steering rack installation

[califkid_66]

ok where did i go wrong ! im trying to install my rack when i need to change parts like tie rod ends i always count how many turns to remove and same amount of turns to put back now two problems arised first i put my steering wheel straight and the rack dead center
now my tie rod passenger had 22 turns the one driver had 9  so i figured rack is halfway
steering is straight take the 22 plus the 9  equals 31 so split in haff  but then i noticed my tie rod
were 1/8 longer 
i turned the tie rod same amount on both sides steering was not straight
then i figured ok ill do same as when i took them off tried 22 turns passenger tie rod steering was almost straight but tie rod needed at least two more turns for wheel and steering to be straight problem is you can’t turn it more than 22 times so steering is crooked would need two more turns
the old tie rods where a bit shorter
how or what can i do don’t want to order some other tie rods

[TurboFource]

I have put a hose clamp around the tie rod and measured to the center of the tie rod end with dial calipers and put the new ones on to the same dimension so the number of turns doesn't matter. Of course this doesn't help you at this point....

You could calculate the increased number of turns required on each side to account for the 1/8" by dividing 1" by the tread pitch to give you the movement per turn and turn the necessary number of turns.

[BDA]

You could count the turns lock to lock and then turn the wheel to the middle of that sweep (I don't remember how many it is) and install your tie rod ends. You can get close with a tape measure - measuring the distance from convenient places on your tires between right and left tires if you're going to take it somewhere to be aligned or you could just align it yourself.

[califkid_66]

i can put back the old tie rods the problem is the passenger side one was at 22 turns witch is the maximum you can turn it but being that the new tie rod is longer i would have to turn  it 24 times
but it bottoms out at 22 so my steering is crocked

thinking about it and writing about it i just realized that the new tie rods won’t work
reason i say this is on passenger side if original tie rod was at 22 turns and there is a stopper on the shaft means it needs to be a specific length so that the wheel turns  between A and B if you change that lenght for example passenger side longer tie rod your wheel will have less movement turning left because of the stopper and more movement to the right

so the way i see it passenger side if you have the right tie rod screwed in to the end puts steering straight then driver side adjust for wheel alignment

we did my sons car not a europa  one side is not adjustable and one side is

[califkid_66]

thanks BDA  when i removed them i counted the turns
for installation i did count the steering wheel turns it’s 2 1/4 i tried
put it at  1 1/8 was straight but splitting total amount of turns between two side got steering wheel all crooked so i tried putting back same amount of turns as before but being the tie ros are a bit longer the steering was almost straight missing about 2 turns but it bottom out

[BDA]

Unless your tie rod end has less than three turns on the tie rod, the number of turns a tie rod end needs is irrelevant. You are not likely to center the rack exactly so the number of turns one tie rod end will need will be affected by that. Take off the steering wheel and recenter it if you need to. As in so many things, most things are relative. This is one of those things.

[califkid_66]

thanks i guess i was more focused on getting the steering wheel straight by adjusting the tie rods i didn’t even know i could remove and straighten the steering wheel

[BDA]

Let us know how it turns out.

[EuropaTC]

thanks i guess i was more focused on getting the steering wheel straight by adjusting the tie rods i didn’t even know i could remove and straighten the steering wheel

Whenever I've had steering racks off I've followed the same pattern as BDA outlined. Count the turns without the wheels connected, roughly centre and go from there. Invariably I end up after the first test drive removing the steering wheel and moving it one spline either way to get it right.

It's an old car, old tech, so don't get too wound up on trying to centre from scratch using the track rod ends. It's ok to use that if you re-use the same rod ends, but in the past I've bought new ones which were dimensionally different from those I was taking off....   which messes up the "xxx turns and it's good" theory !

Brian

[GavinT]

Let us know how it turns out.

Pretty sure califkid_66 is trying to avoid that . . 

[EuropaTC]

Let us know how it turns out.

Pretty sure califkid_66 is trying to avoid that . . 

Very good.....   

[4129R]

I had to move my rack in the clamps to get equal lock and equal tie rod turns for each side.

[BDA]

Let us know how it turns out.

Pretty sure califkid_66 is trying to avoid that . . 

Very good.....   

There might have been a better choice of words! 

[califkid_66]

 i put the old one back on same amount of turns steering is straight
wheels look pretty straight the new ones are longer and bigger im probably going to get the exact ones i  had  on less trouble
on a positive note the steering rack is really turning nice no more loose changing the bushing made a huge difference

[4129R]

You could count the turns lock to lock and then turn the wheel to the middle of that sweep (I don't remember how many it is)

I always reckon it is about 2 1/3 turns lock to lock. So 1 1/6th turn from full lock to central position.