When driving a car, steering plays an important role. The mechanism ensures precise movement; a breakdown can result in serious trouble. In the device, the main role is played by the steering rack, which has a certain resource. The article will discuss how to repair a VAZ steering rack with your own hands. Car repair shops charge a lot of money for such work.
The rail is a kind of rod with attachments and 2 outgoing parts. You can understand that it is broken when you hear knocks from the front of the car when you turn the steering wheel. If a characteristic sound is heard while the car is stationary, the mechanism requires urgent replacement and it is dangerous to drive further.
Steering rack diagram
Symptoms of malfunction
- Knock on rough roads . When hitting bumps, you will hear dull or ringing metallic sounds from the front of the car. This does not always happen due to wear on the steering rack; sounds can also arise from other components: ball joint, tip, wheel bearing.
- Large steering play. As the mechanism wears out, the gaps between the teeth increase, causing free play to increase. Play can also appear when the steering tips and ball joints are worn out.
Backlash should definitely be eliminated at the initial stages of its appearance, since delaying repairs can lead to complete failure and the replacement of the element.
- Steering wheel jamming . Most likely the cause of the problem will be the steering rack. Most often this occurs due to damage to the anthers. Water and dirt begin to enter the mechanism body. The lubricant washes out or thickens, causing the teeth to cling to each other unevenly.
A similar problem also occurs when the element is incorrectly adjusted.
When is replacement required?
If you encounter one of the above signs of malfunction, the rack must be repaired or replaced.
By ignoring this need, you risk losing control at any moment. While on the road and driving at high speed, losing control of the car can lead to the most dire consequences. There are three ways to solve the problem of faulty steering racks.
| Way | When is it relevant? |
| Adjust the rack | If diagnostics show that the unit does not require repair or replacement |
| Repair | If diagnostics allows for partial replacement of elements. Replacement is provided using a repair kit |
| Replacing the unit | If the test shows a complete failure of the node. Installation can be carried out with new rods or old ones, depending on their condition. |
Let us add that if the old steering racks on your VAZ 2114 have covered more than 100 thousand kilometers, their malfunction is unlikely to be corrected with the help of a repair kit. The best option in this case is a complete replacement of the unit.
Required Tools
To service the mechanism we need the following set of tools:
- Open-end wrenches. It would be good if there was a complete set, but usually the sizes required are: 8, 10, 13, 22.
- Set of heads;
- Flat and Phillips screwdrivers;
- Pliers or round nose pliers;
- Hexagon 17 (better set);
- Jack and wheel wrench;
- Chisel and hammer;
- It would be great to have a special puller for tie rods;
- WD-40 or Liquid Wrench for thread processing.
- Special key for adjusting the rack
Also, for safety, it is necessary to prepare supports for the wheels of the car.
Steering rack repair kit for VAZ 2114
When starting to overhaul the mechanism, you need to consider the market for repair kits. There are several types:
- The first consists only of rubber bands, gaskets and dampers. It is suitable for changing the lubricant inside the mechanism and for light maintenance. The price for a set is about 200 rubles.
- The second is complemented by two bearings, which is also suitable for easy maintenance of the mechanism. The cost of the set is about 500 rubles.
- The latest repair kit has almost all internal mechanisms and implies a complete replacement of units. The price is about 2000 rubles.
Before purchasing a kit, check which rack is installed on your car and write down its number. This will help you avoid making mistakes when purchasing.
Removing the steering rack
When starting to repair the VAZ 2114 steering rack, first of all we need to remove it. We do this using the following technology:
- We park the car on a level surface. For safety, we put supports under the wheels to prevent them from rolling back.
- Raise the car with a jack, loosen the wheel nuts and remove it. Similar work needs to be done on the other side.
- There is a hole in the arch on the right side that is closed with a plug. Let's take it off.
- When the absorber is installed, it is necessary to loosen the clamp and, without disconnecting the hoses, move it to the side.
- Using a hammer and chisel, we bend the antennae onto the plates that hold the tie rod nuts.
- We unscrew the bolts and pull them out along with the plate. We move the pulls to the side.
