Do-it-yourself steering rack repair Skoda Octavia

The information is applicable for the repair of vehicles with a steering rack 1J1 422 105 DE:

Volkswagen Golf 4 / Volkswagen Golf 4 (1J1, 1J5) 1997 - 2004
Volkswagen Bora / Volkswagen Bora (1J2, 1J6) 1999 - 2005

Volkswagen New Beetle / Volkswagen New Beetle (1C1, 9C1, 1Y7) 1999 - 2002

Skoda Octavia A4 / Skoda Octavia A4 (1U2, 1U5) 1997 - 2010

SEAT Leon / Seat Leon (1M1) 1999 - 2006
SEAT Toledo Mk2 / Seat Toledo (1M2) 1998 - 2004

It all started with the fact that she snotty a little right edge. but she went and did not growl, as it seemed to me. hit a little frost. bam and all the liquid somewhere gone. I bought a liter and I had enough work-home-work-garage. all

After arriving at the garage, the rail was removed by me, the rods were unscrewed. everything is cleaned and wiped, the dirt is removed, the hydraulic pipes are wrapped in a bag

At work, I dismantled the rail and found a lot of dirt in the rail. rusty shaft .. pits from corrosion. development in the right edge of the sleeve

- remove the tube clamps from the cylinder body with a punch through a piece of wood and pliers;
- unscrew the hexagon on the 5th bolt of the stop of the tubes from the valve block;
- take out the tubes and gaskets;
- unscrew the hexagon 5 two bolts securing the valve block;
- turning the block by hand, remove it up the steering shaft;
- under the splines of the shaft, we carefully put on the open-end wrench for 15 and with a rubber hammer we tap the steering shaft from the rack with the bearing;
- carefully remove the rubber ring from the bearing;
- then with a head of 17 we unscrew the nut of the shaft support .. such a round plug; I didn’t succeed, I licked the edges. carefully drilled along the outer diameter and unscrewed it with a key from the grinder;
- pull out the spring, gasket, cylinder with pliers, if it doesn’t work, then you can pull it out later, the shaft is already loosened;
- then we clean the dirt from the right end and a thin retaining ring will be visible there, remove it;
- move the shaft all the way to the right .. tap and this plug will come out on the right;
- carefully remove the rubber ring from it;
In principle, the rail is disassembled)

- seals are very hard. stocked up with screwdrivers with side cutters. we dig out the inner gland of the cork, there is a ringlet in it .. it's not scary to break it. but do not break the sleeve with the cut sides under the stuffing box .. and do not chop the plug itself to death.
- I advise you to stock up on a neat chisel with a width of about 1 cm - lightly chop the bottom of the gland, clums it, pick it up from the sides. hooray, the faucet has been removed..
- things are bad with an internal gland, it sits deep .. HALFING THE RAIL IS IMPOSSIBLE. I immediately say what happened - I found a strip of metal 5x10x400, sharpened it and used it as a long chisel. operation as with the first salniom.. Be careful with the mirror of the cylinder)

That's all, now the rail is definitely disassembled

Now defetovka. I didn’t touch the valve block .. everything is dry, clean, the rubber bands are intact. (mileage 200000)
- rack mirror - no scuffs or scratches, but there was a little wear in the ellipse in the middle position of the steering wheel .. well, X on it.
- seals. only in the trash. the clip on the shaft piston - I had it intact, and there was nothing to replace it with.
- to protect against damage, we wrap the piston and steering shaft with electrical tape over the rubber bands and the fluoroplastic ring.

Corrosion is to blame for everything, the shaft is pitted, the rough surface and the play of the right edge completely killed the oil seal, the second one also snotty.
Shaft measurements: about the piston 23.98 mm. in the place of the middle steering wheel under the sleeve of the right edge - 23.89

Next is sanding. Do not use incisors..

Only sandpaper, on an elastic band, on a plank. and gradually larger and larger number up to 2500. further felt and shaft shines like a mirror.

measurements showed part of the shaft - from the piston to the teeth 23.97. from the piston to the right shaft 23.88.
I draw your attention .. the right edge of the shaft should be ground so that the wear from the bushing is gone.
we sharpen the bushing itself from caproloctan.we sharpen it so that with oil in the cork it goes with little effort but evenly right up to the piston

Oil seals are expensive, they are somehow special, I’m sure that it was possible to pick up cheaper, but oil seals cost me 300 UAH for two pieces

Dimensions
24x39x8.5
24x37x8.5
seals are very hard

- I crush the stuffing box into the cork with a plastic sleeve, which was pulled out of the cylinder of the rail from the large stuffing box (Pick it with a thin electrode and a screwdriver through the hole in the tube) .. gently press it with a vice .. after oiling everything.

with a distant large oil seals, things are more complicated. we put it on the side of the shaft teeth on the shaft with the right side with a plastic mandrel. we insert the shaft into the rail, rest the stuffing box with the piston against the rail. the rail is pre-oiled.
insert the left end of the shaft into the lathe chuck. gently crush the right edge of the shaft into the rail with the stuffing box with the thrust headstock of the screw-driven lathe. turned out great. the mandrel of the stuffing box will stand opposite the opening of the tube.

