Steering Column lower Joint/Shaft

[cggrilli]

Hi

Problem:
I have a lot of play in my lower shaft (oooo, er). See photo...

Background:
It appears that the rubber in the tube in tube high frequency damper of the lower shaft has sheared. When applying a very low torque, the outer tube twists freely on the inner shaft until it hits the fail-safe in the upper yoke. Free paly is about 15 deg total. Gives really poor on centre feel. Amazingly it has never failed an MOT on this.

Questions:
1. Whats the part number for this assembly (MK1b, RHD, T-bar)
2. Anyone know an approximate price from Mr. T?
3. Anyone got any that they don't want?
I may try deleting the rubber and welding it up so its a effectively a solid shaft - its not really there for energy absorbsion in a crash; the can only move 10mm along its axis before it hits the spider of the upper yoke. I don't really want be left with no steering if it I try it and get it wrong!

Has anyone got any opinions on this - does anyone do this for the MR2 challange for greater feel/feedback?

Many thanks

Christopher

[spudgun]

Hi Christopher,
I know it won't please everyone but I had the same problem as yourself and found the steering very vauge at speed. Had the tracking checked a number of times to see if that would solve ir, but it never did.
Ended up welding it in place in the end. Lovely now. Only used a few 5mm tacks as opposed to all the way round.

[greglebon]

Ahh....!

I had exactly this problem on my first N/A: failed the MOT due to it, in fact

Solution.....take it all apart, clean all the rubber / grease, etc off.....smother it all in silicone sealant, reassemble...and when its all set (24 hours), it will be just fine..

Total cost: around a fiver!

[cggrilli]

Thanks for your help guys

Both ideas seem good (silicone one quite innovative) and since you are both still alive, seem quite safe!
Think I'm gonna take it off and weld it up tomorrow evening (won't have to wait 24hrs!)

My only real worry was that in welding I might harden and make brittle the shaft, and maybe have a failure below the fail safe. But I think it'll be OK - just needed some reassuring!

I used to be a steering system design engineer, and as a cost reduction (£7 per car) deleted this part on one of our cars with PAS - test drivers said it felt better with out it in a blind test. And the NVH guys couldn't measure any difference either. I do think that in a manual steer car the high frequency damper is a bit of an over kill - we never put it on manual steer cars.

Anyway thanks again, much appriciated

Christopher

[spudgun]

I did mine around 4 years ago Christopher. I'm still here

I did weld around the top though, so in a worse case scenario the welded area would snap and leave me back where I was before.

I hope that puts your mind to rest a bit.

[PW@Woodsport]

as spud says (hi mate!) a few tack welds is all thats needed,i do it all the time....the two halves that you tack together are normally encased in rubber and is designed to give way in a serious collision so that the column collapses,its this rubber that wears and falls out leaving the slack joint .A few tacks work perfectly and will eliminate the play but i wouldnt seam weld it.

[cggrilli]

Excellent, good to know its 'common' practice.

Many thanks for your contributions.

[MarcsMR2]

Someone do me a fav and mark on the pic where it's gonna get welded

Thanks

[spudgun]

Hello Mr Woods, sir. Hows things in your part of the world? Keeping busy I hope.
I was wondering if you how far away from York, your place is. I am hoping to go there for a mid week break next month and thought I might take advantage and pop up around if its not hundereds of miles.

[spudgun]

Marc, its a bit of a job to give you a picture as its a right mare to get to without taking it apart.

[MarcsMR2]

Does it need to be welded on the column or the joint? (I have a column waiting to fit to solve my cars wondering)

[cggrilli]

If you look at the Cardan/Hookes/Universal Joint in the picture; the lower yoke is connected to the pinion of the steering gear coming up through the firewall, on the upper yoke the splined shaft of the column/lower joint comes out of it, and enters into a steel tube. This steel tube then forms the lower yoke of the upper joint.

You need to tac the splined shaft to the tube it enters in to, on the lower edge of the tube. There is a gap where the rubber used to be, which you need to bridge.

Not done mine yet, but I am also going to weld the top end, on the failsafe, so it acts as a fixed beam, rather than a see-saw (if you get what I mean?).

Hope this helps?