DIY vaz 2112 rail repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of a vaz 2112 rail from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

The steering rack is designed to transfer power from the steering wheel to the steered front wheels of the vehicle.

Its design consists of the rail itself, which is a steel bar with notched teeth, a metal body, as well as additional elements in the form of bearings, bushings, seals, anthers, etc.

The rack is driven by the teeth of the steering shaft drive gear, which, while turning, moves the rack to the left or right.

The steering rods are attached to the rail, which, in fact, make the wheels turn in one direction or another.

The steering rack is located in the engine compartment at the rear of the engine, and is attached to the lower part of the engine compartment and passenger compartment bulkhead.

With the exception of the latest versions, equipped with an electric booster, "dozens" of power steering devices were not completed.

Like any other mechanical structure, the steering rack, due to certain circumstances, can show signs of malfunction. These include:

crunch (knock) when turning the steering wheel;
"Tight" steering wheel;
increased backlash of the steering wheel or steering shaft drive gear;
vibration of the steering shaft when driving;
uneven tire wear caused by a misalignment of the front wheel alignment.

The listed symptoms indicate that it is time to repair or replace the steering rack. However, do not rush to replace it. The rail itself is made of durable steel, and it is not so easy to disable it. Most often, auxiliary structural elements come into disrepair:

support sleeve;
drive gear bearings (ball and needle);
seals;
anthers, etc.

There can be any number of reasons for the failure of these parts, from the consumed resource to mechanical damage due to off-road driving. If you are sure that the rail itself will not have to be changed, you can get by with a minor repair of the steering structure, which consists in replacing the listed "consumables".

Video (click to play).

Having decided to repair the steering rack at a service station, expect that you will have to pay about 300 rubles for the simplest repair kit. A complete set, including bearings, will cost about 500-700 rubles. The entire filling, together with the rail, will cost 1,500 rubles.

It is advisable to know the marking of the rail before buying a repair kit, since they may differ depending on the configuration and the year of manufacture of the "dozens".

The cost of repair work, depending on the service station, will be 1000-1500 rubles. If you do not want to overpay for the work, you can repair the rail on your own.

Remove the steering rack assembly.

Cut the clamps of the boot (boot) of the steering gear.

Unscrew the rack retaining nut (octagonal special key for 17), remove it from the body.

Remove the rubber plug from it. Use a screwdriver to remove the retaining ring and spring.

Lightly hitting the steering housing on a wooden block, knock out the rack stop (piston) and remove it together with the seal.

Remove the boot and drive gear seal (slotted screwdriver).

Remove the lock washer (slotted screwdriver).

Unscrew the nut securing the drive gear bearing (octagonal special key for 24 with a central hole with a diameter of at least 18.5 mm).

Remove the rack drive gear with bearing from the housing.

Remove the rail from the housing.

Pull the support bush out of the housing by prying it off with a slotted screwdriver.

Remove the circlip from the drive gear shaft. Check the bearing for play. If present, use a bearing puller to remove the ball bearing from the shaft.Install a new one in its place in the same way.

Remove the needle bearing from the housing by drilling two holes with a thin drill (2 mm) from the back of the housing and knocking it out with a thin rod. Seal the holes formed with “cold welding” or “fast steel”. As a last resort, the bearing can be broken with a narrow chisel (not recommended!).

Lubricate the seat liberally, install a new needle bearing in it, and press it in by lightly tapping on its housing.

Install a new support bush from the repair kit, cut its rubber O-rings, remove unnecessary fragments.

Fill the inner surface of the rack housing with a special grease (Fiol-1 or similar).

Insert the rail into the housing.

Reinstall the drive gear with bearing. Fix it with a nut, put a retaining ring. Place a new boot on the pinion shaft.

Replace the new stop with a new seal. Secure it with the circlip. Place a spring in its hole. Install the stop nut.

Adjust the rail by first tightening the thrust nut all the way and then loosening it 30 degrees. Plug the hole in the nut with a rubber plug.

Put on the boot on the rack housing and fix it with clamps.