- We find the junction of the column shaft with the gear shaft of the mechanism. It is located at the front panel from the passenger compartment. Let's separate them.
- Using a socket or a 13mm wrench, unscrew the brackets that hold the steering rack. They often become very rusty and unscrewing them becomes problematic, so it is advisable to first treat them with WD-40 and wait a few minutes.
- We move the mechanism towards the engine to free the shaft and remove it.
- We pull it out through the hole described in the third paragraph.
Disassembly
If you decide to carry out maintenance yourself, then you should disassemble it in order:
- We cut off or bite through the plastic clamps that are located on the sides of the protective casing. We remove it and inspect it for breaks or cracks.
- The side protective caps are also attached to the clamps. We carry out a similar procedure and remove them.
- Unscrew the adjusting screw with a 17 octagonal wrench.
- Then we take out the sealing and retaining ring, the spring and the stop. We check the emphasis for scuffs and other damage, since its condition directly affects its performance.
- Now we need to remove the steering gear boot. It sits tightly on the body and does not have any special fastenings.
- We take out the lock washer and unscrew the bearing nut. Then remove the o-rings. After the steering shaft.
- We check the condition of the bearing. In case of wear, we knock it down using an extension or a gentle blow with a hammer. We press in the new bearing using a yew or a press.
- Then we check the condition of the needle bearing. We take it out with a screwdriver, carefully lifting it up.
- We take the rail itself out of the body. We clean off the old grease and inspect the condition.
- The last step is to remove the bushing. To do this, use a screwdriver to move it from its seat and after that it can be easily removed.
At this point, the disassembly and inspection of elements for damage is completed and you can begin reassembling the mechanism. The video shows a do-it-yourself repair of a VAZ 2114 steering rack:
What to do
All work with the steering mechanism can be done with your own hands; there is nothing particularly difficult about it. But after work, especially on the steering tips, the toe angles will need to be adjusted, which is best left to specialists.
If a malfunction occurs, you will first need to diagnose the mechanism to identify the unit that caused it. First, the condition of the tips is checked. To do this, they are removed from the support and checked manually. With a working tip, the finger moves in its body with effort, but it should not get wedged to any position; such a tip can be put in place and continue to look for faults. If it moves freely and there is some play, then it is replaced.
Next, the gap between the rack and gear is adjusted. For this, a special 6-sided key is used. With its help, the thrust nut is tightened until it stops, and then loosened by ¼ turn. After this, the nut is fixed using punching. If the adjustment is made correctly, and the condition of the rack is still satisfactory, then the knocking should disappear.
If the adjustment does not help, then most likely the wear of the main components is quite severe and a major overhaul of the mechanism is required with the replacement of the rack, which can also be done with your own hands.
Steering rack repair
Do-it-yourself repair of the VAZ 2114 steering rack involves installing new parts into the mechanism body. But it is worth paying attention to the lubrication of parts. The manufacturer recommends using FIOL-1.
- First, lubricate the rack and the internal cavity of the housing.
- Then apply a generous amount of plastic bushing and place the needle bearing in place.
- The rail can be installed in the housing.
- Lubricate the steering gear shaft.
- Next, we hammer the material into the bearing.
- Afterwards the stop is lubricated, screws and stoppers are installed, as well as the casing and anthers.
The detailed process is described in the previous paragraph.
Briefly about the types
To be honest, already being the owner of the car, I didn’t really bother about its maintenance. But life, as they say, forced me. My father set the condition that the maintenance of the car given to me falls entirely on me, that is, my wallet. And since I could not always afford to refuel the car and buy something new for it, since the price was high, I had to do the repairs with friends, simultaneously studying instructions with photos, videos and studying the instruction manual.
Yes, now I earn a lot more, such concepts as a bearing, oil seal, boot or bushing are not new to me. But here’s the paradox: replacement of any parts, repairs and maintenance are carried out exclusively at the service station. This is what I advise you to do if we are talking about cars with electric steering or power steering. You can easily repair your Matiz without power steering with your own hands in a garage.
