steering shaft UJ's

[petea]

Car recently passed its MOT but I was warned about play in the lower steering column UJ.

Been on the TVR shop site and there are two types of lower UJ's, the one that connects from the steering column to the rack...

1 - Steering u/j lower/upper (Small spline to Large spline)

2 - Steering u/j lower (Small spline to Small spline)

My car is 94 Chimaera 400, non assisted steering - anyone know which is the correct lower UJ?...or am i going to have to check?

I am planning to replace the lower and upper UJ's at the same time but it seems there is only one type of upper UJ.

Thanks in advance for replies...

[GreenV8S]

petea said:

Car recently passed its MOT but I was warned about play in the lower steering column UJ.

Been on the TVR shop site and there are two types of lower UJ's, the one that connects from the steering column to the rack...

1 - Steering u/j lower/upper (Small spline to Large spline)

2 - Steering u/j lower (Small spline to Small spline)

My car is 94 Chimaera 400, non assisted steering - anyone know which is the correct lower UJ?...or am i going to have to check?

I am planning to replace the lower and upper UJ's at the same time but it seems there is only one type of upper UJ.

Thanks in advance for replies...

Talk to the people in the shop, I'm sure they'll know. On the S series the basic layout is similar but the upper UJ joins to the upper column via a triangular connection rather than a spline, so presumably it doesn't share components with yours.

[Wildfire]

There are 3 different types of UJ that I found this weekend.

Big Spline to Small Spline, this goes from the steering column to the shaft

Small Spline to Small Spline which goes from the Main Shaft in to the rack.

Big Spline to Big Spline which does the same as above.

I have just replaced mine on my 93 Griff (non PAS) and used the Big to small and the small to small.

It is pretty easy to tell. Turn the wheel and look under the OS wheel with a torch. I think the Diameter of the lare spline is around 18mm and the small one 14mm.

I assume that some cars use the Big to Big for the Upper one, but mine didn't. Not sure about the PAS boys. (wusses)

Try not to get it one tooth out or you will spend many a merry hour trying to get the steering wheel off and then move it one spline across to get it straight. Which I can't do.

[petea]

Wildfire said:

There are 3 different types of UJ that I found this weekend.

Big Spline to Small Spline, this goes from the steering column to the shaft

Small Spline to Small Spline which goes from the Main Shaft in to the rack.

Big Spline to Big Spline which does the same as above.

I have just replaced mine on my 93 Griff (non PAS) and used the Big to small and the small to small.

It is pretty easy to tell. Turn the wheel and look under the OS wheel with a torch. I think the Diameter of the lare spline is around 18mm and the small one 14mm.

I assume that some cars use the Big to Big for the Upper one, but mine didn't. Not sure about the PAS boys. (wusses)

Try not to get it one tooth out or you will spend many a merry hour trying to get the steering wheel off and then move it one spline across to get it straight. Which I can't do.

Thanks for that - will check at the weekend before i order...the tvr shop seems like a good place to order from...any others...?

Are these specific tvr parts...?

[andy jb]

Without wishing to hijack this thread, I take it teh UJ replacement is fairly straightforwrd, or are there any nasties you should be aware of?

[barreti]

Follow the instructions in the bible to the letter and it's not too difficult. Pay particular attention to marking where it was before taking it apart or your steering wheel will be out of alignment.
The only difficult bit is getting the UJs to move in the first instance. Fitting the new ones can be a bit of a fight if they've been a bit carefree with tolerances when making the new ones. I had to file a bit off the end of the intermediate shaft to get it to fit back in with the new UJs.

[GreenV8S]

Put a dab of paint across the join between the UJ and the shaft before you remove it, and I find a drift helps gently tap the UJ off without brute force (skinned knuckles, damaged splines etc).

[spend]

GreenV8S said:

Put a dab of paint across the join between the UJ and the shaft before you remove it...

Doesn't help a lot if you are renewing the UJs Mark the shaft position at the wheelarch & the steering box as a guide. Not sure that the intermediate shaft matters at all...

Dave

[GreenV8S]

spend said:

GreenV8S said:

Put a dab of paint across the join between the UJ and the shaft before you remove it...

Doesn't help a lot if you are renewing the UJs

It does, because when you have the old and new UJs on the bench side by side you can mark the new one to match. A dab of paint and a scribed line lets you reposition it accurately enough to get the same spline on reassembly.

[spend]

GreenV8S said:

A dab of paint and a scribed line lets you reposition it accurately enough to get the same spline on reassembly.

Scribe & punch marks I can undertand ~ blobs of paint I always have problems with
I would still stand by marking up the bits that should be 'fixed' when the intermediate shaft & U'Js are missing..

Dave

[Wildfire]

Don't move the steering wheel and mark it all up or you will end up with a wonky steerign wheel like me!

[petea]

No problem with hijack - tips for replacment are useful - thanks for that.

Andy - nice looking Chi, by the way.

[andy jb]

Thanks for compliment

I'm wondering whether this is a DIY job (which it looks) or an indy job due to steering wheel issues, which is one i've only just sorted out from full alignment check.

Although i detect some play I'm also unsure which UJ is to blame. I guess i'm answering my own question here......

[barreti]

The failing UJ should be pretty obvious if you leave the car on the ground and get someone to twiddle the steering wheel while you get down there and hang onto each in turn. Especially if you think its knackered because you can hear or feel something wrong.
I replaced both UJs though, because I reckoned they'd both done the same job for the same amount of time, so I might as well do both because the other can't be far off and I don't want to do the job twice.

Edited by barreti on Wednesday 18th April 16:09

[spend]

And I hope you added protection with a liberal amount of lubrication :winkwink:

Dave

[GreenV8S]

The top one seems to suffer far more from the exhaust heat and the bottom one usually outlasts it by a long way, but I can't argue with the logic of doing both while you're there. Make sure you fit a gater over them to protect from dirt and heat, then they will last more or less forever.

[barreti]

Oh yes, I lubed em up nice and well

Gaiter? Did you buy em GreenV8S or make em?

[spend]

Universal steering gaiter in my case - the cut to fit variety.

Dave

[GreenV8S]

barreti said:

Did you buy em GreenV8S or make em?

Generic steering rack end gaiters do the job nicely, with a cable tie to close the end off.