Steering rack grease nipple

[Monkeyzak]

I've googled this and found several different answers. Is it 1/4 bsp? With 45degree angle Or one of the many other sizes I've seen quoted. The steering is very heavy and my guess is it's not been greased for 20 years

[busheytrader]

I think it maybe 1/8th BSP but not sure (part no. 56934?)........ The usual wedge suppliers should be able to help

I picked up an assortment of grease nipples from a local motor factor when I bought my wedge to find one that fitted as I didn't know the spec either. Luckily one had the correct thread plus it had a spring loaded internal seal. A rubber cap on top stops road dirt or water possibly getting inside. It's a scrape knuckle job with either of my grease guns.

Hope this helps.

Adam

[Hasbeen]

Don't know the size, but I found the ones off my Fordson Major tractor fitted, so get mine from the local tractor place.

A couple of tips.

The book says 6 pumps of a hand grease gun every 6000 miles. More is not better. Too much will simply fill the gaiters & blow them off the rack.

Wind the thing to full lock, then back a quarter of a turn of the wheel on each side, & give one pump of grease there, then the rest at straight ahead. If it doesn't free up, you may have to strip & clean the old grease. I had one where it had set like concrete.

If you find play in the steering is a bit high after it is freer, it can be adjusted to a reasonable extent by removing the large nut the grease nipple is screwed into, removing a shim, & refitting. 5 thou is about all you can remove before the thing starts to bind at full lock, where the wear is usually much less.

Hasbeen

[busheytrader]

I've looked for these shims before but never found them on mine.



On my 1980 DHC the grease nipple is screwed into a threaded insert that's locked into place when the main fitting is screwed into the rack. I've no idea how much of a rotation equates to 5 thou. (It's much like the float level adjuster on a Holley carb). As per usual it's all difficult to reach.

[FI Spyder]

I bought a bubble pack of grease nipples and found one that works.

[busheytrader]

?....... The steering is very heavy and my guess is it's not been greased for 20 years........

At parking speeds my wedge's steering (195/60/14 tyres) is heavy compared to the daily driver with power steering, however once on the move it's not noticeable. I grew up without power steering and am used to rolling the car forward prior to moving the steering, my son thinks thats nuts as power steering is all he knows.

The strut tops from the factory ran plain bearings which doesn't help after 30 - 40 years and probably dry by now. If your wedge doesn't already have them, a ball or needle bearing conversion is pretty simple and cheap to do, especially if you're taking the struts off the car anyway.

Have a look at this thread on it, there are plenty of others as well.

viewtopic.php?t=9801

Adam

[Monkeyzak]

I'm a child of the 70s so all my cars in the late 80s and 90s had no power steering. Parking my manta and mini with 13 inch wide wheels was all about technique and brute force. An old dude who's a neighbour and used to have a few of these. (retired mechanic) agrees it's too heavy. The cars barely turned a wheel since 91 and who knows before then. It needs driven lots.

I'll grease the rack as advised and see.

I do have a question about bearings. I just don't understand.

I see bearing kits available for £10 a side from a ford focus or something. What's the difference between needle and roller bearings. Roller bearings are what they sound i guess. What's best?

They seem straight forward to fit i think. If it's worthwhile I'll fit them

[Hasbeen]

If you have no shims in there, that is probably the problem with your heavy steering, as well as a lack of grease. Someone may have simply accidently lost your shims.

That nut & the shims control how close to the rack the pinion is pushed. They are set up with the right clearance at manufacture, but of course do wear. The idea is to remove some shim material, which allows the thrust pad under the nut to push the pinion closer to take up the wear.

I have never found one that needed more than 10 thou of shim removed, & with most, more than 5 thou will give some level of binding, or at least very heavy steering as you approach the less worn part of the rack at full lock.

Try the usual specialists to see if they can supply a range of shims & have a little play with the thing, it could make a big improvement. Remember just 5 thou makes a big difference.

We fitted strut top bearings to the 8, & could not detect much if any difference.

Hasbeen

[Monkeyzak]

As my car is finally sort of on the road I'm getting round to all these jobs to make it drive better

Never used a grease gun. Is this one ok? Is this the sort of thing?

http://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-cra ... 00cc/19235

Also. What sort of grease do I use?

Thanks

[Beans]

Choose one with a flexible delivery tube

[MikeRotherham]

I bought exactly the same grease gun and it works well.

Bought a cartridge of multi purpose grease from Halfords to put in it

Think this was the one:

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine ... rease-tube

[Monkeyzak]

http://www.screwfix.com/p/multipurpose- ... 00ml/8436p

Is this the same sort of stuff? I work nearer a screwfix but if the other stuff is better I'll go to a halfords at the weekend

[MikeRotherham]

I would have thought that would be fine.

The stuff Screwfix sells is usually good.

[busheytrader]

I have the same gun and I find it difficult to use it without a flexible extension. The lever arm has to be pulled right back otherwise it won't move the grease and there's not much room under the bonnet for that without scraping knuckles or paint.

The flexible extension overcomes this, but then I need 3 hands. One to hold the gun itself, the 2nd to operate the lever and the 3rd one to hold the flexible extension on to the grease nipple otherwise it pops off under pressure.

[FI Spyder]

I have a cheap grease gun and I stripped the threads on it trying to get it off the nipple (it didn't easily release). I use it to dispense little bits of grease for hand greasing things. I have an old heavier duty grease gun with a swivel head (to 90 degrees) that works. The alternative is a flex shaft as Beans said. Easier to pull off in line with nipple which makes for easier release.