Ways to restore the steering rack VAZ 2109. Instructions for replacing the steering rack.

For VAZ 2109 cars, the steering rack, the repair of which is required periodically, is the main part of the vehicle's wheel steering control mechanism, which converts the rotation of the steering wheel into the translational movement of the steering rods.
In the event of wear or damage to parts, the play increases, causing controllability to be impaired. Therefore, any defect not only creates difficulty in driving and increases tire wear from uncontrolled yaw, but also makes driving dangerous, especially in multidirectional turns.

Preconditions for repairs

Troubleshoot when the first symptoms appear:

knocking on corners;
tight rotation of the steering wheel;
increased backlash;
the difficulty of adjusting the angle of convergence.

Before starting work, it is imperative to make sure that the steering rack defect is the cause of these problems, since a similar result can be caused by wear of other parts: ball tips, bearings, loosening of the slotted clamp, and others.

Essential elements

For the VAZ 2109, it is easier to repair the steering rack, knowing the principle of operation and the purpose of each part.
The design is very simple, consists of several main elements:

rack with two threaded holes for fastening the inner tips of the rods;
drive gear with a splined shaft for connection to the steering clutch;
support half rings providing smooth sliding;
stop mechanism, which regulates the required design gap of the gear pair;
crankcase, in which the parts are assembled and fixedly attached to the car body;
elements of sealing and protection against dust and dirt.

The repair kit is of two types, incomplete, which contains rubbing parts, rubber products that require periodic replacement, and disposable clamps. In case of breakage or wear of the teeth and ground surface, you will have to purchase a complete repair kit.
It includes absolutely all parts, except for the crankcase, including a gear pair, needle and ball bearings, and a clamping spring.

Removing the steering rack from the car

With some repair skills, if there is an instruction, it is quite possible to repair the rail with your own hands.
To do this, you will need, in addition to a new repair kit and a standard motorist tool kit, some additional accessories and tools:

special internal octahedron 24 mm. with a hole in the middle with a diameter of 18.5 mm;
octahedron 17 mm;
release puller of the ball joint;
preferably a ball bearing puller;
preferably a wrench to remove the needle bearing;
pliers for removing the bearing retaining ring;
preferably a bench vise;
grease "Fiol-1", the most suitable in cold weather, as it has a higher fluidity or "Litol-24" and the like.

Those devices that it is desirable to have will greatly facilitate disassembly, you can do without them, although this will complicate the work.
So:

It is advisable to pre-clean the rack and steering rods with tips with high-pressure water jets.
The VAZ 2109 car, the repair of the rail of which is planned to be made, must be placed on the site, with dimensions that provide free access to the front wheels and the engine compartment.
Apply the handbrake and additionally support the rear wheels, set the front wheels straight ahead. It is enough to raise the front wheels with a jack to sag, substitute reliable supports for safety, unscrew the fastening nuts and remove the right wheel.
To provide access through the engine compartment, you need to remove the air filter and disconnect the battery.

Attention: To fold the parts to be removed and fasteners, you need to prepare a clean box.

The first step inside the passenger compartment between the pedals is to unscrew the locking bolt by two turns, tightening the steering sleeve on the splined shank of the toothed shaft.

Attention: If the clutch does not open, loosen the splines with a weak hammer tap. By the way, all stages must first be studied from the photo, this will ensure the correct sequence and speed up the repair.

Then the tie rod ends are removed.

To do this, the bent end of the cotter pins of the tips is straightened with pliers, the cotter pins are pulled out (they can be reused) with a 19 mm spanner. the nuts are unscrewed and the ball bearings are squeezed out of the swing arms of the suspension struts with a puller.
A protective cover is removed through the engine compartment, which is fastened with three nuts with washers and engravers. Head 13 mm. two self-locking nuts are unscrewed, holding the bracket for fastening the steering rack housing to the car body, the bracket is removed.

Attention: When assembling, it is advisable to replace the nuts with new ones.

The same operation is performed from the outside on the side of the right wheel to remove the second mounting bracket. Now you can remove the drive gear shaft from the splines of the steering clutch and pull it out steering rack with pulls out.

For ease of disassembly and subsequent assembly, the crankcase is carefully clamped in a vise through aluminum plates.
With a chisel and a hammer, the corners of the locking plate are bent, which prevents spontaneous unscrewing of the bolts securing the inner tie rod ends.
head 22 mm. the bolts are unscrewed, the locking and connecting strips are removed, both rods are disconnected.
On the one hand, the rubber support, spacer ring is removed, on the other hand, the rubber cap and detachable support, the rubber boot protecting the gear shaft is pulled out with a screwdriver.
Two plastic clamps are cut off with wire cutters, and the protective cover is removed. A visual inspection of the rubber parts is carried out, if there is no visible damage, they can be reused.

