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MG TD TF 1500 - Stiff steering

I've had the car up on axle stands for nearly 5 months while rebuilding the brakes, front suspension, putting in new floor boards etc. I happened to turn the steering wheel today and found the steering had almost seized up, the wheel can only be moved slowly and with quite substantial hand pressure. The steering was slightly stiff before, but nothing like this. Has anyone any idea what might have happened? The car has been kept in a heated garage. Thanks, Matt.
Matt Davis

Matt,
Is the car still on the stands ???
STEVE WINCZE

Matt, I suspect that the pinion shaft is starting to seize where it enters the bearing in the rack's housing. This area does not get well lubricated and the seal has also probably disintegrated. You could easily just pop the tie rod ball joints and see if the steering is still stiff, which would confirm the above. If the steering is normal then the problem is with the kingpins, but you mentioned that you have worked on the front suspension, so I assume they are OK. Cheers Phil
Phil Atrill

Phil is probably right but if it is still stiff after you pop the tie rod ends consider this; The front of the rack housing has what appears to be a grease fitting. It is never supposed to have grease. The housing should be filled with gear oil. The grease might be caked up and causing the stiffness. I don't know what might have change just sitting on jack stands in a heated garage but give it some thought. If it's full of grease you're probably going to have to disassemble the whole rack and pinion and clean it out. Not to bad of a job. I have just cleaned the grease out of mine and will be reassembling it soon.
Mort TD 1851

Did you do anything to the king pins? Are they free? Does not make sense that the rack would suddenly freeze up, even with poor lube.

Matthew.
Matthew Magilton

Thanks you for the comments. The tie rods are disengaged so I know its not the kingpins. The car is still up on stands. It seems very strange that this has happened while the car is laid up. I suspect that there is no option but to remove the rack and investigate. Yet another job and I was hoping to be back on the road in a week or so! Matt
Matt Davis

I've just pumped about 200cc of oil into the rack and its now moving much more freely. I suspect that the rack has got old grease in it, but hopefully the mix of oil and grease will be sufficiently fluid. Matt
Matt Davis

With 5 minutes of working the steering back and forth, I can now hear the oil gurgling through into the gaiters and can even turn the wheels directly (with the front jacked up clear of the floor). The problem may simply have been lack of lubrication. Matt
Matt Davis

Matt,
I got the old grease out of mine by popping the gaiters off and pumping oil in through the grease nipple. I worked the steering back and fore to its max travel a number of times and it worked the grease out onto the rack. I kept cleaning off the grease and eventually I got oil on the rack.

AJ
A R Jones

This thread was discussed between 17/04/2011 and 30/04/2011

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