Install the re-arranged structure on the vehicle.

At the end of the assembly, check for vertical play in the steering shaft. Drive carefully while evaluating the steering performance. Pay attention to extraneous noise in the area of the rail. If everything is ok, go to the workshop to adjust the camber-toe.If you are dismissive of your car, then this is fraught with consequences. The car will require constant care. To do this, he needs to carry out a periodic technical inspection, on the basis of which he is convinced of the serviceability of certain units.Steering gear of a carTimely fault detection steering rack and its repair - a guarantee of safety.If a backlash appears in the steering mechanism, and there are also constant noises and knocks when driving on an uneven road, then this is a sign that the mechanism needs repair.The construction of the rail itself is relatively simple. During operation, the parts of the mechanism can wear out, therefore, gaps appear between them, which will cause backlash. Image - DIY repair of the vaz 2112 rail

Steering design

Anthers also play an important role in the rail, which protect the mechanism from dirt and dust, as well as moisture.

If the rubber covers are damaged or there are leaks in them, then this can cause some problems that may be associated with corrosion or contamination of unit elements.

If uncharacteristic behavior of the car on the road was noticed while driving, then it is necessary to determine what caused this. There are not many ways to diagnose the rail. They are all simple. Among them are the following:

If, in the area where the rack and the steering shaft meet, when force is applied, a knock is heard, then the problem is the lack of bearing lubrication.
If, by grasping the thrust joint in the engine compartment, the mechanism will backlash detected, this will indicate a worn bushing or insufficient tightening of the connections.

Removing the steering rack bushing

If you have to repair the rail on your own, it is worth noting that this is a rather complex process that requires a certain skill and knowledge. Certainly, self-repair will be cheaper... Also, the work will require the help of a partner.

Steering rack repair kit

First, you need to remove the battery, the platform under it and the air duct in the engine compartment. Next, you need to unscrew the clamps with which the rail is attached to the body. The difficulty of this work is that careless unscrewing can damage the studs, which are difficult to replace.

Removing the rod ends from the steering rack

After that, unscrew the bolts that hold the ends of the rods.Next, the flange bolt securing the rail is unscrewed. After that, you need to fold the rail away from the case. This will require a pry bar or crowbar. The mechanism can be pulled out through the hole in the mudguard. You will need a jack here.

Remove the support and protective cap from both sides of the mechanism.
Unfasten protective covers.
Remove the stop nut using a special key.

We remove the drive gear with the bearing

Next, you need to replace all the elements that are included in the steering rack repair kit, check the product for backlash and carry out a visual inspection.

After disassembling the rack, special attention should be paid to the worm gear mechanism and the support sleeve. Also, if the anthers have been damaged, then some parts of the mechanism may corrode.

Here everything must be cleaned and rinsed, and also abundantly lubricated.

It is imperative to change the retaining ring and the rail stop... These parts are subject to the most wear and tear.

After installing the rail on the car, you need to adjust it.

To understand the process in more detail, it is recommended to watch the video:

The steering gear of the car VAZ 2112

The steering mechanism is an important part for controlling the movement of the car. Its main unit is the steering rack, which transmits the force that the driver applies to the steering wheel, through the tips and rods to the steering levers, connected through the trunnions to the steered wheels.
The good condition of all its elements depends on how safe the car will be on the road. Therefore, it is very important to timely repair the VAZ steering rack.
This article invites you to familiarize yourself with the causes of malfunctions and how to fix them yourself.

Steering elements of a car VAZ 2112

The main elements of the steering rack:

20 - rail.
21 - support sleeve for the rail.
22 - damping ring.
23 - rubber-metal hinge.
10, 11, 14 - elements for connecting the rack and steering rods.
12 - brackets holding the steering mechanism on the shield in front of the body.
13 - rubber supports for the steering mechanism.
15 - cover to protect the assembly.

The drive gear engages with the steering rack and is mounted in the crankcase on bearings. A stop made of cermet, sealed in the crankcase with a special rubber ring, presses the rack against the gear with a spring.
Loosening of the nut is prevented by the circlip. The tags located on the boot and steering wheel housing facilitate assembly of the assembly.

