NEEDED - Steering column - lower UJ

[tinworm]

Hello Andrew , I feel I am just joining a very worrying conversation. I know that Geoff's suggestion provides a quick fix but you should not be in this situation. Something is wrong , the chance of stripping the splines and having a nasty fright /accident are real mate. I am surprised your MOT man (if you still get the car MOT'd these days) didn't pick it up.
So just asking do you have original parts or are some repro ? Please run it by me . For your help I have at least 4 steering racks and 2 columns off cars for reference if needed. I could post you a rack pinion shaft and u/j spider up also if needed.

regards Barrie

[andrewh]

Thanks all for your help and advice. Having had a sleepless night I spent some time researching this problem. Jag Lovers has quite long post about it being a problem on Series One cars with the long lower steering column with the integral forged lower yoke. The cap screw will just not tighten on the steering rack pinion. Barrie I cannot recall now whether the parts are as original or whether there are any replacement parts . I will go into the workshop today and have a very close look at what's going on. It has not been MOTd recently, but of course was when it was first restored. I have to check whether its worked lose or always been so. As mentioned by Dave , the problem is that the lower knuckle will not tighten onto the pinion spline perhaps due to the design of the slots not being correct. I shall report back later today. Thanks for the offer of parts Barrie.

[abowie]

Play in these splines is actually a pretty common problem. What you get is a slightly vague feel at highway speeds in a straight line, and the car wanders. It can actually be pretty subtle.

In my experience it's not gross wear in the splines per se, but rather because it's actually hard to get enough compression with the 1/4" Allen screw to pinch the outer spline down and remove all movement.

If you then get a long Allen key...you strip out the thread in the yoke. Bugger. The bottom yoke isn't available new so you then either have to replace the whole steering column with a later model double splined one or repair the yoke.

I've had success drilling the hole out to fit a 5/16 bolt and fitting a nut on the end. You can get a lot more torque on a grade 8 5/16" bolt than you can on anything 1/4". I tried just drilling out the threads and using a 1/4" bolt but I kept stripping them before I got enough compression on the spline to remove the play.

You do need to grind down the area under the bolt head and nut so that they will clear the picture frame properly. I also run a cutoff disc down the slot in the splined section and widen it about 1mm to give just a little more compression.

I haven't personally resorted to locktite because fitting a bolt is successful.

[tinworm]

Hello Andrew , when you have taken the lower column off , or you can get your head down to have a look check out the end view of the lower spider ,It's my guess that things are out of shape a little. When removing a split splined yoke it can be worthwhile just spreading the yoke slightly to enable it to tap off reasonably easily - sometimes this is overdone bending the yoke bore outwards. The 1/4" bolt as correctly mentioned by the other Andrew will not be able to fully pull then yoke down and grip the rack pinion . Andrews repair is to up size the bolt and this is an option of course. If the deformation is not too bad you can reform it by removing a small amount of metal from the sides of the split and squeeze it back in a large vice - bending metal requires you to 'over bend' it slightly for metal spring back. The material will be forged steel which is tough and wear resistant to a degree but can be successfully bent - don't use heat though. Sometimes if the deformation is tiny you can clamp a yoke up with bench clamps or whatever until it grips the shaft and then put the bolt in and tighten - so you are using the clamping force of the clamps and not the small bolt to pull it in.
Finally I always put this sort of thing back dry - no lubrication and then paint the edges to keep the weather out - but thats just my preference.

best of luck Barrie

[andrewh]

Well guys. Thanks very much for the advice and help with this. As always this forum comes through. I think my panic is over. I removed the cap screw and inspected it and the knuckle splines as best as I could without removing the steering column. Cleaned the bolt and put it back in. It has now pinched up on the rack pinion with a slightly longer Allen key. It’s a close thing though. Lose and then a squeeze more and tight. I have ordered some 3/8 socket held Allen keys ( it’s 3/16 key for reference ) with which I will give it a further pinch just to be sure. I did assemble this with grease which may be contributing to the free play but I am not taking it apart unless I have to. So as it stands at present problem is solved. We will see whether it loosens up again. As mentioned in this thread or the other you don’t feel the 1/4 set screw is really man enough for the job . Thanks once again. It’s much appreciated

