[Alfisto Steve]

Well, today after church, lunch, and while BJ's Wholesale tire shop was fixing tire with two nails/screws in it for ML's Jeep I had a couple hours to work on Rosso.

She has been suffering from the dreaded passenger side not designed to be replaced failed rubber mount on steering rack. Being a LHD model with oval boot and centering spring on right side seeing failed mount much less getting to it with engine/power steering in normal position is near impossible. So I decided to drop engine and sub frame down about 5-6 inches so I could get my hands and tools close to rack.

I jack standed patient under front door jack points and put a board on floor jack under engine. I disconnected steering column universal link under dash after removing boot around it by accelarator pedal and bolt in joint.

Removed front wheels and front and rear inner fender liners. With board and jack under engine I disconnected upper dog bone mount, removed AFM and top of air cleaner, removed top radiator hose bracket bolt from upper radiator support and removed air deflector next to left headlight.

I wedged a board in between false firewall and idle actuator on back of intake plenum. Then I went underneath and remove 6 bolts holding subframe to body. Next I disconnected reaction rod and shift linkage rod (5-speed).

Next, I slowly lowered jack under engine and tranny so subframe and engine came done about 6 inched on passenger side (front of engine side) and about 4 inches on tranny side. Now I was able to see nuts holding heat shield on rack and removed them and heat shield still using long extension from above and ratchet and deep 13mm socket from tranny side. Used 17mm socket and wrenches to remove front studs and rear bolts after disconnecting banjo fitting from power steering pump supply hose and rack pressure hose from pump and pump supply hose and rack return hose from resevoir near tranny side.

Popped outer tie rod ends loose from steering knuckles using suspension fork and hammer on threaded ends with nuts set flush with threaded ends so as not to damage threads.

Now with subframe and engine lowered and everything loose, I slide rack out tranny side.

Hope picture show and tell helpful. Notice failed engine side mount (LHD Model), Used a 1/2" drill bit to drill off top clamp. rubber insert shot and what was left came out in two pieces.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Second verse not same as first:

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Third set of pix. Tomorrow is another day to clean up and repair rack.

 

[drubie]

If I'd have taken pictures of my efforts, they'd have been nearly identical although my '89 has far less oil leaks for some reason. What do you plan on replacing the bush with on your car?

 

[Alfisto Steve]

If I'd have taken pictures of my efforts, they'd have been nearly identical although my '89 has far less oil leaks for some reason. What do you plan on replacing the bush with on your car?

Oil leak is from rack hoses being disconnected as you know Alfas do not leak and if they do leak they do not leak much and if they do leak much well it is just the nature of the beast.

As for rubber bushing replacements I am lucky in that I have both bushings like new in stock from my 6000 mile salvage 91L I bought for parts and parted out about 12 years ago. It was wrecked so bad rack was busted so I saved what I could.

Remember my mottos you can never have too many spare parts and never throw away an Alfa part unless it is totally destroyed cause you never know when you can fix/use/save it for later on.

I will post pictures of parts later this week.

 

[jontg428]

Leonard and I did this job, but instead of lowering the engine and transmission, we opted for a long 3 ft extention, accompanied by a snap on extension that had a slight degree of swivel to it. I would go underneath the car, and help him guide the socket onto the nuts that held the rack in place. With two people its not too bad, but Steve, you are super human, I would not try to do that job alone, as I would just get frustrated to hell pretty quickly! Oh by the way steve, ever replace stepper motors in a Peugeot before? Just thought I would ask, great job,
Jon

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Leonard and I did this job, but instead of lowering the engine and transmission, we opted for a long 3 ft extention, accompanied by a snap on extension that had a slight degree of swivel to it. I would go underneath the car, and help him guide the socket onto the nuts that held the rack in place. With two people its not too bad, but Steve, you are super human, I would not try to do that job alone, as I would just get frustrated to hell pretty quickly! Oh by the way steve, ever replace stepper motors in a Peugeot before? Just thought I would ask, great job,
Jon

Steppers in a 164 enough heartache for me.

 

[jontg428]

Well, there is acces in the pug setup, but god is it limited. I had to break out a piece of the glovebox to get more clearence, but now my hands are all cut up thanks to jagged broken cheap french plastic! Oh well at least it was a clean break and will glue back into place easily that is once I get the stepper in!

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Nobody commented on my pinkish fender or FORD tensioner pulley yet! I just put one of those Ford pulleys on my son's 91 164L Verde rescue project, too.

 

[Richard2]

Whuuu, you wore me out. I think I'll got back to the other post and look at the bottle.

 

[MrT]

Gee, Jon, I've never had cuts on my hands glue up well enough to suit me, clean break or not. What do you use?

On the 164 subject, we're getting so good at pulling engines that I think I'll start doing that to replace the plugs. You know how picky that process can be. It's almost as bad as replacing the air filter. I still have a worn-out automatic tranny to swap for another working one I have. I suspect that if I simply bore down and did the deed, it would take a day. I'll see soon enough. Pulling the engine/tranny from the '93L 5-speed wasn't terrible, nor was replacing it.