If the steering rack breaks down on a VAZ 2112 car, you need to start repairs with the purchase of materials, tools and spare parts.
Materials:

Heavy grease for bearings. Mobil Grease XHP 222 should be preferred.
Movil in aerosol can.
White Spirit.
WD-40 spray can.
Plastic clamps 200 mm x 4 mm.
Rags.

Ratchet wrenches.
Cardan shaft with extension.
Hammer.
Puller for removing tips.
Key for 22.
Key with an internal octahedron.
Chisel, its width is no more than seven millimeters.

Steering wheel cover.
Lugs with nuts.
Silent blocks.
Steering rack repair kit.

The instruction indicates that the work is to be carried out on a well-fixed vehicle. For this, stops are installed under the rear wheels, the handbrake is tightened, the steering wheel is locked.

Tip: To avoid trouble when repairing the steering rack, it is better to disconnect the battery terminals from the car.

The front wheels are unscrewed.
With a special puller, fingers are pulled out of the lever racks, before that you need to unscrew the tip nuts.
The puller is placed all the way, the screw is tightened. A finger is knocked out of the lever with a hammer, while the key is in a tense state.
The nuts fixing the rack brackets are unscrewed. From inside the passenger compartment, a bolt is loosened on the steering shaft.
Using an oscillating motion, the gear shank is carefully disconnected from the steering shaft. Care must be taken not to damage the splines on the parts.
The entire assembly is pulled out through the right hole located in the car body.

Before starting repairs on a 2112 VAZ car, the steering rack is clamped in a vice. With a special brush, you can clean all surfaces of the unit with a cloth dipped in white spirit.
The steering rods are pulled out. The bolts on the bracket fixing them are unscrewed, the "antennae" of the locking plate are unbent, using the "22" key.
The retaining and connecting rods of the plate are removed.
The steering rods are removed.
The circlip and support can be removed from the right side of the steering housing.
The clamps that fix the protective cover are cut off. The parts can be used once, they are made of plastic.
The protective cover is removed.
The protection cap and support can be removed from the left side of the assembly.
With a key "17" unscrew the nut on the rail stop, the element is removed, the spring and the retaining ring are pulled out.

Nut, spring and retaining ring are removed from the product

The rail stop is knocked out of the socket. Carter needs to be hit against a wooden stand. The rubber ring is installed in the groove of the seal stop.
The seal is removed.
The gear boot is removed, it is enough to pry it with a screwdriver.
The lock washer is pulled out.
The key "24" unscrews the nut securing the gear bearing.
The nut is removed from the shaft.
With a key "14", the gear is unscrewed from the crankcase simultaneously with the bearing.

The gears with the bearing are unscrewed from the crankcase

The rail is pulled out.
The sleeve is removed. The support sleeve is pushed off with a screwdriver, its protrusions must go into the holes located in the crankcase, and then the part can be freely removed.

A new bushing is installed. New damping rings made of rubber are installed on it so that thin parts of the ring were against the cuts in the sleeve.
The tabs on the bushing should fit loosely into the holes in the crankcase.
At the edges of the sleeve, the rings are cut and the cut pieces are discarded.
The retaining ring is removed from the pinion shaft.
Using a two-arm puller, press the ball bearing as shown in the photo.

Removing the ball bearing

The needle bearing is pressed out with a special puller. If it is not there, another option is proposed: two holes are drilled in the end of the crankcase, the diameter of which is two millimeters, this will make it possible for the needle bearing to come out onto the ring.

Pressing out the needle bearing

The crankcase cavity of the unit is washed. The needle bearing is pressed in with a piece of pipe. The hole is sealed with “cold welding” preparations.
The PIOL-1 grease lubricates the bearings, drive gear, and rack teeth well. UNIOL-1 grease is placed in the cavity located above the nut fixing the drive gear bearing. The steering rack assembly is rebuilt in reverse order.
The boot is installed on the steering rack and secured with clamps.
A gap of 0.12 mm is maintained when assembling the structure between the rail stop and the nut. At the end of the clearance adjustment, the stop nut is screwed in, this protects it from unscrewing.

