Steering Pinion End Plug Removal

[Craig C]

Hello list,

Can anyone advise what the (Leyland Specialist) tool looks like that removes the end plug holding in the steering pinion on a manual Tr7 steering rack?

It's the part labelled "end plug" in fig. 4 of this diagram:

http://vintage.mitchell1.com/PClubData/chassis/chis78/V2I7810106.pdf

My Haynes manual just calls it the "specialist tool", and my TR8 manual naturally doesn't discuss the manual rack...

Thanks in advance.

Craig

TR7V8

[Hasbeen]

Hi Craig, It is special tool 18G 1261

They say if you have S356 A or B Hub remover, you can order additional parts to upgrade them for the job.

Unfortunately none of these appear in the diagrams of special tools in my 1977 Leyland manual.

Hasbeen

[jeffremj]

That is interesting. I have replaced the steering pinion on a TR7 manual rack and don't have any special tool. Have you checked an actual rack to see what you might need ....

[Craig C]

Thanks Hasbeen. I just googled that tool number though, and it turned up zip. Lots of 18G tools, just not that one. And there is a LOT of diversity in those 18G tools so you can't extrapolate...

Jeff, the plug looks just like a threaded donut shaped plug. It appears to have no notches or dimples or anything for any shaped tool to latch onto. And I would have said that if unscrews with just finger pressure it ain't doing its job!

Craig
TR7V8

[jeffremj]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Craig C</i>

Thanks Hasbeen. I just googled that tool number though, and it turned up zip. Lots of 18G tools, just not that one. And there is a LOT of diversity in those 18G tools so you can't extrapolate...

Jeff, the plug looks just like a threaded donut shaped plug. It appears to have no notches or dimples or anything for any shaped tool to latch onto. And I would have said that if unscrews with just finger pressure it ain't doing its job!

Craig
TR7V8
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Here is a picture of the 18G 1261 tool. I don't remember borrowing one, so perhaps I used a right angled circlip tool that I have?

[Craig C]

Thanks Jeff,

That was what I needed to investigate. Judicious wiping with a cotton bud in the "donut hole" between the plug and the pinion shaft removed all the grease and revealed the notches sought. I cut a 9/16 box spanner to leave two 6-7mm long and wide tines. This slipped over the shaft, the tines fitted into the notches and with a bit of leverage the plug unscrewed. Voila; my own 18G 1261!

Then I had to figure out how to remove the pinion that was not going to come out due to the interference fit of the bearing in the housing. Luckily I had an intermediate shaft lying around (Ok it was in one of the many boxes of TR7 parts that I had to sort through...). Putting that on the shaft and fitting the bolt gave me a surface to tap with a hammer and the pinion popped out.

Putting in the fast ratio replacement pinion (7 splines vs 6 of the original), the purpose behind this entire exercise, revealed a problem. The pinion shaft of the new pinion is 15mm not 9/16 so my new tool doesn't fit over the pinion. Grrr. My "modified" box spanner has a 5/8 other end so will modify that end to get the plug fully seated.

Thanks for all the help.

Craig
Tr7V8