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  • Replacement of the Steering Rack Gaiter

    Hi,

    As promised I have written up the 'How to...' on replacing this little sh*t!!!

    I have a couple of images which i'll add later but hope it helps if yours is found during a routine inspection or otherwise.

    Cheers,

    David

    http://www.myaudiquattro.com/replaci...k%20gaiter.htm
    sigpic

    1992 3b S2 Coupe

  • #2
    hmmmm i forgot it was hosted on an old url i owned for a while.

    Think it might be lost for good
    sigpic

    1992 3b S2 Coupe

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    • #3
      Originally posted by s2driveruk View Post
      hmmmm i forgot it was hosted on an old url i owned for a while.

      Think it might be lost for good
      Naw! David, does this look like all of it?

      Originally posted by s2driveruk View Post
      Changing the Steering Rack Gaiter (MOT Failure)

      First things first - this is not a pleasant job, as with much of the S2 front end, access is a real nightmare due to the way Schmidt Motorsport shoe-horned the 20v turbo lump into the coupe!!!

      It took me about 7 hours to do this from start to finish but with better access would have taken less than half for sure. The combination of not being able to look and feel what you are doing at the same time from either above or below the car is a major problem. It ranks up there with changing the breather hose from round the back of the engine block - that took 5 hours to replace a piece of rubber hose...

      Part number for the gaiter: TBC

      Tools required: I won't list all here as I used some weird and wonderful implements to try and get the clip off the end of the gaiter fixing it to the steering rack. Sufficed to say I am sure official factory repair manuals would not recommend the use of a camping gas burner attachment arm attached to a piece of roof-rack strapping!

      You will need the following though:

      Socket set with at least one extension and even better a link which allows the socket to route round objects

      Thin, flat head screwdriver for sliding between the old gaiter and the clip

      13, 15, 17mm spanners

      A heavy duty tie-wrap

      Firstly get the front of the car up on axle stands and chock the rear, leave the steering unlocked as you'll need to move to left and right from time to time. I chose to take the battery out of mine too as it give you a touch more access and a place to put your tools in too :-)

      Now, looking from above the engine bay, you will need to locate the rack carrier which connects the steering arm to the tie rods, there will be two nyloc nuts facing the underside of the bonnet - remove these and discard as they shouldn't be re-used.

      Feel above this carrier plate and slightly to the left (as if standing in front of the engine bay) and you should be able to locate the steering damper attached to a metal bracket again by a nyloc nut. Undo and discard. Remove the end of the damper from the bracket making sure that you hold onto the bolt. I found the best way was to push this back against the firewall and twist upwards so that you can remove the bolt easily. Now retract the damper (as its extended) towards the right now so that its as small as possible.

      *At this point, take a couple of moments to look at the three or four large red marks on your forearms form having them squashed against the brake lines leaving the abs motor (applies to 3B) and mumble under your breath about ever starting this yourself*

      Now get under the car and using a long extension undo the bolts which are still holding the carrier plate to the steering arm. *TIP* it can help if you turn the steering wheel a turn or so to the left so that the bolt are directly above you. Recover the bolts and now the carrier plate should fall forward an inch or so and be free of the steering arm.

      Now to make access and life easier, undo the track-rod ends from the front wheels and then slide out the whole assembly through the drivers side wheel arch or as far across as it will go - the end result is better access to the steering arm and gaiter.

      Next job is to pull the gaiter off the plastic ring then try and remove the round, rigid plastic retainer at the end of the arm by sliding it off the end. This is a nightmare and took me a while (read about an hour) to do. Once that is off you can really let rip about the access on this job!!!!!

      Time to try and remove the clip that holds the gaiter to the main body of the rack - another seemingly trivial task until you realise that A) the clip is not a standard jubilee clip and B) the part with the teeth providing the clamping pressure is rotated away from you facing the firewall allowing no chance of getting any tool on it.

      The only way I managed to remove mine was to slide a thin ended flat head screwdriver under the clip and literally stretching and bending the metal until the gaiter and clip can be slide free from the rack. I tried all manner of things to try and rotate the clip round so i could pinch it free but believe me there is no way!!! I even managed to attach a slim metal 'arm' from the end of a camping gas burner over the ridge on the clip, attach a strap to it and pull with a fair amount of weight and still didn't manage to shift it so this seems the only way to get it off.

      Recover the old gaiter and clip and clean the end of the rack from where the old gaiter was attached.

      As they say fitting is the reverse of of removal!!!

      I decided to just use a tie-wrap to retain the gaiter due to the access issue - basically assemble the tie-wrap on the end of the new gaiter and slide this along the length of the arm and get it snug on the end of the rack. Then line the tie-wrap up and pull tight. *MAKE SURE THE BLOCK ON THE TIE-WRAP is not in the 12 o'clock position, i.e. right on the top of the rack as it will interfere with the carrier plate when turning. Push it round to 2pm if possible.

      Now refit the round plastic retainer onto the end of the steering arm. you might need a bit of grease, or swearing to get it back on. Failing that I used a dremmel to remove a small amount of material from the ring which meant it slid back on easier. Then pull the end of the gaiter over the ring so it is sealing the exposed part of the rack arm again.

      Now you'll need to slide the tie-rods back into position and attach back to the struts. Then attach the steering damper back to the metal bracket above the carrier plate using the original bolt and a new nyloc.

      Next you'll need to line everything up so that you can slide the rod carrier back onto the end of the steering arm and to help, slide a screwdriver into one of the holes. Slide under the car and in the remaining hole, screw the bolt back in - this can be fiddly as the carrier is treaded on the upper and lower side along with the arm itself. Once that's done remove the screwdriver and repeat.

      Back above the car, then with fresh nylocs, tighten these back onto the bolts that now protrude from the steering arm.

      Move the steering wheel from lock to lock a couple of times to ensure nothing rubs and the the gaiter is held firm if you haven't checked already.

      You should be finished - pat yourself on the back for spending so much time changing such an insignificant part! Get the car of the stands, battery back in if you removed it, take it for a brief run, park up and have a refreshing beer.

      Then tomorrow you can really see the bruises and marks on your forearms!!!
      Last edited by saltinot; 30 July 2010, 13:22. Reason: typo

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      • #4
        where did you dig that up from - nice one Tom
        sigpic

        1992 3b S2 Coupe

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