| STEERING UNIT
Description
The steering unit is of the rack and pinion type and mounted on brackets welded to the top front face of the front suspension cross beam. It is a sealed unit and must not be dismantled.
The rack is housed in a cast body and supported by a bush bearing and a damper at one end and a pinion and a second damper at the other end. The, rack and pinion have skew cut teeth and pinion end float is controlled by shims positioned between the flange of the pinion end cap and the body. The dampers are adjusted in a similar manner.
Movement of the steering rack is limited by the inner ball joints housings at the ends of the rack contacting the ends of the body.
The Inner ball joints are protected and the unit made oil and weathertight by rubber convolute covers fitted over the ends of the body and inner ends of the two track rods.
The outer ends of the two track rods have screwed ball joints, the tapered ball pins of which are fitted into the steering arms attached to the stub axle carriers.
Reconditioned steering units
In the event of a steering unit becoming unserviceable, it is strongly recommended that it is renewed with a reconditioned unit exchanged under the Service Replace-ment Scheme.
The convolute covers are available as replacement parts, thus when they are observed to be damaged or have otherwise deteriorated, they can be renewed after removing the steering unit, but without dismantling it.
To remove and refit
1. Drain and remove the radiator.
2. Apply the handbrake, jack up .the front of the car, remove the two front wheels and support the lower links of the front suspension to remove any strain on the ball joints.
3. Detach the two ball joints from the steering arms by discarding the split pins, removing the castellated nuts and extracting the tapered ball pins using a suitable extractor.
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4. Withdraw the pinch bolt from the bottom universal joint yoke by removing the nut.
5. Detach the steering unit from the front suspension cross member by withdrawing four bolts and washers. Remove the steering unit from the car by withdrawing the pinion of the steering unit from the bottom universal joint yoke.
6. Refitting is the reverse of the removal sequence but particular attention must be given to the following: -
(i) Ensure that the steering unit is full of oil.
(ii) Set the pinion of the steering unit in the straight ahead position by counting the number of turns, from lock to lock and setting the pinion midway.
(iii) Position the steering wheel in the straight ahead position, i.e., so the two spokes are horizontal.
(iv) Offer up the end of the pinion to the yoke of the bottom universal joint, without disturbing either component; first, secure the steering unit to the front suspension crossmember but do not fully tighten at this juncture, second, fit the pinch bolt to the yoke which can be rotated as necessary and the splined end of the pinion is grooved to accommodate the shank of the pinch bolt. Fully tighten all bolts to the torques given in the "General Data Section".
(v) Check the front wheel alignment (toe in), see under "Front wheel alignment—To adjust" in Section F.
(vi) Fit new split pins to the tapered bail pins.
(vii) Ensure that the tapered bail pins are centrally disposed in the housing when the weight of the car is on the front wheels; any out of centre can be corrected by slackening off the locknuts, rotating the ball joint housing a short distance until this condition is attained.
(viii) Refit and refill the radiator.
Dismantling and reassembling
No attempt must be made to dismantle or reassemble the steering unit. Special techniques are necessary to preload the Belleville washers included in the inner bail Joints and this will prove difficult to effect in the service workshop. Reconditioned replacement units are avail-able and must always be used.
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