Steering rack of a car VAZ 2112

Tip: Before you start repairing the steering rack, it is better to get acquainted with all the operations on the video.

Timely diagnostics and high-quality repair of the steering rack on a VAZ 2112 car will ensure reliable operation of the car, and the cost of repairing it will be lower than after an accident caused by a unit malfunction.

Welcome!
The steering rack is responsible for turning the wheels of the car, there are mechanisms inside the rack, thanks to which it becomes not so difficult to turn the wheels with the help of the steering wheel, but it is comparable to if you rotated the wheels with your hands, in addition to the steering rack, it is also responsible for easy rotation of the wheels power steering, the power steering can be Electric and Hydraulic, only power steering was practiced on cars of the tenth family, EUR was installed on cars of the Ukrainian assembly (Bogdan), we immediately note that it will be more difficult to remove the steering rack with the Hydro Amplifier than without it, you have to tinker a little, so tune in to it right away and take into account the factthat a steering rack with power steering is much more expensive, in addition, when buying a new rack, try to take a new assembly so that all the tips are and so on, if you do this and do not save a little money, then the installation will be much faster and you don't even have to bother with the rail.

Note!
To remove this part, stock up on: Lumps, you will need to put the front of the car on them and remove both wheels from the front, if you have a pair of jacks, you can leave the car hanging on them, but it can just break off the jacks, all the keys that You will also need a large flat screwdriver, as well as pliers and an assembly blade with a hammer!

Summary:

Where is the steering rack?
The rail is located on the shield that separates the engine compartment and the interior of the car, the rail is fixed with two metal clamps that attach it on the sides, through a small hole in this shield, the rail goes into the salon where it is connected to the steering shaft, in more detail, schematically understand everything, You can look at the photo below, on which everything is indicated, but only it does not have that very shield (Partitions), and the rail is indicated under the number 18.

When should you change the steering rack?
A sign that the rack needs to be replaced is a characteristic knock that will still go to the steering wheel, as well as steering play, if all these symptoms do not disappear by adjusting the steering rack (How to adjust the rack, read "in this article"), then in In this case, the steering rack needs to be replaced.

Note!
Before buying a rail, you should know, firstly, before buying a new rail, look at the markings on the old one and buy using it, the rail is generally interchangeable, but still, so that there are no problems, buy everything by the index and by the way, if you have a power steering installed, then it is with the power steering that a new rail and take it!

1. Before starting work, unscrew the wheels so that they are directed forward, then hang out the front part and remove both front wheels from the car, but before that, carefully secure your car so that it does not fall to the ground, but for this, it will be necessary to put it on the handbrake, put anti-roll stops under the rear wheels, just in case, and most importantly, the platform on which you are going to do the work must be flat and must be asphalt, in case the car does fall down, put wheels under it in advance ( So that he fell on them).

2. Go to the salon, being there, you will have to use two keys (one bolt must be kept from turning) to unscrew the nut of the bolt, which compresses the clamping clamp, with which the propeller shaft is held on the splines of the steering rack, after the nut is unscrewed, and the bolt is removed (see small photo), insert a powerful screwdriver into the slot (where the bolt was located, indicated by the blue arrow) and with its help, unclench the clamping clamp so that the propeller shaft can easily come off the slots of the steering rack.

3. Now, on both sides, pull the steering tips out of the holes into which they enter, we will briefly explain how to pull out the tip using the example of the right side, in general, pliers are taken and the key is pulled out with them (This is such a metal wire), as soon as it is pulled out, unscrew the nut and using a puller, press the tip out of the hole and that's it, if you need pictures and you have no idea what a steering tip is, then in this case read the article: "Replacing steering tips", it says everything in detail.