Then the steering rack stop mechanism is disassembled. Octagon key 17 mm. The stop nut is unscrewed, which regulates the gap of the gear pair; during assembly, tighten the nut so that a guaranteed gap of about 0.12 mm remains.
The screwdriver removes the retaining and sealing rings, the spring pressing the gear rack through the stop to the gear and compensating for the possible appearance of a larger gap than necessary. The emphasis must be removed by turning the crankcase with the hole down, if the emphasis does not fall out, you need to knock the crankcase on a wooden block clamped in a vice.
To select the drive gear, the crankcase is again clamped in a vice, the lock washer is removed, with an octagonal head 24 mm. with a hole in the middle, the bearing nut is also unscrewed.
Open-end wrench 14 mm. is inserted into the grooves on the splined shank, a support that is convenient in height is selected, resting against which, with a key, like a lever, the drive gear is pulled out along with the bearing. Now you can dismantle the gear rack.
For the final disassembly of the gear, the retaining ring is unclenched and removed with needle-nosed pliers, and the roller is pushed out of the bearing with a puller.

Attention: If there is no puller, the pinion pinion is inserted into the vise with a small gap, the bearing rests on the jaws of the vise. By lightly tapping on the end, the roller is knocked out of the bearing.

If there is no key to remove the needle bearing, and you cannot pull it out with a hook, you will have to use a drill with a diameter of 1.2-2.0 mm. drill a hole in the crankcase in a place exactly opposite the end of the bearing. Then it will be possible to simply push the bearing out with a regular nail passing through the hole.
After assembly, do not forget to fill the hole with epoxy glue or plug it with cold welding.

It remains to replace the support sleeve and fix it on both sides with rings, and the repair of the VAZ 2109 rail is completed.

In some designs, the support sleeve has tabs that keep the sleeve from shifting in the crankcase recesses. Damping rubber rings are put on the support sleeve, which, after installation, are cut with a clerical or any other sharp knife.

Assembly is carried out in the reverse order, with preliminary abundant lubrication of all contacting and rubbing parts. After installation on the car, you need to completely tighten the stop nut and unscrew it by about 30 degrees, which will provide the necessary technological clearance of about 0.12 mm.

Advantages and disadvantages of self-assembly

Self-repair saves the budget significantly, the costs will be needed only for the purchase of the necessary repair kit and lubricant, the price of which is quite gentle.
In the case of attracting specialists, you will have to spend decently. But the worse thing is that unscrupulous performers can get caught, who will install non-new parts, which will lead to rapid wear and the need for extraordinary repairs.
However, there are disadvantages, unprofessional performance can lead to minor but important omissions that may adversely affect performance immediately after assembly or after a short time of operation.
Helps avoid these mistakes detailed video on the site, which must be viewed sequentially, delving into detail and carefully duplicating each stage of work.

The VAZ 2109 steering rack is responsible not only for comfort and ease of control, but also for the safety of the driver and passengers. You can even say that this is a unit that plays a very important role in the car. Without a rack, a front-wheel drive car will not be able to drive. Although, of course, she will be able to ride, but it’s unlikely that she will be able to make any maneuver. What does the driver feel when noise begins to be heard during cornering - rattle, creak, crunch? It is unlikely that there will be positive emotions, since the price of the rail and its repair is quite high.

Do-it-yourself steering rack repair 2109

The first sign that it is worth looking at the technical condition of the steering mechanism is the appearance of extraneous sounds. As a rule, they are heard when the steering wheel is turned. To slightly improve the situation, you can tighten the rack, while the gap in the gears decreases. But the consequence of this is a more “tight” steering wheel, it becomes difficult to turn it even at high speed, to say nothing about maneuvering on the spot. In addition, jamming is possible - therefore, it is best to purchase a VAZ 2109 steering rack repair kit and install it. But the best option is to install a new node (although it will come out more expensive).

To carry out the work, you will need a special tool - pullers, as well as a standard set of keys, screwdrivers, and most importantly - it is desirable to have a can of penetrating lubricant. Without it, it is not even worth starting repairs. Of the materials, anthers are needed for the tie rod ends, as well as a rail repair kit. Before starting work, disconnect the battery, it is advisable to remove it completely to the side. It is also advisable to remove the air filter housing (regardless of whether the carburetor or injector is used on the car). Raise both sides of the car, hang the wheels and remove them. Unscrew the nuts of the tips and remove the fingers from the steering knuckles.

