In detail: do-it-yourself Fiat Chrome steering rack repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.
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Dexron II flooded. The tank was filled with old fluid. He took off the return hose. I hung out the front end, turned the steering wheel back and forth all the way, but the liquid did not drip from the return line and the level did not drop in the tank, and taking into account the fact that the liquid from the tank goes to the rail through the pump by gravity, it probably could not go. I started the engine for 1 second (started and immediately drowned it out), the liquid from the tank left a little and flowed from the return into a separate prepared container. He began to fill in fresh liquid until the same flowed out of the return line, put the return line in place.
According to the latest poll data, residents of St. Petersburg and the region as a whole prefer inexpensive, but high-quality middle-class cars, such as Skoda, Volkswagen, Kia and Fiat. However, trips on domestic roads "kill" even high-quality cars, the chassis and steering mechanism are especially affected.
One of the important components of the control mechanism is the steering rack, which transmits power to the wheels of the car. To avoid repairing a fiat steering rack, you need to know more about this design.
The mechanism consists of interacting parts: a toothed gear and a toothed plate. The gear is equipped with bearings, a circlip and a retaining nut, as well as a protective cover. The toothed plate consists of two parts: the right part rests on the bushing of the mechanism body, the left part is pressed against the gear by a stop equipped with a spring. The spring itself is fixed with an adjusting nut and a lock nut. The rods are attached to the mechanism with the help of ball joints.
Signs of malfunction and impending repair of a Fiat steering rack, such as Fiat Albea, can be detected on your own.
Video (click to play).
If you hear suspicious knocks, noises in the pump, hum when turning the steering wheel from the side of the front suspension, these are clear signs of wear or breakdown of structural parts.
In case of malfunctions, it is possible to "bite" the steering wheel, hard movement when cornering, it is especially difficult to control at the extreme positions of the steering wheel
A hum when the steering wheel is rotated can signal a leak in the oil seals, a low level of fluid in the power steering reservoir.
If these signs are present, it's time to go to diagnose the car.
The most common reason for repairing the steering rack of Fiat Doblo and other models is sloppy driving.
Domestic roads in themselves are imperfect, so you should not add problems to the car by aggressive driving. Fast travel over pits, bumps, speed bumps, rails - all this takes away the life of the structure.
The reason may be holding the steering wheel in the extreme position for a long time. It is advisable not to hold this for more than five seconds. Also, a likely reason may be a negligent attitude towards the car: the state of such a delicate design must be monitored, the anthers and oil seals must be checked for wear, they often become unusable.
An experienced auto mechanic will tell you where the source of the problem is, even performing visual and auditory diagnostics. A knock heard when driving can indicate several reasons:
Incorrect angle of contact between shaft screw and teeth.
Wear of hinges, oil seals, bearings, seals, etc.
Incorrect shaft movement.
Poor fixation of the toothed plate.
Steering play is also caused by various details:
The spool stop is loose.
The silent blocks are worn out.
The shaft is bent.
To find out the exact cause of the malfunction, you need to carry out diagnostics at a car service.
If knocks are heard from the steering wheel, namely a knock from a gear pair, this does not always mean repairing the steering rack of Fiat Tempra, Ducato and others.The diagnostics carried out may not reveal any problems, except for an increase in the gap between the rack and the gear. In this case, adjust or tighten.
The car is driven into a hole and, if everything is done correctly, the backlash is measured, for this there is a special device - a backlash. The permissible backlash is no more than 10 degrees, this applies to all cars. Tightening the adjusting screw or nut is carried out slowly and carefully. This nut is unpinned and turned to the desired value. It is advisable to clean this gap from accumulated dirt before tightening.
If the adjusting screw is tightened firmly, the steering wheel will bite when turning.
Let us consider in detail how the repair of the steering rack of a Fiat Ducato takes place in a car service.
The construction was removed by the master from the car, then he begins to disassemble it:
It removes the anthers, gives up the hinges of the rods and removes the rods themselves, diagnoses the worm gear along the entire stroke.
Drain hydraulic fluid, release locknut, and remove clamp adjusting nut.
Then he removes the spring and stem clamp, removes the bottom plug and unscrews the distributor shank nut. Removes the distributor, diagnoses its condition.
Removes the retaining spring, then the stopper itself.
Shifts the stem and removes the back support with the right stuffing box, removes the stem. Examines the stem surface for wear.
Using a puller, removes the left stem oil seal.
