Rack and Pinion issue feels like there is a bind somewhere

[55Mach1 10]

My mach 1 has a Randalls rack set up as it came with the car.

 

I noticed that the car is a handful to drive because any turning of the steering wheel the car will stay in that direction with no assist to return back to zero position. this just doesn't feel normal at all. I hear some groaning from the rack when at a stoplight if i turn the wheel left and right but the car isn't low on fluid and there are no leaks. It almost feels as if there is some sort of binding somewhere.

 

 

i recently installed a smaller MOMO steering wheel and it makes the car almost impossible to cruise as your fighting the steering to keep it straight. The Momo hub adapter does rub the column a bit so i just installed the original wheel back on and the steering does the same thing but with the larger diameter i can at least drive the car to some extent

 

this isn't an alignment issue its the fact that the rack and pinion just doesn't feel neutral.

 

is there an adjustment on the rack with the large nut to eliminate this binding stuck feeling? I had a Jaguar back in the days and there was a nut on the rack that if you turned it it would compensate for wear inside the unit and also make the steering feel exactly the same, Stuck on input.

 

i didn't want to mess with the Randal rack not knowing how it is designed.

 

any suggestions on what i should be checking? the weather is awesome out and i want to go for a nice drive.

[danno 128]

As I mentioned on another conversation, he uses the 88 to 93 Chevy rack. Do a search on one of those cars and see what it says. There could be some adjustment, but I am not aware of it. I have Randalls and it works fine, so either it was not installed correctly or it is worn excessively. You should not hear that groaning, maybe try disconnecting one tie rod so it is only steering one wheel at a time and see if it groans. Another thing to try is to check for play in the steering column and linkage. Put a vice grip on the pinion linkage so it will not move, and see how much you can turn the wheel.

 

This rack and pinion does not have as much feedback as the factory system had, which means it will not return to straight ahead on it's own after a turn. You have to help it a bit.

 

A good alignment shop should know what could be going on. Your average shop would not have a clue. Tell them is is from a Chevy and maybe they would have an answer.

[55Mach1 10]

Thanks on reply on your feedback. My mechanics laughed when I told them it was an early GM rack. They said rack is bad and this style rack was notorious for failing. Il be honest I hate the way it feels. Can anyone suggest a much more superior designed system? With my wide tires the car sucks to drive like this.

[danno 128]

Maybe if the rack was fixed, it would not be that bad? I have wide tires too, and mine is not that bad. It is 100 times better than the old factory system. Someone else makes a power rack system and another place has a manual rack to adapt to a Mustang, a little searching and they should show up.

 

But maybe if yours were fixed, it would be ok? I know there are other Randalls rack people on this and other forums, ask the opinion of others.

[malamute 10]

Hello, I have replaced many steering boxes and racks only to find out it was a seized u joint. Check that.

[danno 128]

I assumed he has double checked them. Yes, that could definately be a source of the problem. How would you check them, just look at them while someone turns the wheels?

[55Mach1 10]

we checked the ujoints earlier there are two of them one up top, the shaft then another that connect to the rack. they are tight. the upper u joint has some play i mean minimal and nothing you could even feel which i suppose is normal over time. i cant get over how close the shaft is to the frame rail on my car. I have to take a better look from underneath to see if that is rubbing on the frame rail, you never know

 

ive been reading a lot tonight on these RP kit and i think i will be changing mine over to a TCP one when funds permit

[stangme428 33]

55Mach1 ... we are in the process of installing a TCP manual rack, what i found interesting about the TCP install is the warnings on binding the rack if tightening at the wrong time during installation.

we wont finish up the install for a bit due to work schedules and vacations... but i pan on reading the installation instructions a million times before final tightening...

thanks for the updates, keep letting us know how it goes!!!:rockon:

 

we checked the ujoints earlier there are two of them one up top, the shaft then another that connect to the rack. they are tight. the upper u joint has some play i mean minimal and nothing you could even feel which i suppose is normal over time. i cant get over how close the shaft is to the frame rail on my car. I have to take a better look from underneath to see if that is rubbing on the frame rail, you never know

 

ive been reading a lot tonight on these RP kit and i think i will be changing mine over to a TCP one when funds permit

[SWPruett 83]

55mach1,

 

Just out of curiosity, what pump are you using with your rack setup? It seems these racks are particularly sensitive to pump flow/pressure and even slight mismatches in pump can have very negative effects on steering quality. Just a thought.

