Capri Club Scotland

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Coming soon , central locking , electric windows , bonnet lifters and others.

The following set-up procedure was provided by the Cerberus boys to one of our members , Peter Gibson and is excellent info for anyone with a 2.8/3.0 and having problems with the steering rack.

There are 2 ways that this can be done.

The first requires the rack to be removed from the car and the proviso of a spare pump, which has to be driven by an electric drill. The second is much simpler and is the method that I used on mine. The valve assembly, which has to be adjusted, is also part of the pinion shaft. The position of the shaft can be adjusted thereby also adjusting the position of the valve body. The pinion shaft bottom bearing is a unique design where the inner race is threaded to the pinion shaft. Clockwise or anticlockwise rotation of the inner race in respect to the shaft moves the valve body and adjusts the bias. The position of the inner race to the shaft is locked in place with a tab washer and lock nut.

Method 1. Remove the rack and hold it securely in a vice. Then connect it up to a spare pump driven by a power drill. Lock the diff at a running speed sufficient to supply the pump and rack. As soon as you start the drill, if the rack is badly out of balance it will immediatley traverse voilently in one direction. Stop the drill, remove the 2 bolts holding the bearing cover, undo the lock tabs on the nut and remove the nut, remove the lock washer. Turn the inner race 1/4 turn anti-clockwise if the rack moved to the left, which is the most common or clockwise if it moved to the right. Refit the lock tab and nut and nip up tight, don't over tighten or you'll damage the lock tab. You must refit the cover and the 2 bolts before you retest or the bearing will fly out as soon as you start the drill. Repeat until the rack stays stationary when you start the drill. When you're happy that all is well, lock up the tabs and refit the cover. Don't forget to replace the gasket or use instant gasket over the old one.

Method 2. (Recommended) With the rack still fitted to the car. remove the front wheels, placing the car on stands. Undo the track rod ends so that the rack can traverse freely without fouling on anything. Start the engine and note which way the steering wheel starts to move. If it doesn't, then give it a bit of help and see if it then moves on its own over to the full lock position, left or right. Remove the 2 bolts and pinion cover (use a container to catch the oil, which leaks out). Then adjust the inner race as in method 1. As a double check you can use a torque wrench or a spring balance on the steering wheel or a nut to test for equal pressure in both directions....simple!

With either method you MUST make sure that you replace any lost oil from the rack. The oil, which leaks out of the pinion housing, is lubrication oil and is not part of the hydraulic system. To replace it use a syringe or similar to inject about 200ml through one of the smaller diameters of one of the rubber gaiters. Traverse the rack a few times to distribute the oil evenly. The rack should contain about 200ml of either normal engine or, as I used, EP80 gear oil.