the
> various other places where it likes to leak out (pinion seal, pinion cover,
> etc. etc.)
>
> Back in the 1970s, racks were lubricated with differential oil, but times
> have changed. The current manufacturer of the rack does not use oil; they
> use a very light grease. Years ago, Rick Moseley contacted the TRW tech
> department (TRW bought Cam Gears UK, the company that made our original
> racks)
> and they advised against using oil, and instead advised using grease.
>
> But not any old grease will do. Jack published an article on grease in
> the most recent POCA newsletter, and the section dealing with steering rack
> lubrication did contain one accurate and important statement--you can do
> more
> harm than good by just sticking axle bearing grease in there. The
> manufacturer wants 0-weight grease, which is extremely difficult to come by
> except
> in 55-gallon drums.
>
> They recommended CRC engine assembly lube, which is 0-1/2 weight. It's
> available in 2.75 oz (too small, not enough methinks) and 10 oz tubes; the
> larger tubes are under ten bucks. It's a lithium 12 hydroxy stearate-based
> grease which adheres to metal surfaces. Here's a photo from the CRC website:
>
> http://www.crcindustries.com/catalog/images/Lubricant%20and%20Penetrant/SL33
> 31.jpg
>
> Just pulling an accordian boot off one end and squirting some of this stuff
> in there is wishful thinking in the extreme. You have to fully dismantle
> the rack, and ensure a thorough coating of the rack and pinion gears, both
> upper and lower bearings, the surface where the rack passes through the
> bushing, and also the union of both tie rods and the rack itself. Don't be
> shy
> about pouring it on; you can under-lubricate the system but it would be
> virtually impossible to over-lubricate it.
>
> The problem with using oil instead of grease is that the tie rods normally
> hang down when the car is at rest; all the oil drains from the rack and just
> pools in the boots, leaving the rack largely unprotected, particularly the
> upper bearing. The grease does an excellent job of staying put and doing
> the job it's supposed to do, which is almost assuredly why the manufacturer
> switched away from oil many years ago.
>
> Mike
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