Wash the rack and shaft thoroughly.

then assembly in reverse order:
- through the hole for the thrust plug or the relay shaft, we fill the cavity with grease (for example, for a CV joint or a special one)
- tap the right plug through the mandrel deep into the slot under the ring.
well, then everything is clear)

put the rail .. connected the hydraulic hoses. if the washers are copper, I advise you to warm them up with a lighter, which were soft. filled with fluid. started .. immediately turn the steering wheel, fill the liquid. Be sure to turn the wheel immediately.
so the mileage is already 40 km .. the liquid is in place.

About rail assembly
- it is very important to keep cleanliness: the less sand gets in, the longer the knot will last .. and the better your work will be ..

power steering:
repairs here were much easier. even the last owner burst his back cover .. and how it is so incomprehensible. he sealed it with a thick layer of cold welding ..
dripping..
I found a new (in the sense of a used cover from a dead pump) KYB pump .. but it was worn at the back, where the rotor rotates.
- surface grinder, lapping on fine emery, felt. lid is ready
- all collected and put in place

(we work together. you need a side of heads, good wrenches and one adjustable wrench or gas, screwdrivers)

so:
- we hang the front of the car higher from the pit, having previously torn off the bolts of the front wheels;
- remove the wheels;
- for convenience (you may not do it), we unscrew the nuts securing the CV joints to the hub (a large one in the center of the wheel) .. the assistant presses on the brake, you can start the engine so that the brakes are stronger (attention - sometimes a special head)
- unscrew the nuts of the steering tips on both sides, press them out of the hubs;
- we unscrew three bolts securing the ball bearings (if there is a special wedge puller, then you can pull the ball joints out of the trunnions)
- unscrew the stabilizer rods from the levers

(pay attention to the position of the washers of the bolts of the subframe at the back .. it’s good to install the subframe later as well - I had the rono in the center, I set it the same way)

- unscrew the four bolts securing the rail to the subframe from the bottom (like 16)
- we take out the ball joints from the levers, moving the hubs away from the engine compartment;
- unscrew the bottom cushion from the engine;
- unscrew the subframe from the car. let an assistant hold it, sometimes you need a decent extension cord in the form of a pipe on a knob to rip off;
- Starts the stabilizer for the CV joints. lower the subframe and take it to the side
- pre-draining the liquid from the supply hose to the power steering pump. we unscrew the hydraulic lines from the rail with a head of 19 and 22 or 16 and 19 with a ratchet; convenient;
- all ends of the hydraulic lines are wrapped in polyethylene from dirt, and before unscrewing them, it is worth wiping the joints from dirt;
- remove the plastic protection at the driver's feet, unscrew the 13 bolt on the cardan
- unscrew from the top of the rail three bolts for fastening the tubes and aluminum protection;
- shaking pulling the rail down, and the assistant helps her with a screwdriver to get out of the joint in the cabin;
- we take the rail with rods to the side;
first remove the anther of the left wheel traction;
- hold the shaft with an open-end wrench by the slot, unscrew the rod from the rail with a buttock or adjustable wrench;
- we repeat the unscrewing of the thrust from the opposite side, we hold the shaft as in the first time;

Attention:
when assembling, we tighten the rack mounting bolts with a torque wrench, they are easy to rip off, like 25 Nm. second stage 90 degrees ..find the nano in the manual

subframe bolts - 100 Nm, then 90 degrees

I will tell you a secret that before this photo shoot the rake was already dismantled, cleaned, assembled and ready for action. So here it is, the rack removed from the car:

The rail was removed, the rods were unscrewed (it is also possible by car), the anthers were removed, they were carefully wiped, the oil was drained from it as much as possible, the shaft was moved back and forth. thoroughly washed the rail

Next, unscrew the nut, which they like to call the adjusting nut:

It turns out it's not all that scary!

Simply, those who are engaged in the repair of steering racks do not agree on a lot, but by and large they are cashing in on other people's problems. In short, you need a bearing, its price is from 150 to 275 rubles and a good turner.