Adjusting the steering rack on a VAZ 2114
To make the adjustment we need a special key. It looks like a hexagon on one side, and on the other side a key for tightening the timing belt. Next, we need to drive into a hole or overpass to gain full access to the adjusting bolt. If this is not possible, you can jack up the car and crawl under it. Afterwards we need to look under the car on the left side. On the rail we will see a special recess in which the adjustment mechanism is installed. It's better to spray it with WD-40 right away. This will help clean the threads from rust. If the adjustment occurs for the first time, the bolt will be very difficult to turn, since it is cored at the factory so that it does not unscrew due to vibration. After tightening, you need to conduct a small test, turn the steering wheel in motion. If it turns too tightly, then you have overtightened the nut; you need to loosen it a little. When the work is done correctly, vibration during movement, play and knocking should go away.
The cost of this repair at a car service
In car services, the average price for repairs depends on the complexity of the repair. Approximate cost of work:
- Steering diagnostics - about 300 rubles;
- Adjusting the mechanism costs about 500 rubles;
- Replacing the steering rack costs about 3,000 rubles.
Most services will not undertake to rebuild your rack. If you contact services that do this, prices start from 500 rubles, depending on what you need to replace. The cost, of course, is indicated without withdrawal. Repairing the steering rack on a VAZ 2114 is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, especially if you are guided by the information from the article. This will help you save half of your budget from spending on repairs at car services.
Source
Price issue
The cost of new slats depends on the manufacturer, region, and even the specific store where you are going to purchase them.
Good slats cost from 2.3 thousand rubles, but there are better ones for about 3.5 thousand rubles.
If you don’t want to change it yourself, then get ready to pay about 1.5-2 thousand rubles for the services of specialists from service stations. Today this is the average price of such repairs. Again, it all depends on the level of the car service, and sometimes on its arrogance.
Steering rack repair for VAZ 2113, VAZ 2114, VAZ 2115
The steering rack is a mandatory, indispensable element of the steering of a car. This device converts the driver's efforts on the steering wheel inside the car, ensuring the wheels of the car turn and, accordingly, change the direction of movement. Over time, like any part, it wears out, and an unpleasant knocking noise appears, especially audible when cornering and while driving on uneven roads. This knock, firstly, is annoying, but it clearly makes it clear that something is wrong with the car. You should not ignore the knocking, because one day the rack may simply jam, and the steering wheel will lock in one position, and only braking and a complete stop can save you.
Note! You will need the following tools: a special 17 octagon wrench, a chisel with a hammer, a vice, a set of all kinds of wrenches (spanners, wrenches, socket wrenches) and screwdrivers, and pliers.
When to repair the rack?
In general, the rack is repaired to replace its protective cover or other parts. Let's look at the symptoms of the malfunction: the rack began to knock on bumps and turns, or when turning. Place the steering wheel in the forward direction of travel and try to grab the rack with your hands and shake it. Grab it at the junction of the steering rods, indicated by the arrow in the photo. Before doing this, shake the steering wheel a little until it turns easily.
Note! The rack deteriorates from many things, but most of all from driving on uneven roads. In general, this causes the suspension to fail faster, so avoid bumps if possible and reduce speed on bumps and dirt roads.
Principle of operation
The steering rack receives force transmitted from the steering wheel through the steering shaft with gear. The rack itself has a gear drive. When the steering wheel turns, the element moves horizontally in a given direction. With the help of steering rods, the wheels are turned directly.
Steering rack design
The required unit is located on the rear side of the engine in the engine compartment. Clamps hold the rail on the partition between the engine and the passenger compartment.
Repair of rack on VAZ 2113-VAZ 2115
Disassembly
1) First, you need to remove the rack from the car, and we recommend that you read the details of the process in the article: “Replacing the steering mechanism on a VAZ.”
Note! By the way, do not rush to start repairing the rack if you only heard a knock for the first time. The first symptoms can be removed by pulling it up; the top link to the article contains information on this topic.
2) Now on the right side, remove the support and spacer ring from the end of the rail, as shown in the first photo. Then use pliers to cut through the clamps holding the protective cover in place (see photo 2, these clamps are disposable), and then remove the cover (photo 3) from the rail. On the other side (from the end), remove another support, now metal, and the protective cap. This operation is shown in the fourth photo.
