Steering Rack Bushes

[MarinaCoupe]

Hi All,

Nolathane - the manufacturers of the steering rack bushes, need to see some evidence of the problem first hand otherwise it’s all just heresay to them. Can anyone send me pictures and or a damaged/broken steering rack bush please, it the only way I’m ever going to get any results.

Happy to replace a damaged one with a new one.

[marina12]

Thanks- don’t have issues myself but am interested in the resolution.

[Morris McKinnon]

I've fitted both the older and newer versions. My girlfriends car has the later black type which I found needed two screws to hold it cos it slid out, apart from that I've had no issues. It's probably been at least three years since I fitted it and still sits in the rack and does it's job fine.

[MarinaCoupe]

Thanks Gareth, I had two or three reports recently of the bushes slipping out.

[JoshWard]

I have had them slip out but there's no damage on the bush afterwards. They just don't take screws properly since they changed to the black type. My solution is to put screws next to it to stop them falling out. Need to get a video of one fitted using just the standard screw and it falling out.

[First-Car as Marina]

My issue, on REW this is, was that I removed the old one and fitted the new black one and held it in place with two screws however after about 20 miles it'd fallen out. As Josh says, there's no damage to the bush after apart from a couple of marks where the screws made contact. I even tried making a pilot hole with a scribe but that made no difference.

I did the same but with PDA and a red bush and never had an issue in the 2-3 years of daily driving

[MarinaCoupe]

Nolathane are telling me that there is no difference in the formulation of the polyurethane in the bushes whether red or black

[First-Car as Marina]

The red ones always felt a bit more 'firmer', the black ones are a little more 'swishy', but maybe it's just me

[JoshWard]

That just doesn't make sense to me... the black ones are definitely softer! Fitted several of the red ones and never had an issue, even using the single screw.

[Kilroy]

They do not "fall out".
They push out.
On full right lock the (left) bush is encouraged to move out, and the softer nature of polyurethane as compared to an original steel-backed nylon bush means that grubscrews do not provide enough resistance to prevent this happening under certain conditions.
In my case, "certain conditions" were freezing. The bush froze to the rack and was thus ripped out of position during a full lock right turn in mid-winter.
I then discovered that a full lock left turn pushed it back in, but I conceded that it needed more restraint.
Currently I favour fitting a large diameter circlip inside the rack housing at the outer end of the new polyurethane bush, and placing a couple of grubscrews to retain that. Yes - the circlip could rotate, but as I use silicone sealant to retain the bush when fitting it, I also allow a bit of that sealant to interact with the circlip. It seems to provide the adequate encouragement.
Cheers.