At 01:03 PM 6/29/98 -0700, you wrote:
... Damn that cockpit got hot!!
One of the reasons that the cockpit gets so hot is that there is a
direct
hole from underneath the chassis to the soft top storage cavity. The
opening at the bottom fronts of this cavity connects to the
semi-rectangular re-inforcement at the front of the rear shelf (just in
front of the battery hole). The hot air underneath the car enters thru the
oval holes and heads up into the top storage area. I closed these openings
using expanding urethane foam. Seems to be a big improvement.
...
>However, I did develop a problem that I diagnosed when I got home as in the
>steering rack. A bit of history might help and any suggestions for
>rectifying will be greatly appreciated. Several weeks ago, I replaced the
>steering knuckles on the lower steering rack of the Tiger. I was ver
>pleased in that it totally removed the play in the front end. Ran tight as
>a drum, though still took brut force to turn the wheel. While taking some
>scenic drives at TU and testing the cornering, the steering developed a
>curious problem. In steering to the right was very tight with on play
>whatsoever. On turning to the left, the steering wheel had to be turned at
>least two inches or more before affecting the direction of the car. When I
>got home on Sunday afternoon, I popped the hood and took a look. As I
>suspected, wheels turned immediately when steering wheel was turned right,
>quite a bit of play when turned to the left. By the looks of things, this
>play has developed in the steering rack. Question is, what is possibly
>going on here??? I have checked the manual and suspect it might have
>something to do with the dampner, shims or oil level. I know I will have to
>remove the rack to fix this problem......but what am I looking for??? What
>will I need to repair and or replace??? Sorry for the questions, but I have
>real limited experience with Rack and Pinion. Mostly they have always
>worked, and all I ever needed to do was add oil.
Sounds like your looking for something coming loose. Could be a lot of
things from loose bolts, bad ball joint, or the spherical joint inside the
rack boot coming apart. If you don't find anything loose in the suspension
area, the first test is to see if both wheels and tie rods respond equally.
It will be easier to jack the Tiger up and have someone turn the steering
while you're underneath. If you don't find any play or differential
movement between the wheels and the play is still apparent in the steering
wheel, it is likely that the rack will have to come out for more detailed
examination of the unit. It could be serious like a broken rack tooth. Do
the exam and let me know your results.
Tom
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