DIY VAZ steering gear repair

Welcome! Steering gear - it is also popularly called the steering column, thanks to it the wheels of the car rotate, it necessarily consists of the body and from the shaft that comes out of it, by the way, depending on the length and thickness of this shaft, as well as depending on the size the parts themselves (for example, from the worm itself, which is located in the gearbox housing) that are located in the gearbox housing, the steering wheel can turn quite easily if all the parts have large shapes (the longer they are and the length, the easier it will be to rotate the steering wheel of the car), the thing is that the gearbox facilitates the rotation of the steering wheel and transmits all the moment to turn the wheels of the car, but like any other part it wears out over time and starts to leak mainly after wear, especially if you do not add oil to the gearbox, then over time it becomes so it is difficult to turn the steering wheel, this is especially noticeable when driving at a not too high speed, therefore the gearbox must be repaired (if it can still be repaired) or possibility of an early replacement.

Note! In order to change the steering gear in a car, you will need tools, namely: A basic set of wrenches, as well as all sorts of other types of wrenches, in addition, we recommend that you use union heads and a crank, since it is not always convenient to unscrew the nuts with a wrench key, besides this (this does not apply to tools) you will also need to take an assistant with you, because you will have to carry out this operation together, as it is more convenient!

Where is the steering gear located? It is located in the engine compartment and in the lower part of the car, because of this, it is not very convenient to remove it from above, therefore, for such work, a second person is needed who will take the gearbox itself when you unscrew all the nuts that secure it.

Note! If you want to see the gearbox itself, that is, where it is located, then open the hood of the car and look where on the body (Not on the engine) from the driver's side, you have a gearbox that was shown with a red arrow in the photo below for clarity:

When do you need to change the steering gear? Many recommend immediately go to a car shop and buy a new gearbox and change it to a new one, although it, like any other part, can be repaired (Vit, not everyone has the money to buy a new unit), but it's up to you to decide, as they say, but we will give the main malfunctions that arise when the steering gear fails, firstly, the oil that is inside it can flow from it (This is either due to the fact that it is rusted and corroded, or the oil seal has worn out in it, which requires its replacement) , in addition to this, the steering wheel, due to a worn steering gear, can also turn hard (There are many other nodes in the steering mechanism that are responsible for steering, so if your steering wheel starts to turn hard, you do not need to immediately throw all the problems on the steering gear, because this is due to the pendulum arm, maybe, as well as due to other parts).

Note! In addition to all of the above problems, due to wear of the steering gear, the steering wheel can simply jam (will not spin), and it can also spin, but the wheels will not rotate at the same time, therefore this gearbox plays a very important role in cars and if any of these If you noticed any problems with it, we recommend that you replace it as soon as possible with a new one, or if it is not possible, then simply repair it and after a competent repair it will have to work for you as before! (About how to repair a gearbox, study in an article called which: "Repair of a steering gear on a VAZ")

Removal: 1) At the beginning of the operation, you will need to put the car on the inspection hole, or if you are not afraid, you can raise the front part of it with a jack and put not very thick planks under the front wheels, and then lower the car on them in this regard. will become much higher, but it will not be very convenient to work, therefore, as they say here, it is up to you to decide what to choose.

Note! It is imperative that if you put planks under the front wheels, we will tell you a couple of practical tips, namely, in no case do not put bricks under the car so that it stands on them, because bricks (no matter how strong they seem) can not withstand the load in this regard, they crack (at best) or break (at worst) and the car falls to the ground, in addition, it is recommended to put something under the rear wheels to stall in place, and also raise the handbrake at the car for greater safety and set it to speed so that it stands firm and does not roll anywhere!

2) Then, if your car has a distributed injection system (popularly an injector), then you will have to remove the adsorber because it takes up a lot of space and if you do not remove it, it will be difficult to remove the steering gear. (For how to remove the adsorber, read the article: "Replacing the adsorber on a car")

3) Next, you will need to remove the protective cover of the steering wheel (we will not teach you how to remove this cover, because most owners already know it), this cover, as you can see in the photo below, has already been removed, so when you remove it from unscrewing for this purpose all the screws that secure it, then take two wrenches and with one wrench hold the bolt from turning as shown in the photo below, and with the other wrench completely unscrew the nut of this bolt and then remove the bolt from the hinge.

4) Now you will need to unscrew the two nuts that attach the rods to the bipod of the steering gear (The bipod is indicated by a blue arrow), but before you start unscrewing them, let's figure out what this bipod is, so it is located on the steering gear itself ( The nut is screwed to it), due to this bipod, efforts are transferred that come from the steering gear to the wheels, for example, you turn the steering wheel and all the effort that comes from it is fed first to the gearbox itself, then the effort goes further and reaches this bipod, which in turn, it moves two rods that are connected to it, and thus the wheels rotate either to the left or to the right.

