[DeTomaso] re mounting the rack and pinion

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/3/11 19 02 50, claywillmott at hotmail.com writes:


> 
> two question about connecting the steering shaft to the spindle on the 
> rack and pinion.
> 
>>>Huh?   The spindle doesn't connect to the shaft; the spindle is the 
suspension piece that goes between the upper and lower control arms, and mounts 
the wheel hub.   

http://www.panterapartsusa.com/cgi-bin/detail.cgi?prod_id=01038D

I suspect that you're actually talking about the pinion (half of the 'rack 
and pinion').   The splined shaft which sticks up out of the steering rack 
housing and connects to the splined coupler on the steering shaft, which in 
turn leads up to the steering wheel, is the end of the pinion gear.


> 1.  should the steering wheel be able to go two full revolutions to right 
> until stopping and 2 to the left before stopping before  do the final 
> tightening of the steering shaft to the rack spindle?
> 
>>>The steering wheel can turn a million revolutions in each direction 
before the shaft is connected to the pinion.   What you need to do is to center 
the rack, and center the wheel, before joining the rack pinion to the shaft 
coupler.   Center the wheel, then jam something between the bottom of the 
wheel and the seat, to keep the wheel from moving.

Turn the rack all the way to one end by hand.   Then slowly turn it all the 
way to the other side, counting revolutions.   You'll come up with 3 1/4 if 
my memory serves.   Divide that by two, and you get 1 5/8.   Turn the rack 
back 1 5/8 turns, and now it's centered, and ready to be connected to the 
steering shaft.


> >2.  Should the spindle on the rack itself be able to slide both machined 
> portions into the steering shaft?  The steering shaft covers most of the 
> upper spindle but none of the lower machined spindle on the rack.  I cant 
> recall if both areas have to be forced to engage in the steering shaft?
> 
>>>They do.   There is a pinch bolt which clamps the splined coupler onto 
the splined portion of the pinion.   There is a circumferential groove 
machined into the pinion, through which the pinch bolt passes.   So you have to 
slide the splined coupler down far enough until the pinch bolt will pass 
through the hole in the coupler, and through that machined groove.   The end of 
the coupler will be just about at the end of the splines on the pinion gear 
at that point.

What was the resolution of your steering rack issue?   Did you get your old 
rack back, or a different one?

Mike