Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Plus 4 Steering rack gaiter

Apologies if this has been covered but I seem to have conflicting opinions. I had the Jack Knight gaiter replaced today and note that the steering wheel is very slightly off centre. Now here is the question. Having read lots of details from Gomog, it recommends alignment after the replacement, but that seems crazy to me. On here there are suggestions that the rack itself may have moved a fraction which affects the steering.

I have seen suggestions about loosening the centre bolts and sliding the rack in the appropriate direction. If it is that simple why would I get tracing checked? Although I had had Morgans prior to 1989 this is again all new to me. I am keen to get hands dirty so if it is as simple as suggested here I will give it a go. Incidentally the garage greased everything for me and commented that the car was like new underneath.

I am planning to buy a scissor lift to make things easier! Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Yes sounds likes the rack has moved a tad when it was loosened to fit gaiter Robin. It's an opportunity to check the steering on full lock each side to equalise and ensure wheels don't touch bodywork, then adjust tracking (toe in) before finally centralising steering wheel on splines.

However if you were previously happy with all these parameters then a nudge after loosening rack clamps alone should allow steering wheel to be centralised before re-tightening. Often you can see tell tale marks to show where it was originally clamped.

Regarding lifts I've been very happy with this relatively inexpensive Automotech AS-7630 hydraulic scissor lift, with electro-magnetic safety release, over previous five years.



At least one other TM'r and probably several more use them as well.

Thanks Richard.

strathavan, If those who changed your gaiter, and the Jack knight requires that the rack is removed as the gator is a one piece affair, didn't change the track rod length ie. refitted them exactly as removed which is not hard as you don't need to loosen the lock nuts at either end.

So your thoughts that loosening the rack mounting blocks and repositioning the rack to centralise the steering wheel is correct, assuming the steering was centralised in the first place. I think Richard was saying that It might be an opportunity to fully check the steering alignment which is an unknown at the moment. This will achieve several things in that you will see how the car drives when the geometry is set as it should be, you might be very surprised how well a fully aligned mog will drive, the feedback weight through the wheel and a more relaxed drive for the driver is usually felt. Tyre wear on such a light car is often not a good indicator of bad tracking unless radically out of line or used very regularly. And lastly I would have expected the fitter to have retracted the car if he changed steering rack track rod length and charged for it!

A quick update. I followed all the advice here and managed to nudge the rack after loosening the bolts through the clamps. Of course I tightened these afterwards but not enough. On Sunday last I was heading to Bo’ness Hillclimb when I realised the steering was all over the place. Scary! As the weather was atrocious I carried on gingerly and on arrival I had a closer look with the drivers side bonnet raised. When I turned the steering wheel I could see the bolts moving in the clamps, so clearly the rack was moving a little and not the track rods. It was an easy fix though it needed two hands but all was well. A lesson learned!

Wait until the years pile on and when you do any work to a car you have to check it at least three times and mark it on a check sheet as the memory can....... what was I saying, oh yes, no sugar thanks!

I expected a degree of admonishment. I said to my friend it was a schoolboy error, and his response was do not allow schoolboys near it! At age 75 I am still learning. And this resource is now my go to!

Your experience, common to so many of us, is why I (I am often referred to as GoMoG) mentioned alignment after JK gaiter changing. A misaligned steering wheel drives me batty. Doesn't yours? However, if you can live it.....and ignore the possibility of front wheel misalignment (which you can check by merely finding a quiet stretch of LEVEL road (most roads are canted a bit to allow rain run off so I run with the white line in the centre) and see if the car move to one side or t'other. It is all of matter of geometry. A slight difference, caused by even a slight difference at the rack, either at the brackets holding the rack to the frame or bolts holes at the dreaded holding plates is multiplied by the distance to the steering wheel. What seems negligible at the rack becomes significant by the time that little change travels up to the setting wheel.

WATCHPOINT: Sewin's post reminded me of something. The only two times I swapped in new gaiters, for myself and another, and I DID NOT have to have the steering checked and re-aligned was when I ignored to standard method of a gaiter change by removing the R&P from the car was when I did not do so. After all, the method is the same either way, except the risk of misalignment is less. I unbolted the centre attachment plates, removed the far side u-bracket that holds the rack to the cross-frame.and slid the old gaiters off (or you can just scissor them off) and then slid the new gaiter back on. then you slide the spacers back through the centre holes into their slots and re-bolt the plates. This is all what you are going to have to do with the rack off anyway.

Now, I hope you don't mind, but I will use this post to piggy back advice on the installation of these JK gaiters. The JK-type gaiters have important watchpoints..often not noticed until it is too late. The errors quickly express themselves as tears and leaking. I deal regularly with these issues in my Help Inbox. .

1. JK centre gaiters are extremely flimsy, merely laminated silicone over a mould. The two all important spacers at the rack centre have a raised section in their middle which never shows up in the schematics. These raised sections stop the silicone from being pinched by the plates when you bolt the assembly back together. If not, they soon split and leak, a MOT failure. I have added a picture of a similar spacer below

2. The JK end gaiters must be installed carefully as well. Too many of us push them on too far, which means the pinion will pop through them at the first steep turn.

I learned these issues 30 years ago by making the mistakes so many do. Mistakes are the only way we learn anything! One day I will make a Quaife-type centre gaiter. I have bought the needed parts (8£) .... just need the time. I see a great one made by a Talk Morgan Member made by "Zach". https://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/807888/re-home-made-steering-gaiter tho I love shiny metal.. It is not a priority as my last two JK gaiters (2 cars) I installed have 23 years and 340,000 kms on them.

Lorne