Note! After we figured out a little with this bipod, we will tell you a few words about where and how both rods are attached to it with the help of nuts, firstly so that you understand what a thrust is for clarity, one of them is indicated in the photo below with a red arrow, given the rod enters the hole (see the photo above and the red arrows that indicate the very holes into which both rods enter) and is attached to it at the very top with a nut, so if you want to extract the rod from this hole, what you basically need will do if you are going to remove the steering gear, then first of all take the extension cord and the union head and on top of the car crawl under the nuts that secure both rods and then unscrew them as shown in the small photo below:

But before you unscrew the nuts, be sure to remove the cotter pins (the cotter pin - it looks like a small metal twist, it is needed so that the nuts do not turn away and it can be removed easily, take the pliers in your hands and with their help just pull it and it comes out hole in which it is installed) otherwise you will not unscrew the nuts! (For clarity, the cotter pins in the photo below are indicated by red arrows)

5) When the nuts are turned out, you will need to make sure that both tie rods come out of the bipod, namely, at the end of the steering rods there are so-called fingers that enter the holes that are present on this bipod, you will need to knock out both fingers, and it will be boring for you to knock out the whole thing neatly and with the help of a hammer and small fittings.

Note! By the way, using a special puller, it will also be possible to press out both fingers of the steering rods from the bipod, for this you need to take the puller and place it as shown in the photo below, where the bipod is indicated by a red arrow, and the steering rod itself is blue and after that tightening the nut that is on top on pullers, remove the tie rod pin from the hole in the bipod!

Coy what else you should know, if you still decide to knock out the steering rods, then the nut that fasten them completely does not need to be unscrewed, otherwise when the finger comes out of the hole in the bipod, you can still hit it or in some other place by inertia, otherwise the finger will not be able to completely fall down because it will be limited in this by the nut, which you then unscrew and the finger will come out of the hole in the bipod!

6) And in the end, find the bolts at the end of which the nuts are installed (which attach the steering gear), as you can see in the photo below, they are located in the side member of the car from the side of the wheel, so when these bolts are found take two keys and unscrew with their help nuts (and hold the bolts with another key) that secure the steering gear, and when everything is unscrewed, carefully remove the gearbox by taking out its shaft, which is inserted into the hole and goes into the car's interior, if the gearbox is difficult to remove (Not removable due to its large size ) then move the bipod (It moves) until it stops in any direction and then try to remove the gearbox through the top.

Note! If the gearbox does not come out from above (it is unlikely that this will happen), try to remove it then from below, while all the parts that will interfere with its removal (for example, crankcase protection) also remove!

Installation: 1. First, you will need to set the steering wheel (Not the wheels themselves, but only the steering wheel) in the direction of straight-line movement, and after setting the steering wheel, install the steering gear in the reverse order of removal, while when you install everything, make sure that the mark on the shaft (Indicated blue arrow), coincided with the mark that is on the gearbox housing (indicated by the red arrow) and when these two marks coincide, check that your bipod is exactly in the middle position.

2. In addition, when you put the gearbox in place, do not rush to tighten the bolts that fasten it to the stop (just tighten them a little so that they at least somehow hold the gearbox), and also insert both fingers of the steering rods into the bipod and tighten the bolt at the end of which there is a nut , which secures the steering gear shaft to the cardan joint in the car, and when this is done a couple of times vigorously turn the steering wheel all the way to the right and all the way to the left and then measure the gap in the cabin with a ruler, between the brake pedal and the steering gear shaft you have it should be at least 5 mm.

Note! When the gearbox is installed, be sure to check if there is oil in it and, if necessary, add it if it is not there, read how to do this in the article called: "Changing the oil in the steering gearbox for a VAZ"!

To carry out the work on the removal and installation of the steering gearbox of the VAZ 2107, an assistant will be required.

Removing the steering gear from a VAZ 2107 car 1. Install a VAZ 2107 car on an inspection pit or overpass (see "Preparing a VAZ 2107 car for maintenance and repair"). 2. On a VAZ 2107 car with a fuel injection system, remove the adsorber (see "Adsorber of a VAZ 2107 car - checking the purge valve, removing and installing"). 3.We unscrew the nut of the bolt securing the intermediate shaft of the steering to the shaft of the steering gear and take out the bolt (see "The steering shaft of the car VAZ 2107 - removal and installation"). 4. Disconnect the steering rods from the bipod of the steering gear (see "Steering rods of a VAZ 2107 car - replacement").