4. When both steering tips are removed from the holes, start unscrewing the bolts that the rods themselves attach (These rods are the steering tips), they are directly screwed to the steering rack in the central part (To unscrew the bolts, pry the locking plate with a screwdriver, it does not allows the bolts to spontaneously unscrew), turning out one bolt at a time, completely remove the rods from the car (you need to pull them out through the wheel arches) and, as you have already noticed in the small photo, while removing the rod, the person still holds the connecting plate, do not lose this plate, when turning out the last bolt , always hold this plate with your other hand.

Note!
When the rods are removed, check the silent blocks with them (These are rubber bands, you will see them right away, because the metal and rubber parts are just silent blocks), their rubber should not be damaged, cracked and have traces of old age, otherwise In case, replace the silent blocks with new ones (see "Replacing the silent blocks in the rods") and by the way, worn-out silent blocks can cause backlash in the steering, so take this into account!

5. And finally, unscrew two nuts on each side that attach the steering rack to the shield, remove the metal clamps and through the arch, remove the rail completely from the car, you can get acquainted with all this in more detail by looking at the photos below:

Note!
So absolutely all the rails that were installed on the VAZ 2110 family are removed, the rails with power steering are removed a little differently, there, before starting work, you will need to pump out the liquid from the power steering tank with a syringe, then disconnect the hose from the tank and put it into any bottle, not when starting the car, turn the steering wheel until all the fluid from the hose is drained, for more detailed instructions on removing the rack from the power steering, read the article: "Replacing the steering rack on the Lada Priora" and by the way, when reinstalling, make sure that the steering rack is installed on the slots according to the marks (For more information about this, read the article: "Replacing the rail on Kalina 1", paragraph 1)

Additional video clip:
Look at the detailed instructions for replacing the rack, it is shown on the example of a VAZ 2109 car, everything is produced in the same way, and we will even tell you more, the first generation of VAZ 2110 was produced with a steering rack from the ninth family, so the differences in their removal, which is the first car, that on the second, there is none at all.

It so happens that the VAZ 2110 steering rack fails at the most inopportune moment. Most car enthusiasts assume that fixing this problem is a laborious process that not everyone can do. Contrary to the mistaken opinion, it is quite easy to tighten the steering rack or completely repair it. This does not require certain experience and knowledge, you just need to understand a little about the design features of the VAZ 2110 steering rack.

If you find unusual sounds or tapping while driving on hilly terrain or uneven sections of the road, you will need to tighten the steering rack yourself. Below is a detailed description of how the steering rack is adjusted and repaired.

In order to adjust this part of the car, it is recommended to completely dismantle it. This will require the following tools:

screwdriver;
hammer;
pliers;
set of wrenches.

First of all, you need to look into the salon, find the place of attachment of the universal joint, which is located in the lower front of the car, and unscrew the nuts that attach it to the shaft gear in the steering column structure. When turning the bolt, you need to support it with another wrench from the back side.

After that, switch to the engine compartment, where you need to unscrew the fastening hardware for the boot of the rails. This piece is attached with one nut on the top and two nuts on the bottom. Then you need to carefully release and pull out the boot.

Using a reliable jack, it is necessary to raise the front part of the VAZ 2110 body and remove both wheels. The steering rack cannot be dismantled without first removing the steering rods. To do this, first of all, you need to remove the locking plate located on the fasteners of the steering rods. You will see 2 bolts that fix these parts, they need to be unscrewed.Using a 13 spanner, unscrew the nuts securing the steering gear to the front panel with brackets. After that, move the rack forward, freeing the shaft gear from the opening of the front guard. The part can now be removed with a gentle movement.To adjust the steering rack, you must first securely fix it in a vice.To eliminate the likelihood of its swinging, it is recommended to use wood blocks as spacers between the part and the vice. When starting the adjustment, you need to grasp the rack and pinion rods with your hands and move them from side to side. This will help you identify the presence and amount of backlash. You will need a special faceted wrench to fix the gap. Having inserted it into the opening, you need to turn the key 10-20 ° counterclockwise. Image - DIY repair of the vaz 2112 rail

