View single post by Mark Rosenbaum
 Posted: 05-04-2006 04:19 pm
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Mark Rosenbaum



Joined: 03-12-2005
Location: Kingman, Arizona USA
Posts: 532
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 The note below E11 para 8 isn't as well written as it might be.  What they are concerned about is any condition that results in clearance between the ball and nylon cup when no force is applied.  Yes, if force is applied to the inner tie rod joint, the spring will compress and the parts will move.  But if the parts move back into place and there is no residual clearance when the force is removed, that is normal and not a defect.

Before condemning a steering rack, try a forced separation of the inner joint's ball and cup, followed by flushing the area with a copious amount of aerosol carburetor cleaner to completely remove all grime and debris.  Work the rack back and forth from limit to limit a couple of times and flush out any additional crud that may appear, then evaluate the rack's condition.

For a quick test of the whole steering system, what I suggest is jacking up the front of the car until both front wheels are off the ground, then turning the steering wheel back and forth.  You should see very little movement of the steering wheel before the front tires start to move.  If there's significant slack, then work downward from the steering wheel to the tie rod ends until you find a problem.  Correct the problem, then repeat the test.