5. Using a 19 mm socket wrench, unscrew the three nuts securing the steering gear to the left side member of the VAZ 2107 car, keeping the bolts from turning with a wrench of the same size. Holding the steering gear, remove the bolts.

6. Remove the steering gear shaft from the intermediate steering shaft universal joint yoke. 7. We turn the bipod of the steering gear until it stops in the lug A of the gearbox housing. This will make it easier to remove the steering gear from the VAZ 2107 car.

8. Turning, take out the steering gear up.

Installing a steering gearbox on a VAZ 2107 car 1. Having installed the steering wheel in the direction of the straight-line movement of the VAZ 2107 car, through the hole in the engine compartment bulkhead, insert the steering gearbox shaft into the universal joint of the intermediate steering shaft, orienting the gearbox bipod (see p. 4 below) ... 2. We fasten the steering gear with bolts to the side member of the body of a VAZ 2107 car. 3. If there are difficulties when connecting the steering shafts, then without connecting them, we fix the steering gear on the side member of a VAZ 2107 car. Removing the steering wheel (see "Steering wheel of a VAZ 2107 car - removal and installation "), remove the steering shaft and install the steering mechanism by putting the lid of the intermediate shaft cardan joint on the splines of the steering gear shaft (see" Steering shaft of the car VAZ 2107 - removal and installation ").

4. We orient the steering bipod so that the line drawn through the centers of the bipod holes is at a distance of 27.5 mm from the steering gear mounting plane (middle position of the steering gear roller). We set the steering wheel to the position of the straight-line movement of the car VAZ 2107.

5. Connect the tie rods to the bipod. 6. After installing the new steering gearbox, fill the steering gearbox with transmission oil (see "Steering gearbox of a VAZ 2107 car - checking the oil level").

Removal and installation of the steering gear reducer

We press out the fingers of the ball joints of the rods from the bipod of the steering mechanism. Disconnect the steering shaft from the gearbox.

If it is not necessary to remove the steering shaft, it can only be disconnected without dismantling it from the vehicle.

Using two keys "17", unscrew the three nuts securing the gearbox to the left side member of the body.

We take out the gearbox down.

There are marks on the worm shaft and the gearbox housing, when combined, the bipod should be in the middle position. When installing the gearbox in place, before finally tightening the bolts of its fastening, we energetically turn the steering wheel several times in both directions for self-installation of the crankcase. In this case, the gap between the shaft and the brake pedal must be at least 5 mm.

Install in the reverse order of removal of the column, but pay particular attention to the following points:

Steering crankcase cut

1 - plate of the bipod shaft adjusting screw;
2 - adjusting screw of the bipod shaft;
3 - nut of the adjusting screw;
4 - oil filler plug;
5 - steering gear housing cover;
6 - worm;
7 - steering gear housing;
8 - bipod;
9 - nut for fastening the bipod to the shaft;
10 - spring washer nuts for fastening the bipod;
11 - bipod shaft cuff;

12 - bronze bipod shaft sleeve;
13 - bipod shaft;
14 - bipod shaft roller;
15 - worm shaft;
16 - top ball bearing;
17 - lower ball bearing;
18 - shims;
19 - the bottom cover of the worm bearing;
20 - roller axis;
21 - needle bearing;
22 - worm shaft cuff.

We drain the oil from the gearbox housing, unscrew the adjusting nut and remove the lock washer.

Using the "10" wrench, unscrew the four bolts securing the upper gearbox cover.

We remove the head of the adjusting screw from the groove on the bipod shaft and remove the cover.

When replacing the bipod shaft, the axial clearance between the screw head and the shaft groove is eliminated by adjusting the thickness of the adjusting plate. The size of the gap is allowed no more than 0.05 mm. The plates have a thickness of 1.95 to 2.20 mm in increments of 0.025 mm.

We take out the bipod shaft with a roller from the crankcase.

Using the "10" key, unscrew the four bolts securing the worm shaft cover and.

... remove it together with the ball bearing adjustment gaskets.

The gaskets are available in thicknesses of 0.1 and 0.15 mm.

With light blows of a soft metal hammer, we knock the worm shaft out of the gearbox housing together with the bearing.

On the end surfaces of the worm, treadmills for bearing balls are made.

Prying off with a screwdriver, take out the worm shaft seal.

Similarly, we take out the bipod shaft collar.

We knock out the outer ring of the second bearing with a beard.