But it’s too early to rejoice, you still need to unscrew the four nuts with a “10” wrench, which secure the metal cover covering the VAZ 2109 rail. Now a beautiful view opens up of the heads of the two bolts that secure the rods. But pay attention to the fact that they are locked with a thin plate, curved along the edges of the heads. Before unscrewing the bolts, be sure to straighten this plate with a thin chisel. Now you need to unscrew the bolt that secures the VAZ 2109 steering shaft to the rail. And unscrew all the nuts securing the latter to the car body. That's all, now you can start disassembling and installing elements from the repair kit. But if there is a new one in the collection, then put it in the reverse order.

If one day, sitting in your car, when turning the steering wheel in place, you hear some kind of extraneous noise or crunch in the area of \u200b\u200bthe steering rack, then I dare to upset you - your steering rack is faulty, and as you understand, you cannot avoid repairing it. In theory, it is possible, as an alternative to repair, to tighten the nuts on the steering rack using a special wrench. This method will give a positive result, however, will have its consequences. Because if you tighten the nut tightly, the resistance will increase, which will lead to difficult rotation of the steering wheel itself. There may also be much more serious consequences, for example, steering wheel jamming, which is simply unacceptable while driving!

Do-it-yourself repair of the VAZ-2109 steering rack is a very real and doable thing. If you decide to make repairs yourself, I recommend that you get an assistant, believe me, he will not bother you. Of the tools you will need WD-40 fluid, as well as a tie rod puller, both tools can be purchased inexpensively at any auto shop or car market.

So, let's look at the repair algorithm. The first thing to do is to raise the front of the car in order to ensure that the front wheels sag completely. At the same time, do not forget to place treadmills under the rear pair of wheels, or, if there are wheel chocks. After that, remove the front wheels, at the same time check the condition of the anthers on the steering fingers.

Having done all this, you need to gain access to the steering rack mount itself. To do this, it is necessary to disconnect the gas adsorber, as well as the alarm siren, if any. Then remove the terminal from the adsorber with wires, then take them to the side as far as the length of the hose allows you. Upon completion of the dismantling of all of the above nodes, you will have the necessary access to the steering rack mount. If your car has a used steering rack, pay attention to the condition of the silent blocks and boot anthers. After that, return the steering wheel to its original position (both wheels must be straight ahead). Using a spanner wrench or a universal joint head, gradually unscrew the bolt from the splines located near the pedal assembly. Next, clean the assembly on which the tie rod is attached to the suspension struts from all kinds of contaminants. Once cleaning is complete, use a pair of pliers to pull the lock pin out of the connections, then unscrew the steering tip nut.

Go ahead. After completing all the previous steps, install the puller. Tighten the nut, while tapping the puller from below with a hammer, do it “feeling”, gradually, until the steering tip finger comes out of the bowels of the conical joints. Then, under the hood, unscrew the nuts that are on the steering rack. Using a screwdriver, remove the rack from the mounts, after which you can pull it out through the hole in the wheel arch. After that, proceed directly to the process of installing the steering rack itself. In order to set the correct middle position of the rack, you must first install the steering fingers, then put the shaft on the splines in the cabin.

Inside the car, the steering shaft has a free play, for this reason it can be easily installed in the position you need. Be very careful and careful, because there is a groove in the steering rack for the clamp bolt, and you need to install it in such a way that the clamp is against the groove. Such an operation will allow you as a result, without any additional effort, to set the bolt to its original position.

After that, you can confidently perform a complete assembly of the steering assembly, remember that it is carried out in reverse order. If you wanted or had such a need, at the same time replace the steering rods, then you will definitely need to adjust the wheel alignment.

That's actually all! Now you are convinced that it is not difficult to repair the steering rack with your own hands, while saving your hard-earned money, and also adds precious experience to you. Dare, and you will certainly succeed!

Replacing the steering rack on the VAZ 2109: detailed instructions

Sometimes the driver behind the wheel may be accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, which is provoked by a dull tapping and it becomes especially noticeable precisely on bumps. After passing the diagnostics, the experts issue a verdict that the steering rack should be replaced, but this procedure can be carried out independently. Next, it will be considered in more detail how to remove the steering river on the VAZ 2109 and carry out a further replacement, taking into account all the technological nuances.