The material I used was a bronze-graphite bushing, from some kind of agricultural machinery, I don’t know for sure.
Price 95 rubles.

In principle, you can use caprolon.
Set the steering wheel straight and, to be sure, mark with a marker at the junction of the cardan shaft with the rack shaft.
Remove rail.
Unscrew the adjusting washer from the side of the shaft, unscrew the lower bearing cap, unscrew the nut that holds the bearing itself, remove the plastic boot and very carefully pull out the shaft, marking its position.

Having previously released the shaft from the connector ..
Then knock out the bearing and through the bottom knock out the bushing that is located in the upper part, this bushing itself is what it is. cause of the knock.
But the bearing also had play, I replaced it.

In principle, you can replace the sleeve that is in the reservoir. cover, I did not.
The factory shaft sleeve is made of aluminum with a coating resembling fluoroplast, its outer size is 30 inner 26mm, the bearing is made indonesia, brand 3601, in my opinion.

The most important thing, do not damage the cable, which is located in the shaft housing.

Having removed the shaft, it is better to fix it in one position, it has a lock.
Plus, I additionally sealed it with tape.
notewhen you remove the connector from the shaft, in what position it was, on the white case there is a slot into which the connector enters, it is important.

Steering is not only a functional system of a car, but also a system that is directly related to driving safety. Its key node is the steering rack, which is installed on most modern cars. The steering rack of the Skoda Octavia Tour has a finite resource, which is reduced due to poor-quality road surfaces and the lack of correct maintenance work on the part of the car owner. Everyone can potentially approach the issue of repairing or replacing the rail, so it is useful to get acquainted with some advice from professional specialists of our car service.

Any driver, regardless of driving experience, must accurately determine the malfunction of the steering rack by external signs, so as not to direct senseless efforts and costs in a deliberately false direction.

• Power steering fluid leak

Even if it was not possible to notice a drop in the liquid level in the expansion tank in time or a suspicious oily stain under the car while it was parked, the characteristic buzzing sound of the power steering pump, which increases with the rotation of the steering wheel, indicates that air is starting to flow into the pump.While the driver is analyzing the current situation, all measures must be taken to bring the fluid level to normal. So, at least, you can follow to the place of repair.

It is not difficult to hear extraneous sounds, squeaks and knocks in the car. But in order to accurately determine that the source of knocks is the Octavia A5 steering rack, you need to have some experience. Her knocks are different from those emitted by faulty suspension parts. It may not appear on large bumps and annoy when driving through small bumps. When you turn the steering wheel, the sound usually disappears. In the straight position of the steering wheel, a slight backlash is felt, which was not there before.

If you do not consider the weakening of the drive belt of the units and the malfunction of the power steering pump, then the tight rotation of the steering wheel in one or both directions is a direct sign that the steering rack on the Skoda Octavia Tour is faulty. An additional sign is the lack of return of the steering wheel after a turn.

If the car has not been in an accident and the integrity of the rack housing is not broken, then fluid leakage occurs in the input shaft seals or in the power seals. Moisture or dirt that gets in causes corrosion of the shafts. The resulting rust destroys the inner surface of the stuffing box and makes it unusable. Moisture can enter through a damaged input shaft boot or tie rod boots. Leaks also form in fittings or rubber parts of the hydraulic hose. This is a common phenomenon, since the pressure in the power steering line is tens of atmospheres.

The impacts received by the steering mechanism when driving over bumps are transmitted to the teeth of the rack. Over time, they become thinner and form a backlash when engaged with a worm gear. The driver feels backlash and knocks in the straight position of the steering wheel, but not in the turned one. The reason for this is the lower degree of deformation of the extreme teeth. Corrosion of the rack shaft can not only destroy the oil seals, but also the centering sleeve. As a result, the shaft is subject to transverse displacements and is a source of knocks. Finally, the cracker, which presses the shaft against the worm gear, wears out, which also causes knocks.

The reasons for the tight rotation of the steering wheel are associated with a violation of the surface of the distributor housing. The liquid enters the line through cracks instead of pressing on the piston of the hydraulic cylinder. The rupture of the piston sealing ring allows the fluid to flow into the non-working cavity, as a result of which the power steering does not work.

Myth #1. Fluid is leaking into the distributor spool cap. Tightening the spool can get rid of problems.

The problem is that the liquid is already in the rail cavity. Some time after tightening the spool, the liquid will come out through the power seals.

Myth #2. Leakage through the seals can be eliminated by replacing them.

