Steering Rack Gaiter Replacement - Revision history

Thorburn at 19:40, 2 April 2013

2013-04-02T19:40:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:40, 2 April 2013
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	~~Hi All~~

	Car just failed the MOT (French) on a badly split gaiter and reading some of the horror stories about skinned knuckles and how it took hours to get the ..... thing over the rack got me thinking.		Car just failed the MOT (French) on a badly split gaiter and reading some of the horror stories about skinned knuckles and how it took hours to get the ..... thing over the rack got me thinking.

	The result is that I've just swapped a gaiter in 20 minutes (not including jacking and taking the wheel off).		The result is that I've just swapped a gaiter in 20 minutes (not including jacking and taking the wheel off).

	This is how you do it.		This is how you do it:

	~~1 -~~ I read that some people recommended warming the gaiter in hot water to make it more elastic and easier to fit so going on from there I wondered what would happen if I stretched the end of the gaiter over a larger diameter former to give it some permanent stretch.		I read that some people recommended warming the gaiter in hot water to make it more elastic and easier to fit so going on from there I wondered what would happen if I stretched the end of the gaiter over a larger diameter former to give it some permanent stretch.

	Look below and you'll see that I used a minuature flower-pot. First I warmed the gaiter end in hot water and then pushed it over the flower-pot. It will stretch more but I thought that was sufficient.		Look below and you'll see that I used a minuature flower-pot. First I warmed the gaiter end in hot water and then pushed it over the flower-pot. It will stretch more but I thought that was sufficient.

			[[image:Steering Rack Gaiter Replacement - 1.JPG\|center\|thumb\|400px]]
	[~~img=799x529]http~~:~~//gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5255~~.JPG~~[/img~~]


	Then I placed the whole thing in boiling water on the stove		Then I placed the whole thing in boiling water on the stove

			[[image:Steering Rack Gaiter Replacement - 2.JPG\|center\|thumb\|400px]]
	[~~img=799x529]http~~:~~//gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5254~~.JPG~~[/img~~]


	After 5 minutes I removed the flower-pot and the result is a considerably larger opening on the gaiter.		After 5 minutes I removed the flower-pot and the result is a considerably larger opening on the gaiter.

			[[image:Steering Rack Gaiter Replacement - 3.JPG\|center\|thumb\|400px]]

	[~~img=799x529]http~~:~~//gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5256~~.JPG~~[/img~~]		[[image:Steering Rack Gaiter Replacement - 4.JPG\|center\|thumb\|400px]]


	~~[img=799x529]http://gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5257.JPG[/img~~]



	This larger opening will gradually contract over 24 hours to near enough the original size, but you have a couple of hours to use it before it gets too small again.		This larger opening will gradually contract over 24 hours to near enough the original size, but you have a couple of hours to use it before it gets too small again.
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	One other tip is to mark the track-rod and rack shaft with tippex (useful for all sorts of things like this) so that before disassembly you have a reference point -then just count the turns on removal so you can get the same position later.		One other tip is to mark the track-rod and rack shaft with tippex (useful for all sorts of things like this) so that before disassembly you have a reference point -then just count the turns on removal so you can get the same position later.

	[~~img=799x529]http~~:~~//gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5258~~.JPG~~[/img~~]		[[image:Steering Rack Gaiter Replacement - 5.JPG\|center\|thumb\|400px]]


	~~Hope that helps;~~-)		[[Category:Suspension]]
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Thorburn: Thorburn moved page Gaiters to Steering Rack Gaiter Replacement without leaving a redirect

2013-04-02T19:34:28Z

Thorburn moved page Gaiters to Steering Rack Gaiter Replacement without leaving a redirect

← Older revision	Revision as of 19:34, 2 April 2013
(No difference)

Deeppurpleelise: How to fit steering gaiters with ease;-)

2013-04-02T15:39:45Z

How to fit steering gaiters with ease;-)

New page

Hi All

Car just failed the MOT (French) on a badly split gaiter and reading some of the horror stories about skinned knuckles and how it took hours to get the ..... thing over the rack got me thinking.

The result is that I've just swapped a gaiter in 20 minutes (not including jacking and taking the wheel off).

This is how you do it.

1 - I read that some people recommended warming the gaiter in hot water to make it more elastic and easier to fit so going on from there I wondered what would happen if I stretched the end of the gaiter over a larger diameter former to give it some permanent stretch.

Look below and you'll see that I used a minuature flower-pot. First I warmed the gaiter end in hot water and then pushed it over the flower-pot. It will stretch more but I thought that was sufficient.

[img=799x529]http://gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5255.JPG[/img]

Then I placed the whole thing in boiling water on the stove

[img=799x529]http://gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5254.JPG[/img]

After 5 minutes I removed the flower-pot and the result is a considerably larger opening on the gaiter.

[img=799x529]http://gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5256.JPG[/img]

[img=799x529]http://gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5257.JPG[/img]

This larger opening will gradually contract over 24 hours to near enough the original size, but you have a couple of hours to use it before it gets too small again.

Once done this will just slip straight over the rack body end with no effort and then the zip-tie can be tightened using the slotted pipe trick (catch the end of the zip in a thin pipe and you can twist this to tighten the tie in the confines of the chassis.

One other tip is to mark the track-rod and rack shaft with tippex (useful for all sorts of things like this) so that before disassembly you have a reference point -then just count the turns on removal so you can get the same position later.

[img=799x529]http://gallery.seloc.org/albums/userpics/32314/IMGP5258.JPG[/img]

Hope that helps;-)