[Mgs] MGB steering rack

[Robert's New iPad]

   A method I have used, conveniently and cleanly, was to inject the oil with a 50CC syringe, the larger size that a veterinarian uses for large animals.  A six-inch piece of small ID tubing, from the hardware store, to fit the syringe will slide into the small end of the boot past the tie-rods.
   Racks contained only 1/3 pint.  That will lie in the rack and bottom of the bellows so that determination if there is oil inside can be done only by loosening the large ends and letting it out. Not helpful, and the large end will probably leak afterward.  
  A few squirts with the syringe will get in sufficient oil.  It is important to not over-fill, as that gives no room for the air displaced when the rack goes lock-to-lock, thus can burst a boot.
Bob


> On May 1, 2019, at 10:43 AM, PaulHunt73 via Mgs <mgs at autox.team.net> wrote:
> 
> The oiling nipple was only on early racks.  Some remove the pinion cover and damper piston and pour it in there.  Personally I've removed the tie or clamp from the large end of one of the gaiters, gripped that from underneath between thumb and forefinger to stop oil leaking out the bottom, then injected oil in the top between gaiter and housing.  However it then dripped for several weeks from the pinion seal, so I probably needn't have bothered.  On a gaiter change on both cars the innards have been wet with oil, so plenty of lubrication I suspect.  Modern replacements tend to be grease-filled these days.
>  
> If someone has tried to compensate for a worn rack by adjusting the shims, it's possible to exchange sloppiness in the straight-ahead position for stiffness at the extremities.  If you slacken the pinion cover bolts slightly and the rack gets looser at the extremities then that's probably what has happened.
>  
> You can always disconnect the drivers-side gaiter from the rack housing and inspect the rack and pinion at each lock fairly well.
>  
> PaulH.
>  
> ----- Original Message -----
> 
> While doing pre-season routine maintenance on my ‘71 B/GT recently, my mechanic & I decided it would be wise to make sure the steering rack had plenty of oil.  The factory service manual has instructions and a diagram for filling via a nipple on the housing – but we can’t find any such fitting (or even a plug), after cleaning off years of dirt.  No oil is presently leaking out of the boots, but it’s possible that it all leaked out many years ago, before we bought the car.  (The steering is a bit sticky when returning from full lock.)
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