Jonah Posted September 17, 2023 Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 I have considerable steering wheel play on my Spitfire mk3. I had to remove 4 shims from the damper to set the gap according to the WM which made the steering wheel play disappear but the steering became so stiff it makes the car unusable Im wondering whether the previous owner added shims to mask a rack problem Tyre pressures are good, trunnions are well oiled and ball joints are new. The steering coupling is the new type without the earth strap any thoughts? Thanks Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted September 17, 2023 Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 setting up the damper shims is quite easy i would suggest you start from scratch get the basics right before you jump Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted September 17, 2023 Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 Im afraid you have a worn rack and as usual the teeth are loose in the straight ahead position as thats where its been most used but not at the ends. Now you either have it right in one place or the other but not both without replacing it. However are you sure all the play is in the rack as it can be deceptive and it could be combined with wear in the rack ball joints, the track rod ball joints or even suspension components? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted September 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 I set the damper shims up from scratch which solved the steering wheel play problem but made steering very heavy Is it dangerous to use the car with steering wheel play? I presume the whole rack will need replacing as opposed to doing a diy rebuild is there a good supplier of steering racks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted September 17, 2023 Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 The main Triumph spares dealers supply recon units and theyre probably all done by the same third party so its just a case of comparing prices... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted September 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 Thanks Johny, is it dangerous to use the car with this problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted September 17, 2023 Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 well I dont like the idea of the steering being too tight but a little play isnt a show stopper. Just take it into account until you can get it changed - order the replacement and pay the exchange deposit so then you can swop the racks over at the same time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted September 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 Is this a diy refurbish with a kit or is it a specialist job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted September 17, 2023 Report Share Posted September 17, 2023 no, no it comes complete as a bit of a job to take a rack apart... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted September 18, 2023 Report Share Posted September 18, 2023 just be aware some refurbished racks just get a clean spray of paint there are two ratio on for 4 cyl and lower ratio for 6 cyl ( due to engine weight ) 6 cyl rack should have a double groove in the input shaft spline to identify it is a different ratio if they say they are all the same steer well clear they certainly are not you can reset the sperical ball joints and replace the idler brgs and re shim the damper slipper by carefull DIY you cant easilly replace the outer n/s tube bush if its worn most recons will never see a new rack pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted January 25 Author Report Share Posted January 25 I’ve come back to my spitfire steering rack problem and before I order a replacement I had another look at the shims, plunger etc Taking off the cap and under the yellow spring I found a flat washer which isn’t supposed to be there, presumably put in to compensate for a worn or incorrect spring when the cap is screwed in the spring doesn’t seem to provide much resistance even with the washer, should I replace the spring? any thoughts? Julian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted January 25 Report Share Posted January 25 The clearance in the manual between the plunger (31) and cap nut (27) is 4 thou so if you set this in the straight ahead position but the rack is worn or distorted more than that along its length it will bind as you turn the steering wheel. I suspect the PO encountered this so set the gap bigger and then used the washer to keep the same spring pressure. Im afraid it was a bodge and the only way to do it properly is with a replacement rack... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonah Posted January 25 Author Report Share Posted January 25 Thanks Johny, I’ll look at it tomorrow but I think I’ll think to order a replacement rack through the club! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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