We wash all parts in kerosene or diesel fuel. We carefully check that there are no signs of wear, scuffing or damage on the working surfaces of the roller and the worm. The gap between the bipod shaft and the bronze bushings should not exceed 0.1 mm. Ball bearings should rotate freely, without jamming, there should be no damage or signs of wear on the surfaces of rings, cages and balls. Cracks of any length are not allowed on the crankcase itself. We replace the worn out and damaged parts with serviceable ones. We replace the cuffs with new ones in any case. Before assembly, we lubricate all internal parts with gear oil.

With light hammer blows on a piece of pipe of a suitable diameter, press the inner bearing ring into the crankcase.

It is possible to press in the bearing ring using the tool for replacing the rubber-metal joints of the front suspension (see Appendices).

We install a cage with balls in the bearing ring and insert the worm shaft. We put on the outer bearing cage on it and press in the outer ring with light hammer blows. We put a cover with gaskets and.

... we press in the cuffs of the worm shaft and bipod, lubricating the working edges with Litol-24 grease.

We install the worm in the crankcase. With a set of shims, we set the moment of its turning from 2 to 5 kgf.cm. We install the bipod shaft and adjust the mesh in the engagement by the moment the shaft turns. It should be 7–9 kgf.cm when the worm shaft is turned 30 ° to the left and right and gradually decrease to 5 kgf.cm with further turning until it stops.
Fill the crankcase with transmission oil to the level of the lower edge of the filler hole (0.215 l).

Dimensions of the main mating parts and limits of permissible wear

Dimensions of mating parts, mm

Permissible gap in mating, mm

Steering arm shaft sleeve - steering arm shaft

Steering housing - upper worm bearing

Free running is not allowed

Steering housing - lower worm bearing

Pendulum Arm Bracket - Pendulum Arm Axle Bushing

VAZ cars, which belong to the classic models, are pleasantly reliable. This also applies to the steering gear.

It has a rather complicated structure, but its design allows you to maneuver and provide reliable control of the car even under the most difficult road conditions.

The upgrade process resulted in the installation of a composite shaft and crash column. Due to the size of the steering wheel, the driver makes the necessary maneuvers without any problems. Lock-to-lock requires 3.5 turns to fully turn the steering wheel. The force from the steering column is transmitted to the drive by means of a composite shaft.

The current steering gear on the VAZ 2107, a product of the Volga Automobile Company, is quite informative, does not allow the driver to get tired during long trips. There are certain difficulties when turning in a parking lot, but as soon as the car starts moving, the resistance weakens, it becomes easier to turn the steering wheel.

There is one more nuance - with a working steering mechanism, there is a slight backlash. But its limit value is in accordance with the rules of the road. This is due to the fact that there are steering rods on the VAZ 2107 and an impressive number of elements in the gearbox.

In general, the steering of the seven can be considered reliable.

To repair the steering column on a VAZ 2107 car, you first need to understand its structure, as well as the principle of operation.

The seven is in many ways similar to the "penny". Therefore, the device and design have received minor changes. The structure includes:

• A mechanism that transfers the driver's effort to the executive components;
• Steering gear that rotates at an angle set by the driver.

In turn, the steering mechanism consists of:

• Composite shaft with cardan drive;
• Steering wheel (steering column together with a steering wheel with a diameter of 520 mm);
• Worm gear steering gear VAZ 2107.

The control system has the following components:

• Bipod;
• Pendulum arm;
• Swivel levers;
• Steering rods for VAZ 2107 (one middle, two side).

The outer rods consist of two parts, which allows you to change their size by adjusting the toe angle.

Set of steering rods / tips for VAZ 2107

The principle of operation of the steering mechanism looks like this:

1. The driver begins to rotate with the steering wheel, the size of the wheel of which makes this task quite simple;
2. By means of a composite shaft, a worm gearbox is activated, which reduces the number of revolutions;
3. The steering gear is lubricated with special oil (TAD 17), poured into the gearbox;
4. The worm gears rotate, which causes the double-ridged roller to move;
5. From this, in turn, the secondary shaft turns;
6. The solka mounted on the secondary shaft makes a turn, pulls the linkage system;
7. These components act on the levers that synchronously rotate the wheels at the required angle set by the driver.

Steering housing parts

1 - crankcase; 2 - bipod; 3 - lower crankcase cover; 4 - shims; 5 - outer ring of the worm shaft bearing; 6 - separator with balls; 7 - bipod shaft; 8 - an adjusting screw; 9 - adjusting plate; 10 - lock washer; 11 - worm shaft; 12 - upper crankcase cover; 13 - a sealing gasket; 14 - bipod shaft sleeve; 15 - worm shaft oil seal; 16 - bipod shaft oil seal.