Corrosion on the shaft will destroy the new seal. The result is the original picture. Rust must be removed and the shaft restored.

Myth #3. In any rail, the gap between the tooth and the worm is regulated. Tightening will get rid of noise.

Yes, but only in a straight line. In turns, the steering wheel will “bite”, since the extreme teeth are not broken and the set play for them will be too small. It is necessary to restore the rail, and get rid of the knock by replacing and strengthening the retaining cracker. After that, it is necessary to adjust the rail, which cannot be done without special equipment.

Myth number 4. In every city there is at least one plant, the capacity of which allows for turning. This means that there will always be “Uncle Vasya”, who is familiar with “Uncle Petya”, who has the opportunity to contact a turner and perform these procedures.

No comment. The lack of experience, guarantees, technologies for removing, installing and adjusting in almost all cases will lead to a complete replacement of the rail.

Only qualified car service specialists working on stationary equipment can qualitatively diagnose a malfunction of the steering rack after it is removed from the car and partially or completely disassembled. In the vast majority of cases, competent diagnostics and special equipment allow you to restore the rail.

After calling the car service, the exact time of the diagnostics will be assigned. Our experts will tell in detail and show the owner the cause of the breakdown and discuss options for its elimination. No imposition of services, the choice remains only with the owner of the car. If he chooses our service, then the cost of diagnostics is excluded from the total cost of services.

The restored steering rack of the Skoda Octavia A5 is being tested on a special stand. The line is checked for fluid leaks at a pressure exceeding the nominal one. This makes it possible to provide the client with a guarantee of the quality of work.

The next step is to set the factory adjustment parameters. The slightest inaccuracy can lead to incorrect steering, which is a direct threat to road safety. Our service makes ultra-precise settings and carefully checks their result.

We carry out all repair and restoration work in one day. To do this, we have the necessary resources, up to the distribution of responsibilities between the repairmen. The client can pass the time in a comfortable rest room, but we do not mind his presence in the repair area. After the diagnosis, the specialist conducts an individual conversation, during which he introduces the client to the required work, its cost and alternative options for purchasing a new rack, and you do not have to search the Internet for “Skoda Octavia steering rack price”. Only after getting acquainted with the final cost and with the consent of the client, we proceed to repair.

A separate issue regarding steering rods is submitted for discussion. We are not trying to secretly carry out additional work to increase the cost of repairs. If the rods need to be replaced, the specialist informs the client that they must be installed on the removed rail in order to avoid damage to the shaft surface.

We have all accessories for any car model in stock. This is evidence of the vast experience in the restoration of steering racks. Shafts that have undergone corrosion are not only ground, but also restored to nominal dimensions by spraying. After installing the rail, our specialists will definitely flush the hydraulic system.

Payment for services is carried out at the very last turn, only after a complete inspection of the car. Our clients receive a guarantee. In the event of a repeated request due to the fault of the service, we will repair it free of charge.

Skoda Octavia is a fairly reliable and hardy car that, with adequate maintenance, does not require expensive repairs. Many car owners prefer to deal with minor breakdowns on their own, this allows you to save a little. Yes, and the process of minor repairs is a pleasure for motorists.

It is good if there are acquaintances who can prompt and help at the initial stages, when YOU are just getting acquainted with the device and features of your favorite Skoda. If there are no advisers, you can take the advice of craftsmen who have already carried out repairs on their own and are ready to share their experience with others. It is interesting to know how to independently repair the steering rack?

We start by disassembling the rail - if you are doing this for the first time, be extremely careful and remember the position and fastening of all parts and elements.

Sometimes the cause of a malfunction is a breakdown of bearings, anthers, seals or bushings - carefully inspect these spare parts and assess their condition, replace if necessary.

1. The Skoda car must be put on a pit for repair and, using jacks, raise the body. Dismantle wheels.
2. Now you need to remove the fasteners of the rods, if the nuts are rusted, use special tools that will help to cope with this problem. Disconnect the pipes carefully.
3. Drain the liquid from the pipelines - a capacity of 2 liters will be enough. The working mixture will be removed better if, after disconnecting the pipes, start the engine and turn the steering wheel several times.
4. Now you need to remove all the fasteners of the rail itself. On a Skoda car, this part is dismantled quite simply, the main thing is to carefully look at the number of fastening screws and remove them all.
5. Clean the dismantled spare part from the existing dirt and fix it in a vise.
6. At this stage, it is necessary to carefully remove the rubber anthers, after which access to the nut that fixes the intermediate shaft will open. Unscrew the fastener.