Changing the gaiters on the steering rack - a DIY guide

[Ireland]

I recently noticed an oily dampness on one of the gaiters on my steering rack and when I investigated it I found the boot to have split ..... on the top.

The boot had managed to fill with water so obviously I needed to get it sorted.

Heres some before, during and after pics that show how bad it was, what to do and the finished job.

Jack the car up and remove the wheel



This is what got my attention



Undo the nut off the bottom of the ball joint



Loosen the nut that holds the track rod end in place (just enough to allow the track rod to turn freely)



and mark the position with Tipp-Ex (or similar)



Pop the ball joint



Remove the track rod end and the nut. The Tipp-Ex will help to get the track rod end back on near enough the correct position.



Remove the old boot.

This is what I was faced with inside the UJ



I cleaned it out and re-greased it with CV joint grease

Next step is to fit the new boot and secure it with the cable ties provided



Now just replace everything as it was and, if necessary, do the other side and then get the tracking checked as it'll probably be a little bit off.


Here's what was inside my gaiter



and here's where the water got in




Hopefully this will help some of you.

Enjoy.

[plumAJP]

awesome. doesnt look too tasking. unless you split the ball joint rubber with the crowbar or a ball joint splitters.

great pictures. I think we need to start making a page with links to all the DIY Guides.

[Ireland]

plumAJP said:

awesome. doesnt look too tasking. unless you split the ball joint rubber with the crowbar or a ball joint splitters.

great pictures. I think we need to start making a page with links to all the DIY Guides.

It would have taken no more that half an hour if I hadn't to wash out the muck that was in there.

The ball joint rubbers could split alright if the bar slipped but, as mine was so easy to pop out, it shouldn't be an issue really as there wouldn't be too much force needed.

Even if they were tight there may not be any need to use a splitter.

A tap of a soft mallet should free it.


And yeah, we do need more guides with pics but any time I've started to do jobs where I intended to take lots of pics I ended up getting so dirty that I wouldn't touch the camera.

[plumAJP]

same here. im usually on my own and my hands are so grimey i never want to touch the camera.

[kojak]

Very informative thread. Nice one.

[Ireland]

If I can get someone to take pics for me I'll post more of these from time to time.

I'm sure I'll be doing more fixing seeing as it is a TVR after all.