Steering Q&As

 

QUESTION;-

Inner track rod ball joint

He says the track rods have failed the MOT and he can’t find new ones. I have asked him to confirm that it is not the track rod ends which are the common MOT failure. Question; how likely are the inner ball joints on the other end of the track rod likely to fail. I have not heard of that before.

 

ANSWER;-The outer end of the track-control-arms ball-joints are available from many MG specialists. The inner end on the ends of the steering rack itself are more complex. You remove the rubber gaiter, then undo the big curved nut that grips the ball-end of the track (it is locked by a circular tab-washer) where between it and the rack are a number of shims. The MoT chap has probably found a bit of play here, removing a 0.005″ one will restore the joint. I said it was ‘complex’, this is because when you use a ‘C’ spanner on the curved nut, the whole damd ball joint unscrews from the rack, when you actually only want the nut off. If this happens you have to go to your bench and use a vice to grip the other bit to undo the joint. See diagram. The joint is correct when you lift up the arm and it drops slowley WITHOUT any stiff spots. Fill it with EP90 gear oil on assembly, not grease. I had a 1952 Morris Minor Series 2 fail on these inner joints years ago; re-shimming them cured the fault.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUESTION;-

Stearing Rack Compatibility
I’ve fitted all new bits in the king-pins and all is
tight and solid, but I can hear a clunk on the LHS steering.
I thought it was the shims in the track rod inners but I have checked all that and, in the end, the play is not along the line of the steering at all but I can move the rack front to back by grabbing the track rod and heaving back and forth. Seems to me that the wear is either on the rack or the tube in which it sits.

Now to the question…. Can I fit an MG TD rack?

 

ANSWER;-
YA, YT, YB, TD and TF racks are the same. Have you checked the damper pad that sits above the pinion where it meshes with the rack? It is shimmed as well and controls the ‘mesh’. Beware though as if your Y rack is worn here, you will get easy movement about the centre but getting very stiff each side. The centre bit of the MG ZA/ZB/Wolseley 4/44 and 15/50 fits as well. There are no bushes in the rack body, but it can be machined to have some fitted. Late 15/50 and ZB racks have rubber mounts to reduce vibration.

 

Chris Pick The TD and TF rack is the same but the input shaft which fits to the steering column is a different length to the YA and YB so they are not a straight exchange.

Thanks Chris, the 4/44-ZA extension is different as well with a more compact rubber filled universal joint.