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MG TD TF 1500 - MGTF steering problem

I am new to the world of MG"T"s and am learning on the fly. I bought a 1955 mgtf 1500 that had been 80% restored. I have been working on the little things that it needs and taking it around the block every other weekend. (Will not register until the spring)The last time around I noticed that the steering was very heavy. Today, after working on it for two weeks, I needed a much deserved ride arond the block and noticed I could not move the steering wheel. It took great effort to move the wheel just a little bit and I put it back in the garage. I jacked up the front end and tried to move the wheels left or right and only got slight movement. It appears to be locked in place. Any ideas?
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

Have to determine what is binding. I suggest removing one tie rod end at a time. Then check that the hub/swivel assembly turns easily. If those are both OK, must be the rack/pinion shaft. Eyeball all for broken/twisted loose parts/bolts as well. George
George Butz

In a situation like that and I haven't done any work on the rack, I would first make sure the rack has oil in it, if so then disconnect both right and left tie rods at the wheels, if the spindles are free, then try turning the steering wheel again, if it still resists, something in the rack is amiss. Only solution I can think of if the rack doesn't move, is pull the rack off and pull it apart. Pain in the butt if the cars together up front, easy if it isn't. JMHO. PJ
P. Jennings

When I did the total restore of my TF 1500, I also had steering that required 2 hands and a little boy to move. Since I had disassembled the whole rack I figured I had screwed something up - couldn't find it to save me. Adjusted the pressure bearing on the rack to no avail.

I just stared at the Moss diagram til it occurred to me that maybe the end cap was too tight. I put some Plastigage on the end of the shaft and it all but disappeared, it was so tight. I had one .005" shim in there already and luckily had a spare rack that I raided for another .005" shim. Reinstalled and that was it - steers perfectly.

You wouldn't think that end cap drag could be so massive.

Moss item 60 is the shim you need for this problem.


Dick Lambert

In the old days when people lubed the box with grease, it would over time turn into a solid mass, and that made steering difficult. The rack should properly be lubricated with oil (see the WSM), but you should flush the old grease from the rack first. Once it is cleaned out many use modern grease rather than oil, and don't seems to have any problem.

Let us know what you find.

Tom Lange
Bar Harbor, Maine
t lange

Thank you all for your comments. I have contacted the person who did the work and am waiting to find out exactly what he did to the steering assembly. He had put 500 miles on the car prior to my purchase. I have to believe that it was progressly getting worse as he drove it. I only put a couple of miles on the car since the purchase and because I was unfamiliar with the "T" series I thought it was normal. I guess first time mistake! Once I understand exactly what was done I will pass that along. Thanks!
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

My steering rack all but seized up after the car had been laid up for four months last winter. The steering had been fine beforehand, but the problem was found to be solely due to a lack of lubrication. I pumped oil into the rack and worked it back and forth, initially with some difficulty, but then with increasing ease until it moved freely. I then found that the rack had a leak, which probably explains the loss of lubrication. Matt.
Matt Davis

Thank you, Matt. I will inspect for any leaks and look the lubrication level. What do you use for lubricant?
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

The correct weight is 90wt., and it uses 3/4 of a pint imperial, or .9 pint US. Here is a page to help you build a gun for the oil: http://www.omgtr.ca/technical/highpressureoiler/highpressureoiler.htm

Search in the archives under steering rack lubrication and you will find a barrel-full of posts. Read them all!

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
Bar Harbor, Maine
t lange

Andre,
To add 90 w to the racr, I remove the nipple on the rack, and get a two foot piece of neoprene hose that will fit inside the hole in the rack where the nipple was,,, The other end should fit over the nipple of the plastic 90w bottle,,,, Squeeze the bottle, and the oil flows into the rack,,,, sparating the tie rod ends from the spindles is an excelent idea to find out where the steering is binding,,,,

I'm sure glad to see that you are on this forum!!! Now you can understand how great it really is!!!

SPW
STEVE WINCZE

I made one up like this, but unless you plan on refilling the rack numerous times, It's something that will lay around and never get used. If the rack is re done and new rubbers, it won't leak. The hose method mentioned earlier works very well. JMHO PJ



P. Jennings

An update on the steering box: A fellow club member cam e over today to guide me in the steering issue. Dave Werblow was kind enough to guide in diagnose the steering problem. We began by isolating each wheel from the steering rack and found that the problem is in the rack. We then removed the grease fitting onn the body of the rack to see what it looked like in there. We found that there was small amount of grease in there and proceeded to remove as much a possible by moving the rack all the way to the left and right in increments and removing the grease visible with a Q-tip. We then sprayed a liberal amount of WD-40 into the hole to see if we could free it up. Some minor improvement but nothing to shout about. We then took off the cap covering the drive gear hoping that that help and also to allow us to view the movement of the gear as the steering wheel was moved. No apparent improvement.We then decided to remove the unit. We got just so far and ran out of time. Does the engine stabilizer need to be removed to allow the movement of the engine so the cloverleaf coupling can clear the engine bracket? This is where we left it.
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

I also wanted to add that there was some scoring visable through the grease fitting port.
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

Hi Andre,

Sorry about your rack problems - see Archives re advice as to how the rack is removed - I wrote a note setting out my way of doing it. One thing is certain it cannot be removed as set out in the WSM! One of the tie rods needs removing from the inner ball joint, and yes the engine stabiliser also needs removal.

Good luck,

John

J C Mitchell

andre, you asked about lube...i use marine outdrive oil in my steering rack. very thick oil and formulated to work in a potentially moist environment. regards, tom
tom peterson

I ended up purchasing the new steering rack offered by Moss. I still must remove the existing rack and will begin this job this weekend. I will begin by removing the engine stablizer and as J.C. Mitchell suggested above remove one of ty rods. J.C. how do I find the location of the directions you state above? What is Archives re advice ? Thanks!
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

ANDRE,
Archives is found towards the top of this page,,,,click on it and it will open an Archive Search feature,, some times it is a bit difficult to find exactly what you want,, but give it a go,, type in STEERING RACK REMOVAL or something similar

SPW


STEVE WINCZE

NEXT,,
Open the link, and you have a very good explaination of the proceedure,,,
Of course, the disclaimer should be added,,,,
"YOUR RESULTS MAY BE DIFFERENT"

SPW


STEVE WINCZE

Steve, I found it. Thanks!
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

Just to let you know I have steering again. After thinking about all that was said here and from another sourse that has worked on the racks in the past, I decided to give my original unit another chance. (probably because it is so difficult to get out) Instead of removing it I decided to re-attach and add the correct lubricant to the unit and see what happens. What do you know it works. I can't believe after the difficulty in steering the car how pleasent it is to steer now. I gave it my customary run aroud the block and it was a pleasure. I thank you all for your input and the directions to remove the unit if needed. I made a copy of the instructions in case I need to do it in the future. I also must thank Dave Werblow for his visit and assistance in working on the unit and Steve Wincze for his moral support. This is what a club is about.
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

This thread was discussed between 10/03/2012 and 07/04/2012

MG TD TF 1500 index

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