505 steering rack query

[Beano]

my drain plug key snapped in half when I tried to undo the thing :trouslap:

Gearbox ones can get very tight. I bought a chrome moly 10mm Allen key secondhand from the markets for $1, cut off a section and ground one end of that down square, rounding off the sharp corners ever so slightly.

Using a 1/2 inch drive socket on the hex end of that makes it invincible.:banana:

If you make a mistake whilst grinding, there's enough of the Allen key left to make another two !

My Peugeot mechanic once applied a largish ball peen hammer to my sister's 504 differential filler plug, which was stubborn. He said that it was "acceptable practice". He's a bit heavy-handed though (with big forearms like the skipper in Gilligans Island ), and after a few whacks there was a dull clunk and we both knew in that instant that the diff housing was stuffed...it cracked in a circle around the plug.

I have done the same thing in other situations since then, but with a lighter hammer, and not so hard, and at different angles. It usually works.
My forearms are more like Gilligan's.

 

[Doush_504]

Will the power assisted work OK without oil ?
Beside being heavy, will anything burn for example from the lack of lubrication ?

??

He currently has a power assisted "quick rack" fitted to his 505 but the pump is leaky. Minimum pain path is to simply not fix that (disconnect & remove the power pump if one wants).



cheers! Peter

 

[2CV David]

Will the power assisted work OK without oil ?
Beside being heavy, will anything burn for example from the lack of lubrication ?

You will have built in play due to the design of the system, there is a torsion bar in the pinion that is designed to twist and progressively to bring in the assistance as ports are aligned, there are teeth (splines) on the end of the pinion shaft and its lower housing to transmit drive if the power assist fails, there is 5 degrees of free movement built in either side of the straight ahead, i have heard of people welded the two parts together but would not recommend that, i would replace the torsion bar with a piece of silver steel drilled as per the torsion bar there by getting a solid connection as the silver steel will not twist.

 

[Doush_504]

You mean this ?

You will have built in play due to the design of the system, there is a torsion bar in the pinion that is designed to twist and progressively to bring in the assistance as ports are aligned, there are teeth (splines) on the end of the pinion shaft and its lower housing to transmit drive if the power assist fails, there is 5 degrees of free movement built in either side of the straight ahead, i have heard of people welded the two parts together but would not recommend that, i would replace the torsion bar with a piece of silver steel drilled as per the torsion bar there by getting a solid connection as the silver steel will not twist.

 

[2CV David]

NO!, it is in the pinion assembly. 4048.

 

[robs]

... there is 5 degrees of free movement built in either side of the straight ahead.

Maybe better to call it *dead* movement, and the 5 degrees depends: when you waggle the wheel with the engine off, thre isn't much play, but some part of the movement is flexing the "torsion bar", and some part is moving the rack. There will be much more dead movement when stationary than when moving, or on tar versus dirt. I doubt the dead movement makes much difference to driving, but lack of power assistance will definitely make parking harder work.