Rack And Pinion Unit Replacement; Spindle Contact With Front Axle - E-Z-GO TXT 48V Repair And Service Manual

FRONT SUSPENSION AND STEERING
Read all of Section B and this section before attempting any procedure. Pay particular attention to all Notices, Cautions, Dangers and Warnings.

Rack and Pinion Unit Replacement

Tool List
Socket, 13 mm, 3/8" drive ........................................... 1
Ratchet, 3/8" drive ....................................................... 1
Needle nose pliers....................................................... 1
Wrench, 11/16" ............................................................ 1
Ball joint separator....................................................... 1
Plastic faced hammer .................................................. 1
Wrench, 5/8" ................................................................ 1
Socket, 5/8", 1/2" drive ................................................ 1
Ratchet, 1/2" drive ....................................................... 1
Torque wrench, 1/2" drive, ft. lbs. ................................ 1
Socket, 11/16", 1/2" drive ............................................ 1
Torque wrench, 3/8" drive, in. lbs. ............................... 1
To remove rack and pinion unit (12) (Ref. Fig. 11 on
Page F-9), loosen front wheels and lift and support front
of vehicle per SAFETY section. Remove front wheels.
Remove bolt (13) and washer (14) securing intermediate
shaft (15) to rack and pinion unit (12).
Remove cotter pin (2) and loosen castellated nut (3)
until rack ball joint (1) 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 passenger side spindle arm. Remove nut from ball
joint and ball joint from spindle arm.
Remove the three lock nuts (18) securing rack and pin-
ion unit to front axle and discard nuts. The rack and pin-
ion unit can now be removed from vehicle. Retain
washers (19), spacers (20) and the two bolts (16) for
assembly.
Replace rack and pinion unit in reverse order of
removal.
Use new lock nuts (18) and tighten them to 35 - 50 ft.
lbs. (50 - 70 Nm) torque.
Tighten castellated nut (3) to 36 ft. lbs. (50 Nm) torque
and continue to tighten as needed to insert new cotter
pin. Maximum torque is 50 ft. lbs. (70 Nm).
Tighten bolt (13) securing intermediate shaft to pinion to
155 - 215 in. lbs. (180 - 250 kg cm) torque.
After replacing or servicing steering components, always
verify that an 1/8" gap exists between large hex of rack
extension and rack and pinion unit when steering is
turned fully to the right forcing passenger spindle arm
against front axle.
Page F-14
Set proper rack extension-to-rack and pinion unit clear-
ance. "Checking/Adjusting Rack Extension-to-Rack and
Qty. Required
Pinion Unit Clearance" on Page F-14.
Install front wheels per WHEELS AND TIRES section
and lower vehicle per SAFETY section.
Check front wheel alignment and adjust if necessary.
"Wheel Alignment" on Page F-3.
Checking/Adjusting Rack Extension-to-Rack
and Pinion Unit Clearance
Tool List
Wrench, 11/16".............................................................1
Wrench, 3/4" ................................................................1
Wrench, 1/2" ................................................................1
Wire cutter ...................................................................1
Washer, 1/8" thick ........................................................1
Crowfoot socket, 3/4", 1/2" drive..................................1
Torque wrench, 1/2" drive, ft. lbs..................................1
Wire tie, 10" long..........................................................1
Check for proper rack extension-to-rack and pinion unit
clearance by first turning steering wheel fully to the right.
The rear spindle arm on the passenger side must rest
against the front axle (Ref. Fig. 18 on Page F-14). If it
does not, all adjustment is made at the rack ball joint (6)
(Ref. Fig. 17 on Page F-13). Loosen jam nut (5) at rack
ball joint and use wrench to thread shaft of rack exten-
sion (7) further into rack ball joint. This will provide more
travel for the steering wheel to be turned to the right.
With spindle arm resting against front axle, cut wire tie
(14) securing bellows (9) to rack and pinion unit (1) and
slide bellows away from rack and pinion unit to see large
Repair and Service Manual
Rack Passenger Side
Ball
Spindle Arm
Joint
Resting Against
Front Axle
Fig. 18 Spindle Contact with Front Axle
Qty. Required
Front
of Vehicle