Removal
1. Remove the tie rod ends.
2. Remove the steering rods.
3. Remove the drive shaft-pinion assembly (see above).
Note: The pinion shaft ball bearing should be carefully removed by lightly tapping the shaft.
4. Unscrew the lock nut and adjusting plug.
5. Remove the spring and sliding stop of the rack.
6. Remove the retaining ring from the steering gear housing.
7. Remove the rack from the crankcase.
8. Check the rack and pinion components for damage and deformation.
9. Check the drive shaft gear with the control valve for damage.
10. Check the inner joints of the steering rods and the ball joints of the ends.
Installation
After inspecting and replacing all defective parts, reassemble the steering gear in reverse order.
Caution: When installing the rack sliding stop, lubricate the stop, spring and adjusting plug with consistent grease. After assembling all steering gear components, pre-adjust the sliding stop load.
To do this:
1. Tighten the regulator plug to a torque of 12 Nm,
2. Holding the plug with a 22 mm Allen key, tighten the plug lock nut to a torque of 30 Nm.
Make the final adjustment with the steering installed on the vehicle, using the method described below.
During assembly and installation, tighten the fastening elements to the following torques:
- self-locking nut of the drive pinion shaft - 30 Nm;
- inner tie rod joint - 90 Nm;
- tie rod end lock nut - 60 Nm,
- ball joint fastening nut - 60 Nm.
Adjusting the clamping force of the sliding stop of the rack
After installing the rack and pinion steering gear, adding hydraulic fluid and bleeding air from the system, make the adjustment. In this case, the front wheels of the car should be suspended, and the steering wheel should be in the middle position.
1. Holding the key (hexagon 22) adjusting plug, loosen the lock nut.
2. Tighten the regulator plug to a torque of 12 Nm and loosen by turning 55-65°.
3. Check whether the torque of the rack input shaft is within 0.9-1.7 Nm.
4. Holding the plug with a wrench, finally tighten the lock nut to a torque of 70 Nm.
(The text of the article was obtained from the website ChevyMan)