E-Z-GO FLEET 1999 Technician's Repair And Service Manual page 66

FRONT SUSPENSION AND STEERING
Read all of Section B and this section before attempting any procedure. Pay particular attention to all Notes, Cautions and Warnings
until ball joint (17) end threads are protected. Using a ball
joint separator as a lever, apply pressure to ball joint and
tap nut with plastic faced hammer to release ball joint
from idler arm (18). Remove tie rods, and lastly, remove
the two epoxy patch bolts (19*) and longer bolt (44)
attaching the steering housing to the frame mount and
remove the housing from the underside of the vehicle.
Replace steering housing in reverse order of removal.
Bolts (19*) must be replaced with new bolts. Tighten
mounting bolts to 35 - 50 ft. lbs. (50 - 70 Nm) torque.
Tighten tie rod nuts (16) to 35 ft. lbs. (50 Nm) torque and
continue to tighten as needed to insert new cotter pin,
maximum torque 50 ft. lbs. (70 Nm).
Idler Arm Replacement
Tool List
Pliers, needle nose ...................................................... 1
Wrench, 11/16" ............................................................ 1
Wrench, 1 1/4" ............................................................. 1
To remove the idler arm (18) from the steering housing
assembly (13), remove the steering housing assembly
from the vehicle (as described above) (Ref Fig. 8 on
page E-5). Remove the cotter pin and nut (20) attaching
the steering rack ball joint (21) to the upper idler arm,
remove the lock nut (22) and the two washers (23, 24)
from the idler and remove the idler arm from the steering
housing.
Replace idler arm in reverse order of removal.
Tighten nut (22) to 70 - 80 ft. lbs. (95 - 108 Nm) torque.
Insert new cotter pin (25).
Tighten nut (20) to 35 ft. lbs. (50 Nm) torque and con­
tinue to tighten as needed to insert new cotter pin, maxi­
mum torque 50 ft. lbs. (70 Nm).
Lubricate through grease fitting (42).
Rack Tensioner Replacement
Tool List
Wrench, 9/16" .............................................................. 1
In general, there is no need to remove the rack tensioner
(26) unless the rack bellows (27) and or the rack cover
(28) have been torn or damaged and there is reason to
believe that water or dirt has entered the housing (Ref
Fig. 8 on page E-5). The tensioner can be greased
through a right angle grease fitting (29) located on the
steering housing directly behind the front shield. The ten­
sioner does need to be removed in order to replace the
rack (30).
Page E-6
To remove the tensioner, remove the bolts (31 ), the cover
plate (32) and gasket (33) that secures the rack ten­
sioner in the steering housing. Remove the spring (34)
and tensioner.
Replace rack tensioner in the reverse order of removal,
replacing gasket (33) with a new one.
Tighten bolts (31) to 18 - 22 ft. lbs. (24 - 30 Nm) torque.
Lubricate through grease fitting (29).
Rack Replacement
Tool List
Wrench, 9/16" .............................................................. 1
Pliers, needle nose ...................................................... 1
Qty. Required
Wrench 11/16" ............................................................. 1
Ball joint separator ....................................................... 1
Plastic faced hammer .................................................. 1
Straight blade screwdriver ........................................... 1
The rack can be removed by loosening the tensioner
bolts (31 ), removing cotter pin and backing off nut (20) on
rack ball joint (21) until end threads of ball joint are pro­
tected (Ref Fig. 8 on page E-5). Using a ball joint separa­
tor as a lever, apply pressure to ball joint and tap nut with
plastic faced hammer to release ball joint from idler arm.
Remove nut from ball joint and ball joint from idler arm.
Remove the large clamp (35) that secures rack bellows
(27) to the steering housing. The rack and the bellows
may now be pulled from housing.
To test for straightness, lay smooth side of rack on the
edge of a metal straight edge in good condition. If a .015"
(.381 mm) feeler gauge passes between the rack and the
straight edge, the rack is excessively bent and must be
replaced. The rack and steering pinion must be
replaced as a set.
Rack replacement is the reverse order of removal. Pull
Qty. Required
rack into steering assembly by turning steering wheel.
Rack Ball Joint Removal
For rack ball joint replacement, the rack must be
removed from the steering assembly in order to properly
adjust the rack/ball joint length. (See above for rack
removal). The rack end ball joint (21) can be removed
from the steering rack (30) once the rack is removed from
the steering housing by loosening the jam nut (36) and
removing the ball joint (21) from the rack (Ref Fig. 8 on
page E-5).
Repair and Service Manual
Qty. Required