Author - Pim25

Sometimes after steering system repair, the car does not drive straight and you need to adjust the wheel slightly in one direction; turn signals may malfunction, and even a visit to the alignment stand with excellent printouts doesn't help.

The point is that after intervention in the steering system many things can be improperly set - for example, the wheel changed position on the column; the column stands differently in the reducer; the track rod was arbitrarily put on the axis, and the trapezoid itself is not properly adjusted. All this may disrupt the accurate and correct operation of the entire system.

To avoid this, before disassembly mark all splined connections - scratch with a sharp office knife along the connection between the wheel and the column, reducer and shaft, track rod and reducer axis. This will greatly help during assembly.

For example, let's consider the case when the system is already assembled but the steering wheel was not touched during disassembly or it was installed on splines according to marks made before removal. To correctly install parts relative to each other do the following:

1. Place the wheel straight and tie it to the brake pedal.

2. Disconnect the track rod from the reducer - unscrew the 4-bolt nut (see diagram below) and remove the ball joint with a soft (bronze) hammer or through an adapter.

3. Detach the reducer 6 from the steering shaft, removing it from its splines after loosening the clamp bolt. Most likely you will have to unscrew it first, disconnecting tubes and bolts attaching it to the body.

4. Rotating the steering wheel on the reducer, find an approximate middle position - for example, 2.5 turns left and right until resistance is felt.

5. Without changing this middle position, reattach the reducer in place and connect it to the splines of the shaft and tubes.

6. Attach the trapezoid to the track rod on the steering reducer by putting the ball joint on and slightly tightening the 4-bolt nut.

7. Loosening clamps 3, rotate links 2 of the trapezoid trying to align wheels as straight as possible - you can use a thread pulled from the rear wheel to the front one.

8. If the length of screw threads on steering end links for right and left wheels in the trapezium has significantly changed or it was impossible to set the wheels correctly, most likely you need to reposition the track rod on the reducer. If everything is more or less symmetrical - proceed to point 10.

9. To reposition the steering track rod on the axis without removing it from the trapezoid, press fit it with a suitable puller from the reducer axis 5. Then, while wheels are straight, equalize the length of protruding screw-thread parts (short ones to short and long to long) accurately to 0.5 cm and repress-fit (by tightening bolt) the track rod onto the reducer axis. 10. If everything is now satisfactory - wheel stands straight, screw threads of steering links are more or less equal in length and wheels are aligned - thoroughly check tightness

of all connections: nut on the wheel; shaft-reducer connection; bolt 5 of the track rod to the axis; tightness of nut on the ball joint 4 of the track rod; tightness of clamps 3 for adjusting links; reliability of mounting reducer (right from engine) and swing arm (left from engine) to body; nut on pivot lever axis 7 and tightness of all other ball joints in the trapezoid. Over-tightening is not required but everything should be tightened properly. Where applicable - lock nuts with cotter pins. 11. Top off steering booster fluid, unhook wheel from brake pedal. 12. If you have normal ball and socket bearings on lever arms and hub bearings – proceed to the service workshop with alignment stand that has Cressida 1976-80 in its memory - do it gradually.

P.S. If the steering wheel was removed, and no marks were made with marker or metal on spline connection, after completing point 3, when reducer is detached, slightly push and move the wheel on splines sitting at the driver's place until you find

middle position between clicks

of automatic turn signal switch in straight position. Then finally fit steering wheel onto splines and tighten it with a nut. Tie wheel to brake pedal and proceed to point 4. P.S.P.S. It might not work on the first try 🙂 - let me know how it goes for you. авто-выключения поворотников при прямом положении руля. Тогда окончательно насадите рулевое колесо на шлицы и затяните гайкой. Затем привяжите руль к педали тормоза и приступайте к выполнению п.4.

P.S.P.S. С первого раза может не получиться 🙂 — отписывайтесь, у кого как.