Firstly, you *will* have lost the oil, but hopefully not too much dirt will
have got in.
IME the hardest job has been to crack the rust where the track-rod end is
screwed onto the track-rods (in two cases they needed to be heated red-hot),
after that everything is straightforward.
Weight on the wheels or not doesn't matter, but it is probably easiest to
support the spring pans on axle stands.
Mark the rotational position of the steering arm relative to the car (i.e.
the bottom) as you are likely to turn it a bit while doing the job.
Now I have a decent tool to crack the taper of the track-rod ends in the
steering arms without damaging anything or having to belt it with hammers I
undo that joint. Without that you can remove the steering arms from the
swivel axle.
Once you have cracked the rust carefully note the number of turns it takes
to unscrew the track-rod end from the track rod, then replace the gaiter.
Don't overtighten the small clip where the track-rod goes through the gaiter
as this is the shaft that has to be rotated to adjust the tracking, if it is
too tight it twists up the gaiter. Before tightening the 2nd big clip I use
an oil gun to inject 1/3rd pint (0.4 US pint) of EP 90 gear oil at the top
bit by bit, slowly turning the rack from lock to lock to distribute it, then
tighten the clip. Others mention removing the damper cover and piston and
dribbling it in there.
Make sure the steering rods are correctly aligned to your previously made
marks, coat the threads in copper grease, screw on the lock-nut and then the
track-rod ends the noted number of turns, tighten the locknut, re-attach
track-rod ends to steering-arms or arms to swivel axle as appropriate. That
will put the alignment back in in the same position as before, which isn't
necessarily correct! So go and get the tracking checked anyway.
This is where you see if the rack shaft pinion oil seal and pinion end-plate
and damper cover seals are sound or not by if your fresh oil starts dripping
out on to the ground or not!
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Ciaccio" <djc53052@msn.com>
To: "MG List" <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2004 2:44 AM
Subject: Steering Rack Boot Replacement
> ... Is this a very difficult
> job? It appears that the tie rod ends will have to be removed prior to
> slipping off the boot. Is it Ok to leave the weight on the front wheels
> when disassembling the tie rod end? What is the best way to insure my
front
> end stays in alignment? How do I make sure I did not lose any lubricant?
Any
> advice appreciated!
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