All parts are cleaned of dust and dirt and thoroughly washed and degreased. On a lathe, the surface of the stem and the journal of the distributor shaft are ground. New oil seals and o-rings will be installed during assembly.
The left gland is installed, the rod teeth are lubricated, the rod is installed in the body.
The worm gear is lubricated and the valve is installed in the housing.
A lubricated clamp is installed in its original place, then a spring and a nut with a locknut.
The nut of the distributor shank is lubricated and tightened, a plug is installed.
The upper distributor bearing is lubricated and installed and pressed with a mandrel.
The rear support with the right oil seal is installed, then the stopper and the stopper spring.
At the stand, the operability of the distributor and the absence of leaks are checked.
The repair has been carried out, the structure is ready for installation on the vehicle.
The rack, in other words, is a gear pair: a gear and a horizontal piece of iron. With a straight-line movement of the machine, this pair wears out, if from time to time it is not pulled up to the gear, because in the teeth of both one and the other there is a production. The main thing here is not to overdo it - if you tighten it tightly, the steering wheel will "bite", and this will lead to a complete replacement of the entire structure. It is better to entrust the adjustment of the fiat steering rack to a specialist.
If fluid leaks from the power steering, you should undergo diagnostics, since the reason may not only be in the oil seals, as many think. Leakage occurs due to wear or marriage of clamps, nozzles, hoses, pump and other reasons.
A complete replacement is not always necessary: this structure is repairable, and a Fiat steering rack repair kit is easy to find.
A defective steering rack is a headache for any car owner. Elimination of this problem will leave the driver without a car during the repair, and the repair itself will cause unpleasant minutes and expectations and costs. Therefore, it is better to undergo a scheduled inspection on time and drive the car carefully, then it will last longer.
I changed my rail, killed it all day. if someone is going to change, so as not to remove the main bearing beam, the rail (with power steering) goes out and enters only on the right side and with troubles.
I did it on a lift I will try to describe the processes in order: 1. He took off the front wheels
2.unscrewed and knocked out the steering tips
3.Unscrew the two bolts securing the rail from the carrier
4.removed the rubber cap and then removed the retaining clip on the gearshift mechanism, see the picture (I made the picture because it was unrealistic to see what kind of stopper was there and how to remove it, the head with the eyes did not fit
the first thing that came to hand is a mobile phone)
5. pushed the rail a few centimeters forward (otherwise the body and sound insulation interfere) and removed this mechanism
6. unscrewed the hoses, including the clamp for attaching the pressure hose to the rail on the right
7.screw the left rail fastening bolt back
8.Unscrew the steering column cardan bolt and removed it (at the driver's feet)
9. turned on the ignition (to release the steering wheel lock)
10.Pressing the cardan with his foot (forward so that there is no skewing) pulled the cardan over the steering wheel, got off the steering column rod
11. Unscrew the left rail mounting bolt back
13. unscrewed the earrings of the transverse stabilizer on both sides by turning them horizontally back, the stabilizer pressed on the left side to the suspension arm with a clamp
14. Having raised the gear shift rods, I removed the sealing rubber with a plastic washer (those that seal the connection between the rack and the cab) and began to move the rack to the right
15. upon reaching the opportunity to tilt the rail with the rod into the exhaust / catalyst shaft, tilt the rail with the rod into the shaft, otherwise the rail with the rod will cling to the shift rods (a very hemorrhagic moment)
16.we move the rail further to the right until the rod passes the switching thrust, after which we immediately scroll the rail with the rod up and move further to the right
17.remove the plastic protection on the right under the spar
18. almost pulled out when the rod rests against the spar, slightly tilt the rail with the rod forward into the angle of the carrier to the spar, where the brake pipe of the right wheel comes out from under the spar. (Carefully the tube can be damaged if the iron / steel tube needs to be painted over the scratches from the rod)
19.lift the right side of the rail and move this part forward a little so that the bottom left of the rail comes out first.
Steering rack repair for Fiat Ducato Steering rack repair for Fiat Ducato in St. Petersburg
If you hear suspicious knocks, noises in the pump, hum when turning the steering wheel from the side of the front suspension, these are clear signs of wear or breakdown of structural parts.
If fluid leaks from the power steering, you should undergo diagnostics, since the reason may not only be in the oil seals, as many think. Leakage occurs due to wear or marriage of clamps, nozzles, hoses, pump and other reasons.