[wilkinsi]

I found the same problem with my 62 FHC and determined to apply a good amount of torque onto the allen headed bolt that clamps the yoke onto the spline.
Firstly I obtained from a specialist tool supplier here in Melbourne a half inch socket into which was embedded the correct size of male allen key to fit. Then plugging this onto a long bar, about 18 inches long plus a fairly long
handle of at least a foot enables a significant amount of load to be applied.

Goes without saying that it is important to turn the steering wheel so the allen key socket may be inserted at the correct 90 degree angle.

I did this a couple of years ago and has been fine since over nearly 3000 miles.

Cheers

Ian

[andrewh]

I feel it must have been a satisfactory set up when new. As mentioned in several posts here and elsewhere if the gap has been opened up to remove the knuckle it has possibly memorised the new position and require closing in a vice. Mine was never forced open so has tightened on ok. I wonder if there was a specified torque for the cap
Screw.

[rswaffie]

Mine needed to be re-set for the same reason - spread open when it was dismantled and then movement afterwards due to the fastener not providing enough clamping force. I had to close the yoke up a few mm with a clamp before fastener could be tightened enough to prevent movement.

[pgh64]

I had the same problem. I couldn't get that 1/4-28 Allen cap screw tight enough to prevent getting slop in the splines. Rather than disassembling everything, I went through my guitar strings and found one that I could cut a couple of small pieces from to use as shims between the yoke and pinion splines. Remove the Allen bolt and nut, slide the shaft back, lay in the guitar string pieces, (I used stainless .010) pull everything forward making sure you've got a snug fit, reinstall the cap screw & nut and the slop is gone. I left a bit of one piece protruding in case I need to take it apart, I can grab it with a pair of pliers for easy removal.

[abowie]

Now that is clever!

[mgcjag]

I dont like the sound of this "fix"......so your splines are loose so you pop in a couple of bits if wire....so the splines are now only gripping on the wire and not a proper spline/spline fitting all around....Steve

[44DHR]

I understand the issue with the lower U/J countersunk Allen screw part, but although it doesn’t look like the original lower half which goes onto the long steering shaft on Series 1 cars, a certain manufacturer has recently announced an “uprated” part with this Allen screw element. Perhaps by removing the desired lower part this could solve the problem of the “unavailable” lower element of the U/J ?
Regards,
Dave

https://www.sngbarratt.com/English/#/UK ... tmas_gifts

P.S. Rats ! I have just checked out my link and now see that the U/J is staked and not retained by a circlip which would have made removing the lower part pretty easy ! Perhaps this would need more work to achieve than I had hoped.

[RICHOT]

A while back, I had the same problem with a loose fit, after trying virtually everything, I resorted to thoroughly cleaning the splines and then applied Locktite Stud Sealant - has been fine for several years now ( ).
Not an ideal 'fix' but it worked for me.

[Geoff Allam]

Going on 25 years with loctite blue and tightening the spline as much as possible.

[Phil P]

Would it be possible to grind material from the faces of the clamping area to allow it too close more tightly on the spline?

[Geoff Allam]

No, the clamping faces to not contact each other at all.

[bitsobrits]

I one is unable to sufficiently clamp the U joint with the clamping screw, then it seems likely that the part is not dimensionally correct.

[Busboy]

I am looking for a "rotor assembly and nipple with spring' for my series 1 3.8 Peter steering column.

Parts 31-17 -19 in parts book. All I see are complete rebuild kits for over $140. Also do not know where that spring would go. My plastic :rotor assembly came in two halves and will not stay on column to reinsert into black outer housing. Also I can see the brass slip ring is inside the outer housing instead on on the outer column. Do not know how to get it out but hoping it will be in place when I slide column back in.