Thus, the replacement of the steering rack requires the following materials:

aerosol can Movil;
three plastic clamps 200 by 4 mm;
not woolen rags;
WD-40 for loosening rusted and burnt connections
White spirit in the amount of one liter
Grease for bearings. Mobil Grease XHP 222, FEOL and similar materials may be suitable.

Also, the replacement of the steering rack requires the following parts:

tubes
Silent blocks
Tips
Rail cover
Steering rack repair kit

And finally, replacing the steering rack on a VAZ 2109 with your own hands implies that you have the following tools:

The key for the bearing nut in the form of an octagonal rod for twenty-four with a recess;
The key for the rail in the form of an internal octahedron, which is inserted into the pressure nut;
Tip puller;
Hammer;
The extension mechanism for the key is preferably with a ratchet;
End heads.

Before repairing the steering rack on a VAZ. it is necessary to process all connections per day (nut for tightening the rail stop, four nuts for attaching the rail, threads of the tips). After an hour and a half, treat all the places again and the next day you can start the procedure.

How to change the steering rack on a VAZ 2109?

Put stops under the rear wheels, tighten the handbrake, lock the steering wheel, disconnect the power, that is, deactivate the battery terminals.
Put the car on a jack and remove the wheels, preferably, if there are any, put the car on supports. It is worth immediately warning that it may be necessary to replace the steering rack anther on the VAZ 2109.
Unscrew the nuts from the tips, pull the fingers out of the levers of the racks. In this case, you will need a puller - attach it, tighten the screw all the way and hit the lever with a hammer, holding the puller screw with a wrench. You need to hit hard enough.
In the next step, unscrew the nuts of the clamps. Try to get on the power plus with a crank if you forgot to disconnect the battery. In general, repairing the steering rack with your own hands is quite easy to carry out if you clearly follow the recommendations of this material.
At the very floor on the steering shaft inside the cabin, unscrew the bolt.
Pull the rail towards you with an oscillating motion. Remember that the gear shank will be very problematic to disconnect from the shaft. As soon as the rail is disconnected, pull the entire structure through the hole to the right.
Clamp everything with a vise and clean with a metal brush, then process with cloth and white spirit. Once the aluminum shines like new, unscrew the mustache bolts. At this stage, it is most relevant to monitor the state of silent blocks. If there is play, rubber in cracks or other defects, change them.
Bend the plate with a chisel, unscrew the bolts and remove the mustache.
Pull the plugs from the ends of the rail, you should also get rid of the elastic of the shaft and brow. You can immediately get rid of the cover, while the rest of the elements are recommended to be thoroughly washed and dried, but not in the sun.
Remove the bearing lock washer by prying it out with a screwdriver. Unscrew the nut with a special wrench, then you will find the bearing.
Tighten the splined shaft into a vise. It is desirable to put something on their lips. Gently guide the hammer against the body until the bearing comes out. It should be followed by a shaft, then gears and other parts.
Thoroughly rinse all received elements with white spirit using a brush. Finding a bearing of this type is very problematic, since it is non-standard, which is why wash it carefully and save it. Use a puller if you still decide to remove it. It is still recommended to leave it, since the conditions for its functioning are very tolerable.
Shake the gear rack out of the housing and clean it with white spirit. Dry, lubricate.
Carefully remove the plastic insert through the hole in the housing and unscrew the clamping nut. Usually this action can be very tight, but there is a new one in the repair kit, even if you damage this one. Replace the seal rings after shaking out the stop.
Consider the mustache, the tip should not play, the fingers should move with reasonable effort, there should not be any kind of defects on the covers. If you feel that any of the parts are defective or not working correctly, rinse the element and dry it, otherwise you can replace it, but try to keep the lever length to the maximum. To protect against corrosion, it is best to treat the thread with Movil at this stage.
Next, take care of the hinges, install new ones if you don’t like something in them or seem suspicious.
Install a new plastic bushing into the housing, the protrusions should be directed into the holes. Cut off the rubber bands.
Install the rack from the side of the gear. The approximate distance from the body to the end of the rail should be about twenty-eight millimeters. In this case, the rail should not protrude outward.
The bearing together with the gear must be pressed in until it stops, clamp the shaft in a vice together with the housing. In this case, special physical efforts should not be applied.
Orient the gear rack along the gear, insert the stop, nut and spring. Plasticine can be used to seal the hole in the nut.
Install a new rubber ring on the shaft side, then screw on another nut. In the next step, put on the cover and lock washer, align the marks.
Put on the rubber ring together with the cover, tighten the clamps tightly.
Set mustache. It is necessary to tighten them with great effort, bend the locking plate. Attach rubber plugs.
Carefully drag the entire resulting structure into the engine compartment.
Put the rail in place, put on the clamps, screw on the nuts and in no case forget about the washers.
It would be nice if the removal of the steering rack on the VAZ 2109 and its further replacement was carried out together with an assistant. The ends of the steering shaft must be aligned on the passenger side so that they coincide with the gear shaft. Be sure to pay attention to the special shaft flat, into which the coupling bolt must fall.
As soon as you finish baiting, start gently tapping on the sleeve with a hammer, plant it, at the same time, deeper. The operation of the signal in this case can be regarded as a criterion for the correct installation. If the signal does not buzz, continue to work with a hammer, as soon as the signal works, you can assume that the steering rack 2109 is almost ready for further operation.
Insert the bolt on the coupling into the ears and tighten firmly. Take self-locking nuts and tighten the rails on the clamps, process the studs with Movil.

