34 Fit a new O-ring seal to the damper yoke
and place the spring in position. Add shims
equal to the gap measured between the cover
plate and housing plus 0.05 to 0.13 mm. Refit
the cover plate and tighten down the bolts.
Turn the pinion through 180º in each direction
from the centre and make sure there is no
tightness or binding.
35 Screw one of the tie-rod ball housing
locking collars onto the rack as far as it will
go. If the original components are being re-
used, make sure that the collar is being
refitted to the end of the rack from which it
was removed.
36 Lubricate the thrust spring and ball seat
and then locate them in the end of the rack.
Lubricate the tie-rod balljoint and the ball
housing and refit these components.
37 Tighten the ball housing until the tie-rod
ball is clamped and will not move without
binding.
38 Now slacken the ball housing slightly
(approximately one eighth of a turn) until the
tie-rod is just free to move. Note: The tie-rod
will still feel stiff to move because of the
tension of the thrust spring, but there should
be no trace of binding or endfloat.
39 Hold the ball housing in this position and
screw the locking collar into contact with it.
Tighten the locking collar using the same
procedure used for removal, making sure that
the position of the ball housing does not alter.
40 If working on early type racks, peen the
edge of the locking collar into the groove of
the ball housing using a small punch.
41 On later type racks, protect the rack
housing from swarf and drill a 3.97 mm
diameter hole, 8.0 mm deep, between the
locking collar and ball housing. The hole must
be drilled on the side facing away from the
rack teeth and at least 90º away from any
previous hole. Note: The rack may be drilled a
maximum of three times only. With the hole
drilled, drive in a new grooved pin and retain it
by peening over the edge of the hole.
42 Repeat the above procedure for the other
tie-rod and ball housing.
43 Refit the rubber gaiter and retaining clips
or wire to the plain end of the rack assembly.
44 Stand the assembly upright and fill it
through the pinion end of the housing with the
correct quantity and type of lubricant as
shown in the Specifications.
45 Refit the remaining rubber gaiter and its
retaining clips or wire.
46 If the original tie-rods have been refitted,
screw on the tie-rod outer balljoint locknuts to
the positions marked during dismantling. Now
screw on the balljoints and tighten the locknuts.
47 If new tie-rods have been fitted, screw on
the locknuts and then screw on the balljoints,
by an equal amount each side, until the
dimension between their centres is as shown
in the Specifications. Tighten the locknuts.
48 The steering gear can now be refitted to
the car as described in Section 27. It will be
necessary to have the front toe setting
checked and reset as described in Section 30
after refitting.
29 Rack-and-pinion steering
gear - lubrication
2
1 The steering gear is filled with lubricant
during manufacture and then sealed.
Additional lubricant will only be required in
service if a leak develops, either from the
rubber gaiters or from any of the joints, or if
the steering gear has been dismantled.
2 The steering gear fitted to early models,
identified by black rubber gaiters, is filled with
oil. The steering gear fitted to later models,
identified by transparent rubber gaiters, is
filled with grease. The grade and quantity of
lubricant for both types is given in the
Specifications.
3 Should it be necessary to refill the rack,
proceed as follows.
4 Jack up the driver’s side of the car and
suitably support it on stands (see “Jacking
and Vehicle Support”). Remove the front
roadwheel.
5 Centralise the steering gear so that the
wheels are in the straight-ahead position.
6 Slacken the retaining clips or remove the
wire securing the rubber gaiter to the rack
housing and tie-rod. Slide the rubber gaiter
down the tie-rod sufficiently to provide
access.
7 Using an oil can or grease gun filled with
the specified grade and quantity of lubricant,
fill the rack housing.
8 Refit the rubber gaiter and secure it with the
retaining clips or soft iron wire.
9 Turn the steering from lock to lock to
distribute the lubricant, refit the roadwheel
and lower the car to the ground.
30 Wheel alignment and
steering angles - general
information
General
1 A car’s steering and suspension geometry
is defined in four basic settings - all angles are
expressed in degrees (toe settings are also
expressed as a measurement); the relevant
settings are camber, castor, swivel hub
inclination, and toe-setting. Front wheel toe-
setting is readily adjustable but all other
settings are established during manufacture
and will not normally require attention. It is
possible to alter the front castor angle by
fitting a longer or shorter tie-bar to the
relevant side, and to alter the rear wheel toe
setting by fitting spacers between the rear
radius arm outer brackets and the subframe.
Should there be any reason to suspect that
the front castor angle is incorrect (insensitive
steering, pulling to one side etc) or the rear
wheel toe setting is incorrect (excessive rear
tyre wear) then the settings should be
checked and if necessary altered by a Rover
dealer.
Front wheel toe setting -
checking and adjustment
2 Due to the special measuring equipment
necessary to accurately check the wheel
alignment, and the skill required to use it
properly, checking and adjustment is best left
to a Rover dealer or similar expert. Note that
most tyre-fitting shops now possess
sophisticated checking equipment. The
following is provided as a guide, should the
owner decide to carry out a DIY check.
3 The front wheel toe setting is checked by
measuring the distance between the front and
rear inside edges of the roadwheel rims.
Proprietary toe measurement gauges are
available from motor accessory shops.
Adjustment is made by screwing the tie-rod
outer balljoints in or out of their tie-rods, to alter
the effective length of the tie-rod assemblies.
4 For accurate checking, the vehicle must
be at kerb weight, ie unladen and with a full
tank of fuel, and on models with Hydrolastic
suspension, the trim height must be correct
(see Section 2).
5 Before starting work, check the tyre
pressures and tread wear, the condition of the
hub bearings, the steering wheel free play,
and the condition of the front suspension
components (see Chapter 1). Correct any
faults found.
6 Park the vehicle on level ground, check that
the front roadwheels are in the straight-ahead
position, then rock the rear and front ends to
settle the suspension. Release the handbrake,
and roll the vehicle backwards 1 metre, then
forwards again, to relieve any stresses in the
steering and suspension components.
7 Measure the distance between the front
edges of the wheel rims and the rear edges of
the rims. Subtract the rear measurement from
the front measurement, and check that the
result is within the specified range.
8 If adjustment is necessary, apply the
handbrake, then jack up the front of the
vehicle and support it securely on axle stands
(see “Jacking and vehicle support”). Turn the
steering wheel onto full-left lock, and record
the number of exposed threads on the right-
hand tie-rod. Now turn the steering onto full-
right lock, and record the number of threads
on the left-hand side. If there are the same
number of threads visible on both sides, then
subsequent adjustment should be made
equally on both sides. If there are more
threads visible on one side than the other, it
will be necessary to compensate for this
during adjustment. Note: It is most important
that after adjustment, the same number of
threads are visible on each tie-rod.
9 First clean the tie-rod threads; if they are
corroded, apply penetrating fluid before
starting adjustment. Release the rubber
gaiters outboard clips (where necessary), and
slide back the gaiters; apply a smear of
grease to the gaiter seat on the tie-rod, so that
the gaiters will not be twisted or strained as
their respective tie-rods are rotated.
Suspension and steering 10•19
10
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