1 - steering gear housing; 2 - shaft seal; 3 - intermediate shaft; 4 - upper shaft; 5 - fixing plate of the front part of the bracket; 6 - steering shaft mounting bracket; 7 - the upper part of the facing casing; 8 - bearing sleeve; 9 - bearing; 10 - steering wheel; 11 - the lower part of the facing casing; 12 - bracket fastening details

Over the years, it has been proven that the steering on VAZ 2107 cars has impressive reliability. However, this does not take away the fact that the machine needs periodic inspection and repair.

1. When carrying out maintenance, it is important to check for increased backlash as well as increased wear on the ball joints. To do this, you need to turn the steering wheel from one side to the other. If the wheels do not respond when the handlebars are turned 5 degrees from their original position, this indicates a lot of wear. This will require repair of the steering column on the VAZ 2107.
2. In order not to require an urgent and rather expensive repair of the steering gear on a VAZ 2107 car, it is necessary to change the oil in the crankcase of the worm gear. This is done every 60 thousand kilometers.Leakage can be observed through the oil seals, therefore they are carefully checked 2-3 times a year. This is one of the weak points of the system.
3. The swingarm should be inspected by slowly rotating the steering wheel from side to side. If the parts move in a vertical plane, then surgery is required.

For this, the drive and the steering mechanism are completely or partially dismantled. It all depends directly on the nature of the breakdown.

Check what parts are defective, what is out of order. Inspection is required for each component of the mechanism. If the parts are worn out, there is no point in trying to repair them. There is only one way out - to perform a full replacement of worn-out components of the steering system on a car of the Volga company.

If you have any problems with the steering, it is advisable to contact a professional service station.

Photo of the steering gear reducer VAZ 2107

It is allowed to replace the gearbox with your own hands, but the process is complicated and requires at least minimal experience and skills.

VAZ "seven" is a real classic of the domestic automotive industry. Unlike modern LADA cars, they are more reliable and durable, which is proved by the huge presence of these cars on our roads.

Of course, the VAZ 2107 has long been outdated, it does not have a hydraulic booster, you have to apply sufficient effort to make turns and maneuvers. But for connoisseurs, this is not a problem.

In cars of classic models, such as, for example, the VAZ 2107, the main element of the steering mechanism is the gearbox. Thanks to him, the rotational movements of the steering wheel are transmitted through the linkage system to the front wheels. Repair of a VAZ 2107 gearbox is a rather rare phenomenon. The only case is the replacement of the steering worm gear pair, due to its significant wear.

Otherwise, the standard steering system maintenance procedure can be dispensed with. These operations are not particularly difficult and can be freely performed with your own hands. As part of the manufacturer's maintenance, we recommend checking the level and periodically changing the steering gear oil. To do this, removing it from the car is not required, all operations are performed without disassembly.

The level is checked with a thin, clean screwdriver. Unscrew the plug with a key for 8 and check the presence of oil with a screwdriver. Its level should be just below the filler hole. If the level is less than required, add oil.

To replace, you must first drain the old grease. This can be done by removing the four-bolt steering gear cover. After all the oil has drained out, the lid is put back in place, and a new one is poured through the filler hole. This completes the grease change in the steering wheel.

In addition to the issue of oil control, it is periodically recommended to check for backlash in the steering mechanism of the VAZ 2107. If available, adjustment is performed. For work, you will need a large flat screwdriver and a 19 key. It is also advisable to involve an assistant, together the work will be done much faster.

To adjust, loosen the lock nut with a 19 key and gradually tighten the adjusting screw with a flat screwdriver. In this case, the assistant checks the backlash while in the car. After finishing the adjustment, hold the screw with a screwdriver and fix its position with a lock nut.

If the adjustment to eliminate the backlash did not help, then the worm gear has too much wear and repair is necessary. In this case, only a replacement can solve the problem. This work can also be done by hand, without the help of specialists.

Here you will need to completely remove the gearbox from the VAZ 2107 car:

• The ends of the steering rods are disconnected - they are unpinned and the nuts are twisted with a 22 wrench.
• Release the clamp that secures the column and gearbox.
• Unscrew the three bolts with which the gearbox is attached to the body.

Further removal and repair will not cause any difficulties. You just need to remember a few basic rules:

1. The worm pair is changed as a set, both elements at the same time.
2. After disassembly / assembly, adjustment is mandatory.
3. It is better not to fill in the old grease, but to replace it with a new one.

After the repair is over, the gearbox is assembled and installed in the reverse order.