If you have experience in replacing the clutch on a VAZ 2109 or in any other repair operations for your car, then replacing the steering rack will not be difficult for you.

At the end of the last century, Italian automakers were the first to install steering racks on cars. After some time, it turned out that with such an arrangement, the front-wheel suspension acquired only additional advantages. The rack is characterized by simplicity of design, reliability, ease and accuracy in control. Even if you have to repair the steering rack of the VAZ 2109, you won’t have to make any supernatural efforts for this, including if you want to do it yourself.

It is these qualities that have led to the emergence of an increasing variety of brands of cars with rack and pinion mechanisms, including domestic cars. Many of them are additionally equipped with electric or hydraulic amplifiers.

Possible wear and damage to parts leads to an increase in backlash, which in turn leads to a violation of controllability. Therefore, any defects, in addition to driving difficulties, also affect the intensive wear of wheel rubber, and besides, it is also dangerous, especially during overtaking maneuvers and cornering.

Improper operation of a modern steering mechanism often causes malfunctions, among which the following types are most typical:

strong vibrations and noises during movement;
difficulty with management, requiring great effort;
increase in gaps at the joints;
the presence of tangible impacts on the steering wheel during collisions with minor obstacles;
uncontrolled change in the direction of movement of the machine.

All these unpleasant symptoms are evidence of existing malfunctions in the control system.

Repair kit for steering rack VAZ 2108-09

If we take into consideration the existing two types of repair kits, one of them - incomplete contains a stock of rubbing parts that need periodic replacement of rubber products and disposable clamps. In case of serious breakdowns, for example, wear of the rack teeth, it becomes necessary to purchase a complete repair kit. Here is the entire list of parts, including a gear pair, two types of bearings and a clamping spring.

Repair work is easier if you know the principle of operation of all parts. By its design, the rail is extremely simple, it contains the following main elements:

directly the rail, which has two threaded holes that serve as a place for fastening the inner ends of the rods;
drive gear and splined shaft connected to the steering clutch;
half rings responsible for soft sliding;
thrust mechanism, which regulates the gap in the gear pair;
crankcase, necessary for the assembly of parts and fixed attachment to the car body;
sealing and protective elements against contamination.

After disassembling and cleaning, parts are troubleshooted and the importance of replacement is determined, including a visual inspection of the case for possible chips, cracks and other malfunctions.

Helpful advice

Similar actions are performed when it is necessary to repair the VAZ 2108 steering rack.

Next, the shafts are inspected for the possible presence of burrs, the degree of their wear is determined, whether there are scratches, and the bearings are checked. After identifying defective parts, they are replaced and assembled.

Do-it-yourself steering rack repair

Taking into account the fact that the location of the steering mechanism is the engine compartment, before starting work, it is necessary to provide maximum access to it. For this purpose, if necessary, you can remove the battery and air filter.

To remove the mechanism itself, you will have to unscrew the mounting bolts connecting the steering shaft to the gear: this action is performed from inside the car; the left and right steering rods are disconnected from the levers and the fastening of the rack and pinion mechanism to the car body is removed.

To make your task as easy as possible, you need to fix the rack casing in a yew, using soft gaskets. Next, the protective cap, anther clamps are removed, the nut, spring, retaining ring and other elements are removed.

After completing a complete disassembly, the parts must be cleaned and washed, the integrity of the bearings must be checked. If even a slight play is found, they must be replaced. The parts are assembled and installed in the reverse order.

Below you can watch a video on how to repair the steering rack on a VAZ 2109 with your own hands.