The steering gear assembly with the drive.
1 - tie rod tip; 2 - ball joint of the tip; 3 - pivot arm; 4 - adjusting rod; 5 and 7 - inner tips of the steering rods; 6 - bolts of fastening of steering rods to the rack; 8 - bracket for fastening the steering mechanism; 9 - support of the steering mechanism; 10 - protective cover; 11 - lock plate; 12 - connecting plate; 13 - rubber-metal hinge; 14 - damping rings; 5 - support sleeve of the rail; 16 - rail; 17 - steering gear housing; 18 - coupling bolt; 19 - flexible coupling flange; 20 - roller bearing; 21 - drive gear; 22 - ball bearing; 23 - retaining ring; 24 - protective washer; 25 - sealing ring; 26 - bearing nut; 27 - intermediate steering shaft; 28 - anther; 29 - protective cap; 30 - stop O-ring; 31 - rail stop; 32 - spring; 33 - stop nut; 34 - retaining ring of the stop nut; 35 - plug; 36 - liner spring; 37 - ball pin insert; 38 - ball pin; 39 - protective cap; A, B - marks on the boot and crankcase; C, D - surfaces on the ball joint and pivot arm

Observing the interval, you need to check the amount of backlash each time until it disappears completely. It should be borne in mind that excessive constriction is extremely undesirable, since there is a possibility of complicating the rotation of the steering column. Upon completion of the adjustment, you will need to tighten the stop nut by wrapping the crankcase threads.

This adjustment method is considered official, since it is described in the technical manual for the VAZ 2110. If you have dismantled a part and found that it has become unusable, it is advisable to replace it completely. Regardless of whether you are installing a stock part or a new one, the assembly of the mechanism is the same.

Before installation, it is necessary to turn the shaft gear until it stops to the right or left side using pliers. Then you need to scroll it all the way in the opposite direction. As a result, the flat on the shaft gear should fit straight ahead of the machine in an upright position. Now you can install the steering rack in the required sequence. Everything is done in the same way as during disassembly, with exact observance of the reverse order.

In order to tighten the steering rack on a VAZ 2110 without dismantling it, it is necessary to find or purchase a special octagonal spanner wrench at 17. As in the previous case, the car must be driven onto an overpass or raised with a jack. Make sure the machine is held securely as you will have to work underneath it.

First of all, you need to dismantle the engine protection. You need to take a screwdriver and establish good lighting in the space under the car. Climb under the car from the back of the subframe and get to the steering gear. Find the intersection of the rack and the steering shaft, there you will find a small nut with which you can adjust the mechanism.It should be borne in mind that there is also a cork in this place, which has a similar shape. Therefore, before starting work, you need to thoroughly clean this plane from dirt. The nut has an octagonal shape, and a special key fits to it. It is this factor that should be guided by when searching.If this is the first time you adjust this part, you will find it has a green plastic cap, which is factory fitted when the vehicle is manufactured. It can be easily removed with a screwdriver, the main thing is not to overdo it, since the cap is quite fragile and breaks easily.After removing the cap, insert a wrench into the octagonal opening and adjust the rail. The nut tightening scheme remains unchanged. The adjustment is carried out according to the same rules as during disassembly. In this case, the tightness of the nut must be calculated based on the force of the knock that occurs when hitting obstacles. There is no need to turn it all the way, just eliminate the noise that occurs.To check the result of your efforts, you will need to turn the rail in one direction with a sharp movement. If there is no knock or noise, the adjustment is completed successfully. Now you can put the cap back on. The procedure for adjusting the steering rack on a VAZ 2110 takes no more than 30 minutes. This interval is relevant for situations when the rack is being adjusted for the first time. With the necessary experience, the adjustment process takes much less time.

Any mechanism in a car is not eternal, so when driving on an uneven road, at one point a knock may appear, which gives to the steering wheel. Or while standing still, there may be a knock when turning the steering wheel. These are the first signs that it is time to repair the steering rack.