[55Mach1 10]

my pump looks to be a GM type pump similar and identical looking to the one shown on TCP website with the reservoir attached.

 

I do hear some groaning at times at low speeds and when stopped which always made me think if the pump was enough.

[Jimjific 23]

This discussion is making me even more nervous than I already am about the Randall's rack I already have and am currently trying to install. In my research, I thought that most people were happy with the return to center of the system and the magazines never mention anything bad about the rack and talk about how great the bump steer is. The rack I have, I feel I am getting screwed on since I bought it second hand and the guy keeps telling me that it was never run but it sure looks like it has. The boot has a rip in it, one of the inner tie rods is bent and the rack paint looks worm. The hard lines were ruined, which I knew about, but thought it would be an easy replace, not so. The other issue is that he didn't send me a complete set-up. He forgot to include the bearing and the universal linkage and then sent it to me. Again the universal linkage looks very used. The bearing he sent me isn't the correct one and doesn't have the piece of shaft that connects the steering shaft to the universal so as I sit right now, I have no way to finish. I will be amazed if I get this all in and it actually works. I guess I have myself to blame, I should have just saved some more pennies and gotten a TCP. Oh, forget, about asking Randall for any missing or broken parts. He doesn't return e-mail and when you call him you get a lot of attitude with no response.

 

I bought a reconditioned rack for the lines and the one thing that is different, which I knew from looking at pictures, is that the Randall rack connection section it rotated compared to the stock rack. So the lines won't just swap on, they need to be bent or remade using the fittings, which I've found to be a pain in the you know what to find.

 

Jim

[69gmachine 15]

The original design J-car rack did have a problem, but it was fixed by a different design seal, and all rebuilt units use the newer seal. There is nothing wrong with the J-car rack if installed properly.

 

One thing to look out for is that if the lower u-joint is sitting too low on the shaft of the rack, it will bind when turning. Been there, done that. Make sure there is ample clearance before tightening it down. There should be no bind when turning the wheel at all.

[55Mach1 10]

there are def no binds its just a crap set up maybe good for an old man or something but not for a performance minded lunatic like myself

 

i have contacted a guy off another forum who has a Mach 1 with a TCP rack and had a manual version and now power. I plan to go see him since he is only a 15 min drive from me to hear what he has tried and tested to finally settle on the TCP unit.

 

from what i have come across on the net the TCP seems like the best engineered system however i still think the tie rod design of these sucks.

 

it would be awesome to take a german styled rack and modify to fit our cars then at least steering feel would be awesome.

 

if my car didn't come with this Randals Rack i would have never chosen it based on the lack of info on his poorly designed website and his attitude toward customers. its just not worth supporting.

[69gmachine 15]

I'm using an 85 Mustang pump and it doesn't groan at all unless I force it all the way over to the stop in a sharp turn. You might try using a smaller pulley so it keeps the RPMs up at idle. Your pump appears to be an aftermarket design that might be adjustable.

 

I'm also using an aftermarket spindle with a 10 degree ICA instead of the stock 8, plus 3.5 degrees of caster so I have no centering issues. With a 5.25" steering arm my steering is nice and crisp and it tracks very straight. The pivot point on my inner tie rods is higher than anyone else's kit (and wider). I didn't like what was on the market so I designed my own. Anyone who designed their kit to mimic the factory location of the pivot points of the centerlink has no business designing a steering system, but again that's not the fault of the rack.

 

Where are you located 55?

[danno 128]

Like I mentioned, I have Randalls and it works for me. Maybe there are better systems, it is hard for me to compare. I am using the factory pump on it and have never had any of the problems mentioned. If you need any assistance on getting your system figured out, maybe I can help?

 

55Mach1, you should be able to get it working. Check with the Chevy dealers for parts.