craig1410
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| posted on 22/3/09 at 02:51 AM |
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Escort Mk2 Steering Rack Too Tight - How to adjust slipper?
Hi,
Approaching SVA and was evaluating steering self-centering which is not good enough despite having proper castor. I don't want to rely on
toe-out and high tyre pressures if I can avoid it and my rack does seem very tight.
I have read about how you can adjust the "slipper" plate to release some tension in the rack but I can't find any details of how to
do this. Does anyone have any details of this procedure?
Many thanks,
Craig.
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mistergrumpy
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| posted on 22/3/09 at 09:14 AM |
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I can't find the site that I had took it off, they had uploaded a copy of the Haynes manual pages but basically, there is a plate to the side of
the column stub on the rack. If you remeve this plate there is a spring under it that puts pressure on a plastic drum, the slipper. It's a bit
of a pain to remove sometimes. I found that by waggling the steering arms up and down the slipper loosened up and came out. If you have to tease it
with pliers take care not to burr it. Once this was out I cleaned the rack thoroughly because it was full of old oil that had clagged up. When
everything was clean the book said to put the gaitors on and then pour oil into the rack through the aperture that the slipper would go into. I
didn't put as much as it said in as it just comes pi55ing out the sides and makes a mess. Put the oil in and move it around a bit then replace
the slipper and this is the bit now. When you put the plate on top there should be a gasket under it, you have to tighten the plate then see how much
it stands off the rack using feeler gauges and pack it out with other gaskets accordingly. I remember it said don't use cardboard, but I did as
I had nothing to hand and needed it quick. I then just found a compromise on how tight the plate should be that puts the pressure onto the slipper.
Once it's back together give it a few turns lock to lock to spread the oil around. I can now hold my front wheel while it's on the ground
still and turn it quite easily. I couldn't do that before.
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craig1410
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| posted on 22/3/09 at 11:45 AM |
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Hi,
Thanks for that, seems straightforward enough.
My rack is actually a reconditioned unit and has never been used so it should be clean enough inside. Hopefully all I need to do is pack out the end
plate to get a bit more clearance.
Can I assume that this job can only be done with the rack removed? I've not had a look yet to see where the plate is but it sounds like
I'd need to remove it yes?
Thanks again,
Craig.
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mistergrumpy
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| posted on 22/3/09 at 01:13 PM |
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Yeah you can get to the plate easily enough. You should be fine to do it in situ.
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craig1410
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| posted on 22/3/09 at 01:55 PM |
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Oh good - that will save me having to strip down the front suspension again since I've locked up and marked all the bolts.
Will give it a go later today hopefully. I wish I had looked into this when I first got the rack as I noticed back then that it was tight. I just
thought it was normal for a rebuilt rack and never questioned it.
Thanks again,
Craig.
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