Oil seal steering rack: purpose, replacement

The steering rack must always be kept in perfect working order: traffic safety depends on this unit. A frequent sign that maintenance of this part should be carried out is oil streaks. This indicates that the helmsman's seals were damaged or worn out. At occurrence of even the slightest oil trails it is recommended to carry out repair work. To replace this stuffing box is much cheaper than replacing or repairing the entire steering rack. Especially since repair of racks is not an expensive operation.

Steering Rack: Varieties

There are several types of rails, and they differ in their design features, as well as the principle of action. In general, absolutely any rake is a crater, hidden in a corrugated cover, which protects the mechanism from dust and dirt. Also, the steering rack arrangement assumes the presence of bearings on which the wheel with the teeth is located, which is drive.

To this wheel with the help of a special spring fastened directly to the rack. The springs were used so that gaps do not form between the gear element and the straight strip. And in order to limit the stroke, the device has a snap ring and hinge sleeve. By this principle, any steering rack is arranged (VAZ-2110 is no exception).

Mechanical rail

What is it? The device of the steering rack of the mechanical type is the simplest. Here there is a gear mechanism. It is located on the bottom of the steering column. It is in mesh with the rack, and the latter, via the steering rods, drives the steered wheels.

Steering Rack with GUR

Hydraulic has a more complex device, and it can be seen in the design of most modern cars. With the help of this mechanism, the control of the car is greatly facilitated by the presence of a hydraulic amplifier in the system, which several times increases the force applied by the driver. There is also a gearing here.

Electrical

The electric power rail is slightly different from the hydraulic one. Here, the action of the driver is enhanced by an electric motor. There are no hydraulic systems here.

Location

The steering rack device can differ significantly on different car brands. As for the location of this unit, it can also be different and depends entirely on the manufacturer and brand of the machine. If the rail is attached to the body of the car and is located behind the motor, then this is the top location. In the lower location, this node is located on a stretcher, beam or body.

When is it necessary to change the stuffing box of the steering rack?

The most important parts of the steering system are not only the rack, the cogwheel and the electric or hydraulic amplifier. In fact, there are more important components in the arrangement of this mechanism. This is a bearing and an epiploon. If the latter has the slightest displacement, it must be replaced. The necessity of having to purchase a repair kit for the helmsman and replace all seals can be hinted by the leakage of hydraulic fluid or oil. It is quite easy to detect such a symptom. In the fluid reservoir for the hydraulic amplifier, the level will drop very quickly to a minimum. In the cabin, the driver and passengers will feel the characteristic smell.

This indicates that the oil from the control system falls on the hot parts, seeping through the stuffing box rack or other seals. In place of car parking can remain oil stains. By the way, they can appear and not only after parking, but also during the movement.

The fact that it is required to replace the oil seal will also report a large amount of smoke. You should also pay attention to the steering rack if the wheel rotates too tightly during the turns. Sometimes there is a rumble in the location of the hydraulic booster, which was not there before. Here it is worth hurrying, otherwise the car may completely lose control soon. On the upcoming replacement can tell and twists, which the machine performs very reluctantly. At the same time during the rotation of the rudder, a knock is heard. It is necessary to pay attention to the stuffing box seal on the helmsman and in another case. If the steering wheel does not return well to its central position and does not want to stay in it, it is likely that this mechanism is broken. It is worth preparing for the nearest repair of the rail, if the level of liquid in the reservoir of GUR constantly falls, and there are no visible reasons for this.

How to change the oil seal on your steering wheel

Many will say that the repair of the racks is best entrusted to professionals - they know exactly how to maintain these rather complex mechanisms, and they have the necessary specific tools and adaptations for this. Also in the workshop, necessary consumables and spare parts are often available - repair kits and gaskets suitable for a specific car model.

But if there is no possibility to visit the service station, if the replacement is carried out independently, it is very important to know in advance the size of the steering rack oil seal in order to purchase a part that will fit without any problems to a specific element. If the gaps do not match, the leakage will not stop, and maybe even intensify.

Required tools and tools

Before you begin the work process, you should stock up on the necessary tools. To replace the stuffing box you will need a vice and a workbench, a set of heads, a key for 32. You should also prepare a piece of rubber hose with a wall thickness of about 10-12 millimeters. The length of the segment should be about 50 centimeters.

Experts recommend to prepare two plastic bottles. Their volume should be about 1-1.5 liters. Also, you should prepare lubricants, a screwdriver or an electric drill. Do not interfere and a drawbar, as well as a gas key.

Dismounting the rail

The first step is to remove the steering rack. Without dismantling the beam with engine supports, as well as the stabilizer and part of the exhaust pipe, it is not possible to remove the steering rack. For this operation on some models of cars may need a special puller. Remove the negative terminal from the battery. On cars equipped with airbags, it is also recommended to disconnect the plus wire.

Then wait for ten minutes and proceed to the dismantling of the beam. Pre-lifting the gearbox in two places. Now, when all the nodes are removed, it is necessary to drain the fluid from the steering system. Remove the hose from the distributor and lower it into the bottle.

Then they start the engine and turn the rudder in one and the other direction until it stops, when all the liquid in the container will merge. Steering wheel is better to fix, not to tear the wiring.

Next, it removes the rake directly from the set places. To remove it, unscrew the fasteners. Often you will be able to remove the rail from the first time, but it does not always happen that way - this is hampered by fixing protrusions. But with a certain amount of effort, it will work out.

Replacing the stuffing box

In order to get to the places of installation of oil seals, the rail is disassembled completely. Most of the details did not change, and they could get very hot. It will be required to exert force. It is necessary to unscrew the steering rods, as well as the regulator bolts.

Behind the end cover you can see the upper seal of the steering rack - it is knocked out with light hammer blows. Then knock out the second. But you need to work carefully, so as not to scratch the mirror inside the rack. Now it remains to press into place the old new oil seal and collect everything together. Experts recommend lubricating the parts before installation. It remains only to fill in a new liquid and pump the system. If there are air bubbles in it, you can not operate the car.

What to do after repairs

Professional car mechanics recommend to perform the collapse-convergence. It can go wrong, because dismantling of the steering rack and steering rods was carried out. You should also set the steering wheel correctly. To maintain the steering longer, it is necessary to change consumables more often, perform maintenance, perform balancing and not drive in pits. It is also worthwhile to periodically check the tire pressure and top up the fluid in the hydraulic amplifier tank in time.

So, we figured out how to make a replacement for this element yourself.