After disassembling and cleaning, it is necessary to make a "defect" of the parts, and determine the degree of replacement:

- the body is visually inspected. For chips, cracks, and so on;

- inspection of shafts for burrs, wear, scratches and the like;

After identifying the defective parts, you can start assembling:

- a new plastic sleeve is pressed in;

- new bearings are pressed in;

- shafts are inserted and assembled;

- liberally lubricated with a suitable lubricant (lithol, fiol, uniol)

- a preliminary adjustment is made (the adjusting sleeve is tightened to the stop, then loosened until the shaft can be turned by hand);

- put on and fix the rubber boot (preferably using a new one);

- install steering rods with tips without tightening them;

Which muffler to put on the link.

1) At the beginning of the operation, you will need to hang both front wheels from the car, for this operation you may need either one or two jacks (Just instead of one jack, you can also use block blocks), after the front part is hung out, remove from both sides of the wheel of the car. (You can find out how to remove a wheel by studying an article for this called: "Changing wheels from a car")

Note!
Do not forget to stop the car with the handbrake, just in case, and put more bricks under the rear wheels, just in case!

2) Now you need to remove the adsorber, if you have one, because it takes up a lot of space and if you do not remove it, then you simply won't have access to the steering rack. (For information on how to remove the adsorber from the car, read the article: "Replacing the car adsorber")

3) Then, in the very central part of the rail, unscrew the two bolts, which are indicated by the number 10 in the diagram above, which attach the steering rods to the rail, but take into account the fact that these bolts are still locked with locking washers, which you will need to bend (you will see them immediately ) so that they do not interfere, I unscrew these bolts for attaching the rods to the rail.

Note!
For convenience in unscrewing, you can still move the steering wheel all the way in any direction, because when the steering wheel rotates, the rack also moves and thus choose the exact moment when it will be easiest for you to unscrew these mounting bolts!

4) Next, climb into the salon under the place where your pedals are installed and there you will find the universal joint retaining bolt (Indicated by the red arrow), if you need to bend part of the carpet (Carpet is what the floor of the car is covered with, it was not there before, instead of it people the linoleum styles themselves, but this is in old cars, in new ones, a carpet is used that covers the metal part of the body) if it covers this bolt, but when you unscrew the bolt, insert a large screwdriver, or the chisel into the groove indicated by the blue arrow and expand it so that the rail is removed from the car.

5) Well, at the end of the operation, unscrew two (on each side) nuts that attach the rail to the car body, these nuts fix it in its most extreme part, that is, in the left and, respectively, in the right, and when they are turned out with you, then you can pull the steering rack towards you (you will remove it from the studs) and then remove it from the car.

Note!
If it is not convenient for you to unscrew the nuts from the engine compartment, then you can, in its lateral part, in the place where you have a telescopic stand (the spring of the stand is indicated by a blue arrow), unscrew all these nuts (One of the nuts is indicated by a red arrow for clarity) fastening the rail and then just remove it from the car! (Pulling out the rail through the engine compartment is not very convenient, so try to pull it out through the cutout where the telescopic stand is installed, you can see this cutout in the photo below)

The spring of the telescopic strut is shown with a blue arrow and the rail fastening nut is shown with a red arrow.

6) Something else to add, usually new racks are initially sold assembled with steering rods, if you also have these rods on the rails (if you do not understand what these rods are about, these are shown in the diagram and indicated by numbers 11 and 6) then in this case, you will have to remove the old rods from the car (the instructions are simply aimed at removing only the rail itself and therefore at the beginning we did not say anything about removing the rods), if you do not know how to remove them, then in this case, study the article titled: "Replacement of steering rods on VAZ 2109 cars." (Do not pay special attention to the VAZ 2109 brand, because the cars of the Samara and Samara 2 families are very similar to each other, and therefore the traction is removed in both places in the same way)

The rack is installed in the same way as it is removed on the car, but only in the reverse order of removal.

