Steering Rack

[daisy710]

On saturday i had some new tyres fitted to Daisy, very sexy they are as well, 265/75/R16 BFG's. Anyway, the bloke at the place where they were fitted had a struggle getting the front wheels off, so much of a struggle he asked me to come into the garage bit to show me the problems he was having.

Cutting a long story short here, he's told me that I need to have 2 new front wheel bearings fitted ASAP and an entire new steering rack. I would normally think he was extracting the urine to try and get more money out of an unsuspecting punter apart from the fact that the people i bought the tyres off don't replace wheel bearings and steering racks. He's not doing it for a financial gain as another garage would have to do the work.

I've used the search function and I can't find any posts where someone has needed to replace an entire steering rack but there are a canny few detailing a certain amount of play with regards to the steering rack.

I'm having a different garage have a look at it tomorrow and during a phone conversation with them he's made noises in the region of £400 already.

Can anyone tell me what I should be looking for as far as the amount of play in the steering rack goes please?

I'm hoping that it's just the mount bushes which sounds likely to me after reading the forum posts but I just want some friendly advice off you guys before i visit the garage tomorrow.

Thanx.

[TonyN]

You don't have a steering rack.

???

[MWS]

Go elsewhere, and fast! Firstly, there is a nut on the hub that can be adjusted to take up a certain amount of play in your wheel bearings. try that first. Secondly, your truck doesn't even HAVE a steering rack! On a 2nd gen you have a steering box, pitman arm and draglink setup. Try someone who knows what they're talking about and who is'nt trying to fleece you! Maybe a member can recomend a reliable garage close to you?....Good luck....Mick.

[JD_975]

Asides from the fact it doesnt have a steering rack, how would any of that make it a struggle to get the wheels off?

I`d try and find a local 4x4 specialist, I`ve found with mine regular mechanics just dont understand the amount of free play built into proper 4x4`s, mine failed it`s mot for free play in the steering, when I asked the tester to show me he rocked the front wheels side to side and pointed out if you look along the steering rods you can see all the ball joints tilt forwards and backwards. He didnt like it much when I suggested what he could see were ball joints doing what they were designed to do and that the truck would be pretty hopeless if everything was connected with solid iron bars! It took one of the older mechanics to come over and say of-course it`s meant to do that, there are half a dozen ball joints in there! before he would pass it.

A 4x4 specialist of pretty much any kind will be able to advise you better than any standard mechanic who is used to working on regular cars as they just are not the same.

[daisy710]

The place that fitted the tyres is, and i quote from their website,

We are now clearly established as Europes leading distributor of 4x4 Accessories, including trucktops , bed liners , 4x4 wheels and 4x4 tyres,

and also,

Years of continuous re-investment has seen us increasing products and applications with further expansion planned for 2011-2012 Without doubt we are Europes largest supplier of 4x4 accessories into the market at all levels with warehousing of circa 75,000sq ft and 30 staff.

When i went into the garage to have a look at why he was struggling he was removing the front wheels with a rubber hammer. I'm not mechanically minded in the slightest but i have a good friend who likes to tinker and help me, he's suggested a garage near where he works which specilises in Jap imports. Admittedly skylines not surfs but he said he would have a look tomorrow night to verify what the bloke from Europes leading distributor of 4x4 accesories said.

Thankyou very much for your replies guys.

[Bogus]

As everyone else has said, and provided the Surf is the one in your profile, then its true, you dont have a steering rack. Your tyre man is either plain wrong or more likely theres been some misunderstanding between you, or an abuse of terminology where steering rack has been used to describe steering components.
A wheel "oxidation/corrosion welded" to a hub is not unusual, and smacking it with a lump of wood or similar to get it off is normal. This can be avoided by a quick clean of the mating faces and a smear of something that lubricates.
Your wheel bearings "may" have a wee bit of play but as said thats no biggie to get taken up provided they are not shot. There "may" be some play in the steering, but it may not be excessive.
Go somewhere else, tell them that you think you might have a wee bit of play in your wheelbearings or something, and if they are any good they will be able to tell you if theres any problems with ball joints or system linkages when they do their wobble tests. It looks like your tyre man is scaremongering over a bit of "normal" play. However steering is not something you can be cavalier about so definitely go elsewhere for a 2nd opinion

[daisy710]

I went for that second opinion tonight. Nowt wrong with the steering rack that I dont have and the wheel bearings are fine.

Thankyou for the advice from those who replied.

I'm now stuck as to what to do about the bloke though?

Do I ring up and complain that he doesn't know his arse from his elbow and if it wasn't for the fantastic people and advice on here i'd have spent the thick end of £600 on stuff that didn't need replacing.

Or do i leave it at that, thank my lucky stars i have a reference site that is as helpful and knowledgeable as this one and never darken their door again?

[shokenore]

I went for that second opinion tonight. Nowt wrong with the steering rack that I dont have and the wheel bearings are fine.

Thankyou for the advice from those who replied.

I'm now stuck as to what to do about the bloke though?

Do I ring up and complain that he doesn't know his arse from his elbow and if it wasn't for the fantastic people and advice on here i'd have spent the thick end of £600 on stuff that didn't need replacing.

Or do i leave it at that, thank my lucky stars i have a reference site that is as helpful and knowledgeable as this one and never darken their door again?

A well thoughtout approach would be to ask them if the service you received was typical of the level you would want and explain that if you had taken their advice it would have been a un-needed works and costs to .
See what they say if your not happy try mentioning your local standards office....

Do you have proof of what they wanted to do with the "steering rack?"

[daisy710]

I don't have any proof because he didn't want to do anything with the steering rack.

He told me to drive it straight home, park it up and not move it until i'd had the bits replaced.