[TR] play in steering rack

[Randall]

> Will putting in a shim tighten it up.

That depends entirely on whether that is where the play is, or not.  If the
problem is excessive rack/pinion clearance, then I believe you remove shims
to decrease it.

But if that isn't where the play is, or if the play is caused because the
rack is worn, then removing shims will only mess things up and could be
dangerous.  (Imagine the steering suddenly binding while you are driving.)

I'm not sure how the adjustment procedure goes on a TR6, but on a Stag you
remove the small bolt (where the ground lug goes) and poke a dial indicator
through the hole to measure the lash.

Again for a Stag, there are also shims in the inner tie rod ends to adjust
the lash at that point.  The "rebuilt" rack I bought proved to have been
improperly assembled, which resulted in a huge amount of slop in one of the
inner tie rod ends.

That said, I agree with Mark, I'd look first at where the rack is mounted to
the chassis.  ISTR there is a special tool that is supposed to be used to
force the clamps outward against the rubber bushings, which apparently no
one uses.  I cobbled up a makeshift tool from a wooden carpenter's clamp
when we assembled a friend's TR6, and he said it did wonders for the
steering play.

Randall