To tighten the VAZ 2112 steering rack you will need a special “17” octagon key. To find an adjusting nut, a lift or a pit is not required, you can reach the nut by sticking your hand under the vacuum brake booster and feel the key recess in this place:

The steering rack of the VAZ 2112 is tightened counterclockwise (when viewed from above). We tighten the nut until it stops, and then loosen it by two divisions (24 degrees), which provides a clearance of 0.12mm. between the nut and the rail stop. We check the ease of movement of the rail, the absence of knocks and jams.After that, the threads of the crankcase are punched (crimped) at two points (without damaging the nut) and marks are applied with paint that fix the position of the nut relative to the crankcase.

If the steering rack is adjusted correctly, the extraneous knocks should disappear, the steering wheel will become sharper and after turning it should automatically return to the center position. If the steering rack is overtightened, then in the extreme positions of the steering wheel the rack will bite, and the steering wheel rotation will be more difficult than before.

If, to solve the problem, it was necessary to repair the steering rack, then the steering rack will be tightened in a vice. You can determine the backlash of the steering rack by swaying the rods (mustache). To reduce the backlash in the steering rack, turn the nut counterclockwise by about 10-15 degrees, and then check the backlash again. If necessary, tighten again until the play in the steering rack disappears. The output is different in each case, so there is no specific tightening torque. At the end of the work, do not forget to close the nut by wrapping the crankcase thread.

The main reasons for the wear of the steering rack are our roads, or rather, the constant shaking on bumps and dusty streets. If you are not a fan of slowing down in front of holes on the road, you need to be prepared for the rake to start knocking very soon. And if you do not want to find out at one terrible moment that this node is leaking, then check the integrity of the anthers on the rail as often as possible. One has only to miss a small hole, as dirt begins to get inside the steering rack, which quickly leads to wear of the seals. And there will be a leak.

To a greater extent, the performance of the hydraulic steering rack does not even depend on the conditions on the road, but on the drivers themselves. Some drivers leave their car in the cold with inverted wheels in winter. This causes the hydraulic steering racks to fail. They constantly forget to change the hydraulic fluid in the power steering system in time, which can also lead to premature wear. At this point blame yourself, as they say.

The most common faults are wear on the stem, slide and seals. Due to the high labor intensity, all work with the steering rack is expensive. But do not pull the hair out of the crown of the head if you find knocks in the suspension, noticeably giving off to the steering wheel. It may just be that the ball joints on the tie rod or tip are worn out. Consider that you got off easy if you really are. Steering rods for Japanese cars are relatively inexpensive today. And the market for these parts is very well developed, here you always have a choice between the more expensive original rod and tip, or cheaper, but also quite high-quality South Korean counterparts. The situation with the owners of German cars is much worse. Especially from Mercedes-Benz. The cost of steering assemblies for a "German" is high, and it is quite difficult to acquire them. However, to date, Russian auto mechanics have learned to restore ball joints without destroying the product body.

Do not despair, even if it turns out during diagnostics that the steering rack is knocking. Most slats are easy to adjust. During operation, the bearing fastening may loosen, for this reason the rack knocks. This defect is quite amenable to regulation. And this procedure takes 20-25 minutes. But if the bearing is not tightened on time, then after several months the torments of hell are guaranteed to you. We'll have to disassemble the rail, order a repair kit and overhaul the unit.

The rail should be thoroughly washed, then disassembled. Measure the wear of the stem and bushing, check the condition of the seals.The bushing (horizontal rod sliding bearing) most often suffers. The thing is that no other country can boast of such disgrace on the roads as in Mother Russia. That is why the overwhelming majority of foreign cars are designed for excellent roads, and therefore materials for the manufacture of bushings are used cheap. As a result, the bushings lose their shape after a few strong enough blows. On some cheap cars, these parts have a fairly decent clearance from the beginning, that is, the steering racks begin to knock at a certain steering position almost from the very beginning.

Video (click to play).

The majority of "Japanese women" have a steering rack resource with proper operation of about 150-200 thousand km of run. The resource of the steering rack that has undergone a high-quality repair will be approximately 70% of the resource of the new unit, so if you choose the right auto mechanic for repairing the steering rack, you will not need to contact a car service again with a similar malfunction.