Help Please..

[Sprint67]

Help,

Has anyone had the privilege of replacing the bellows/boots on the steering rack of an Alfa Sprint.
Would really appreciate help with this and pictures if possible on step by step procedure.
Thanks in advance.

Cathal.

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Hi Cathal
As its a sprint I’m assuming it’s the Non power rack ? Firstly remove the rack from the car. And then remove the mounting clamps and rubbers. Then remove the plastic end cap and end mtg piece. From the non drivers end !! You’ll see 4 slots that you just need to tweak and it’ll slide off. This will allow you to remove the first boot. To remove the 2nd boot remove the 2 studs that the tie rods attach to. then the central slide tube will slide off with the last boot. The boots actually fit under the rack mtg brackets so they need a bit of lube to get them to seat correctly. Then Refitting is the reverse of the removal. But remember to ensure the mtgs are “clocked” correctly so it remounts properly.
Hope this helps any questions just ask.
Lou

P.S. I have to say that as this is safety related please only undertake this work if you feel comfortable.

P.P.s.
The Power rack is a bit more complicated but similar in method.

[Sprint67]

Hi Lou,

Thank you very much for your reply and very informative guide on how to replace the boots on the steering rack of my Sprint.
Yes it's the non power rack that's on my car.

I feel quietly confident in taking on the job of changing the boots myself, but if I have any doubts or not sure that I'm doing it correctly I'll get back to you for further assistance if that's ok with you.

Thanks again.

Cathal.

[Pedrokat]

I found it quite straightforward once the track rod studs are removed. Both slid into place from the passenger side end?
I seem to remember the Haynes says various tools are needed but I didnt need anything special when I changed mine.

[Alfa_Japan]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but it's a more or less related question. What kind of grease do you guys put on the rack? I'm planning to renew the torn boots/gaiters as well, but since the grease has been exposed to the elements for almost 2 decennia without protection it seemed beneficial to me to replace the grease as well.

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Hi A-J. Any good quality grease should do. But If you give me 10mins I’ll see if can dig out the actual spec.
Lou

[LooLooSud33Spider]

Please find attached the tech details of rack inspection including the recommended grease spec.

[Sprint67]

Hi Lou,

That's the next question I was going to ask "what grease to use" on steering rack. Thankfully you have answered the question.
Thanks all for replying to my initial post.

Cathal.

[KevJTD]

I like to use a lithium moly grease, suitable for CV boots so very friendly for the rubber parts as some greases can actually be harmful to rubber products, thin enough to work its' way in but stubborn enough to not drip off. Usually have a tub to hand.
Cheap to buy too , which is nice!

[Sprint67]

Hi Kev,

Thanks for that, will have to change the cv boots also. So no harm to have a bit of that lithium moly grease in stock.

Cathal.

[Alfa_Japan]

Thx LooLoo and KevJTD for the tips. When searching for Lithium Moly grease a bunch of results pop-up with quite different properties.

@KevJTD, which one do you usually apply?

[KevJTD]

Rightly or wrongly, I'm no Chemist!, I use this grease for anything that has a fixing that I may need to remove again, plastic fittings or rubber components. Some greases are known to be harsh to rubber products, my opinion is that if it's designed to be used in harsh environments such as CV joints it will be sticky enough to stay where it is needed without falling out (like an oil lubricant would), is extremely resistant to shear forces that you get with gears/metal faces grinding against each other so a steering rack shaft would be ideal and just as importantly if it's designed to be within the rubber CV boot without degrading the rubber then it will function the same inside the steering rack and not attack the rubber gaiters.
If I'm putting a cross-member back on, or wing bolts, or bumper bolts etc etc i.e. anything that could be susceptible to damp and seizure/rust formation then a dab of grease makes it much more likely that in 5 years time when you come to remove said bolt you have a better than average chance of it being successful!
Copper grease has its' place of course especially on fixings where heat is an issue, also it's great as gasket sealing paste on exhaust flanges as doesn't go hard and crack like exhaust paste does...but in equal measures I hate the stuff as it gets everywhere and once on your clothes or sleeves it is easily transferred to car seats, and is a real bugger to shift, being heat resistant the washing machine has a hard time cleaning it off too..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Granville-CV ... SwEGBcThOB

[Alfa_Japan]

Thanks KevJTD, appreciated (sorry for late reply)

[Sprint67]

Hi,

Just like to tank all who replied to my post and enclose picture of my refurbished steering rack.

Thanks.

Cathal.

[Alfa_Japan]

Looking very tidy, nice job! Not sure what year car you are working on, but to my knowledge the clamps to assemble the steering rack to the bulkboard, used to be coloured gold-ish (Cr6). In order to reproduce a similar appearance and at the same time have an acceptable rust resistance you could have those clamps treated with Cadmium plating. The current gold coulored Cr3 replacement for the no longer allowed Cr6 has a significantly shorter corrosion resistance.

[Sprint67]

Hi A_J. Thanks for your post. I have an 88 Sprint and yes your right the holding clamps were originally a goldish kind of colour, but as I could not replicate this I decided to go for the black. They were rusty enough too before tidying up, but I though the black look reasonable good anyway so I settled for this.
Thanks.
Cathal