And what caused that pinkish tint on the fender? Anything to do with grease thrown from the Ford idler pulley? (actually, my wife's red '92S has the same magenta hue from sun damage on the clear coat. Where it is peeled back, the paint underneath the clear is still Alfa Rosso.)

Michael

 

[Alfisto Steve]

And what caused that pinkish tint on the fender? Anything to do with grease thrown from the Ford idler pulley? (actually, my wife's red '92S has the same magenta hue from sun damage on the clear coat. Where it is peeled back, the paint underneath the clear is still Alfa Rosso.)

Michael

Different sides of car so Ford had nothing to do with it. I wonder if clear coat removed it would let the true Rosso out?

 

[MrT]

"color sanding"

Different sides of car so Ford had nothing to do with it. I wonder if clear coat removed it would let the true Rosso out?

I've really been considering trying to gently sand the clear coat off from certain body panels for just this reason. On the wife's '92S you can see where the clear has been damaged (scratched) and peeled off, the underlying red is just like it came from the factory. I was surprised they'd use a clear with such dramatic magenta development after sun damage.

I'll try to remember to show it to you sometime. I'm not certain it would show up well in photos, but I'll try that, too.

Michael

 

[jontg428]

Glue

Gee, Jon, I've never had cuts on my hands glue up well enough to suit me, clean break or not. What do you use?


Michael

Well the least toxic glue around my friend, Super Glue! Note, toxic glue arguments should be made on another thread!

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Still up and need to get in shower on right coast

Whuuu, you wore me out. I think I'll got back to the other post and look at the bottle.

ML let me stay over here tonight after repair session so I better end this computer madness before pumpkin time and get a shower. I can sleep in tomorrow morning so might hold on a little longer.

 

[AlexGS]

ML let me stay over here tonight after repair session so I better end this computer madness before pumpkin time and get a shower. I can sleep in tomorrow morning so might hold on a little longer.

All good stuff and lots of interesting photos. I liked your comment on the possibility of Alfa oil leaks.

My '91 164 has this same rack but a mirror image; large weird-shaped boot is on left side, presumably the same weak mounting in there too. I noticed when I jacked up the front end for tie-rod replacement last week, the strange effect of it being difficult to swivel the wheels; had to use steering lock to hold the wheels swivelled (due to that centering spring).

I don't think I've ever known a car with spring-centered steering, except for a 1934 Singer Le Mans (http://www.singercars.com/profiles/9lemans.html) that my Dad used to remember fondly from the early 50's (I suspect this was much more cool in his day than my cars are today).

Meanwhile I think the Citroen SM had a powered-centering system. I wouldn't have expected an Italian car like the 164 to have such a corruption as a spring in the steering. My previous ('92) 164 did not have this and the rack was a normal shape (without damper).

Therefore, I have the question: has my '91 164 been fitted with a later rack having a damper, or is the one with the damper the earlier design?

Or. did my (newer) 164 have perhaps an earlier rack fitted, which (if for a manual) would explain the problem that plagued me the whole time I had that car, of the tyres rubbing on the auto transmission. Someone had welded metal tabs to the control arms, to restrict the swivelling of the strut brackets!

Not that it matters much now, until I have to replace those bushings. In the meantime I'll keep it de-greased in that area.

-Alex

 

[MrT]

The steering racks for the auto transmission are reported to have limited travel (in at least one direction, but not both) for just the reason you mention. I haven't verified that, but it is true that the turning radius is bigger for the auto transmission cars (in at least one direction)... Sorry that I don't remember which direction. It may be mentioned in the CarDisc or other manual.

Michael

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Sounds like somebody put in a manual rack which has equal turning radius both ways whereas the A/T rack limits R/H hand turn radius because tranny sticks out into wheel well and has a special front fender liner on that side.

Racks with centering springs came originally on S models and then on L models starting in 91. I parted out a 91L w/AT manufactured in 11-90 and it had one with damper/oval boot and limited turning to right. I have 4 early model 91 164 (B/Ls) with no damper.

My 93L, my son's 92L w/5-speed both have oval boot racks with equal turning as does his 91S.

Tricky process to get correct rack for 164 because of teeth on rack shaft being hidden under round boot driver's side and there are less on one end for AT models.

 

[Craig]

Sounds like somebody put in a manual rack which has equal turning radius both ways whereas the A/T rack limits R/H hand turn radius because tranny sticks out into wheel well and has a special front fender liner on that side.

Thank goodness, now I can stop looking for the cause.

Mine must have come from the factory with a manual rack.

 

[Alfisto Steve]

Will post pictures as I progress, but looks like I will be resealing rack as right oval boot filled with fluid and right inner tie rod end has major play in socket. Lucky me I have new seal kit and new correct R/H inner TRE for rack with damper in my parts stash.