Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:54:30 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: steering rack u-joint
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reply-type=response
hi,
hmmm.......
not following you exact on 'size of the pin' .
the clamp uses an 8mm thread diameter bolt ( 13 mm hex wrench size ) .
it's a small cross type u-joint , I don't think it even comes apart.
I just got mine out and looked at it.
a very nicely and well made part !
it's a 'crimped' type cross u-joint .........so they don't expect you to
replace the 'u-joint' inner part of it ......just replace the whole thing as
a unit.
about 5 inches long, slines on both ends.
and cast iron 'U's" .
Very well made I just say.
At the moment I can't say if the non-PS part is the same. I'd have to dig
under some vans etc.
if it is, I have one of those I could sell.
I suspect it's different though.
scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Max Wellhouse" <dimwittedmoose@CFU.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 7:07 PM
Subject: Re: steering rack u-joint
> My steering has the same type of slop in it and it's been geting
> gradually worse for years. Traced the beginning of itback when I
> disconnected the PS pump and drove the van as a non PS ride with a PS
> rack. yeah the steering effort is increased for sure, and I'll bet
> the hanover folk didn't think they'd need a beefy u joint in there
> for the effortlessness of power steering.
>
> Scott, any chance you could do a ball park guess as to the diameter
> of the pin in that u joint?
>
> I've been meaning to carry a spare round piece of steel or bolt in
> case it should ever fail on me. I think I have a spare from the
> Syncro melt down, but couldn't locate it any time soon.
>
> Thanks
>
> DM&FS
>
> At 08:03 PM 7/28/2009, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:
>>I havn't seen those wear ever.
>>( I can come up with a good used one though )
>>
>>factors, that I can see, contirbuting to wear on that part, besides sheer
>>age...
>>or running with not-so-hot shocks,
>>tires out of balance, or tires or wheels out of round,
>>or no offenee...........believe it or not, clumsy heavy-handed steering.
>>
>>I wouldnt' think this myself, but I let a guy use a vanagon of mine for
>>about a year and bit once......
>>non-power steering.
>>when I got it back it had a solid two inches of steeing play at the edge
>>of
>>the steering wheel.
>>which I thought was weird since vangons almost never get steering play
>>much
>>.......they get worn tie rod ends, sure ......but for play to develope,
>>like
>>slop in the linkage , that doesn't really happen much.
>> Then one day I watched this same guy.........who weighs about 350 lbs at
>>least, back his own van out of my shop......
>>and when it came time to turn the steering wheel, he *jerked* the sterring
>>input. Of course at low speed, that's rough on the steering linake.
>>And I don't mean just pull in the direction he wanted to steer, I mean
>>'jerk
>>it', like hard.
>>I am reasonably certain that his rough handling of the steering like that,
>>especially at zero miles per hour is what did it to my van- - created
>>wear
>>like that. .
>>In that case it was where the tie rod ends come out of the steering
>>rack......
>>completely ovaled out there, just ruined the rack.
>>
>>I've been saving an entire good used power steering rack, with the shaft
>>that goes forward to the 'V' steering box up in there ......a part you'd
>>never know was there , and the shaft has that u-joint in it.
>>I'll have to check if a non-PS u-joint is the same.
>>the two shafts, PS versus non-PS are slightly different, and the u-joint
>>might be too. Not sure if I want to break up the set, as it makes a
>>perfect
>>set to convert a non-PS vanagon to PS.
>>scott
>>www.turbovans.com
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Warren Lail" <wklail@GMAIL.COM>
>>To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 5:40 PM
>>Subject: steering rack u-joint
>>
>>
>>>Greetings everyone,
>>>
>>>Recently when driving slowly on rough dirt roads I noticed a knocking,
>>>rattling sound that I can feel in the steering. Today when I arrived
>>>home (and after I washed away tons of mud), I crawled under my bus and
>>>it seems that the u-joint that connects to the power steering rack is
>>>quite worn and loose. Is this something that generally wears and
>>>needs replacing? It looks like it is attached to the steering rack
>>>and to a rod running forward by a couple of integrated clamp-like
>>>things with bolts through them. Hard to replace? Source for the
>>>part?
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>
>>>Warren in Santa Fe
>>>88 Westy
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