328 steering rack question-need help?

Guys.... Needing some help/advice from the 328 brotherhood...

It looks like there is a fault on my steering rack. car has a vibration thru the steering wheel that gets worse as the speedo gets higher! When the car is jacked up there is too much play in the wheels.

Now the specialist has told me that the rack should be removed & reconditoned. about £100 to have this done plus £200 labour.

I believe that most of the parts are from a mini? And that a new mini rack costs £25.

My question is that can I replace the trackrod ends & shafts without actually taking the rack out of the car?
Has anyone fixed the rack without removing the rack from the car & if so any guidance?

Thanks for any help...

R

 

Of course it's impossible for me to tell if your rack is bad, but it is probably worth looking at the rack bushings first. In the photo, they are the red pieces that mount the rack to the frame. When they get old and mushy, you will feel play in the steering wheel, as I did at 36,000 miles. Working on the rack from underneath is no fun, but you can get to it from the top -- if you remove the spare tire tray. That tray is held in with a bunch of pop rivets and glued down with the nastiest adhesive of all time. It took me an hour with a razor blade to gcut through the stuff, but I could then remove the tray without damage. I re-installed it with black torx-headed sheet metal screws. Sure makes diagnosing and reapir a lot easier. -Steve
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that is the cleanest front end i've seen. it looks like it just left modena!!

 

Thanks for taking the time to post, my car is also on 36000 miles! I will take a look at this area in the morning.. Thanks again..

Did you do a complete rebuild in the car?

 

Thanks Bill and Rod. I have gone through most of the car - engine, trans, suspension, brakes and interior. I was going to pull the radiator this summer, but didn't have time, so that's all that's left. I was hoping the radiator would blow up so that I could justify buying a Ron Davis aluminum one, but so far, no luck. The whole project took about two years. -Steve

 

I've pulled roughly 40-50 steering racks out of 308's, 328's and Boxers. Why would you doubt a specialist? £100 to pull, then reinstall a steering rack in a 328 is dirt cheap. £200 labour, plus any addition parts is very reasonable, particularly if the inner tie rods need replacement. If your 328 has a TRW "thin tube" style rack, the inner tie rod ends are not adjustable and will need replacement. And when it's all said and done, you'll need to do an alignment.

Urban folklore: They're not. The racks are very similar to what's used in a Pantera, with some common parts to that car as well as a Lancia Delta...Contrary to much that's posted on this subject, rebuilding a steering rack is much more than just installing a new outboard bushing.

Maybe....But considering the saftey issues involved, and that it takes approximately 2.5-3.0 hours to remove and reinstall the steering rack, why attempt such a critical repair in the car? Besides, when the rack is out, you'll have a golden opportunity to inspect and likely replace the clapped out rack mounting bushings. I'm all on board with saving money, but this is one area that's best done "right" or not done at all...

Regards,
David

 

Dave

Thanks for your constructive comments...Having not tackled a steering rack before I wanted opinions/experiences from you guys...

I want the car to drive A1 so it looks like the only true option is to pull the rack out & give it a full refurb!

Thanks again

Rod

 

Rod,

I will be doing the same to my 328 this winter (probably January).
Can you please post pictures when/if you have them?

Thanks,
Rui

 

Rui

Happy to post some pics, I am looking for the car to be sorted next week if all goes to plan!
It will be good to say goodbye to wheel wobble & heavy steering! Then perhaps I can enjoy the car once again!


Do you have the same problem?

Rod

 

No, not really.
I'm replacing all suspension bushes with polyurethane, wheel bearings and ball joints. As a "while I'm there" kind of thing I want to also replace the steering bushes, CV joints and boots !
I just like to know everything is perfect

 

Wow... way to go... That should keep her feeling really tight... Let me know what it drives like after you have completed the work, especially the polyurethane bushes.

When are you doing the work?

 

I'm planning to start the work in January. I will update the same Portuguese thread as work progresses.

 

Great, I will keep an out for your updates...

Regards

Rod

 

My winter projects this year on my 1988.5 328 are 1) rebuild steering rack and 2) major service. I removed the steering rack from the top as mentioned above, first removing the spare tire tub, which made access MUCH easier. Now, I'm looking for advice on what black rubber adhesive/sealant to use, to reinstall the fiberglas spare tire tub? The adhesive/sealant used originally on my car is very rubbery, matte finish black, and relatively thick (gap filling). It doesn't appear to be the usual Silicone RTV that's so common today.
Does anyone have a reference to the correct adhesive/sealant for this application?

 

I've done the same, but didn't reapply any sort of new sealant/gunk/goop at all. Instead of gluing it back into place, mine is held with screws. Works great. (And the tub can be easily removed again in the future. Something I've done at least twice since the original re-installation.)

(Note: I also cleaned all the old adhesive off the tub, so it's a clean fit to the car's frame.)

 

I also refitted my tub with screws in place of rivers and no sealant. Not concours but sure helps accessibility for maintenance.


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