Steering box height setting

[petak]

Recently have changed original steering box with another one i had in garage (serviced before installation)

Next thing interest me.

Is it necessary to do check out of steering box height according to MR175 instruction. (section of MR175 is in attachment)

Did anybody here done it? And how? Considering those special tools are not easily find.

And must say that i did not fully understand MR175 instructions!

 

[angel]

Local wheel alignment specialists "in the know" checked steering rack height by grabbing the front bumper of the car, pushing it up and down as far as it was possible and checking alteration of toe. It should vary no more than 4mm, and variation should be equal on both sides. With so many R4s in your country, I'm sure you will find a wheel alignment mechanic who remembers the way of setting steering rack height.

 

[petak]

Tx Angel!

Now i am little bit smarter about setting of steering rack.

Is it necessary to do it?

Does that height depend on car mounting position of steering rack or steering rack itself.

You would be surprised how little mechanics "know how" for anything around R4 more that setting timing, points, and maybe carb just good enough.

For many R4 owners that is good enough, but that does not satisfy me.

 

[angel]

I think it has to do more with the chassis rack mounting brackets rather than the rack itself. I would put the shims on their original positions and fit the new steering rack, then have the alignment checked.
Incorrect steering rack height setting has more to do with what we call bump steering, than pulling to one side or causing uneven tyre wear.

I was talking with a mechanic last week and he told me "when I started working in the early 80s these things were already old!" So yes, I don't expect from "conventional" mechanics to have adequate know-how on the R4 or to be interested to work on it.

 

[malcolm]

I've always wondered about those spacers. Steering rack height is important for bump steer but Renault are the only ones who seem to want to set it to the millimetre. Plenty of other cars where packaging constraints mean the steering rack height is wrong by a long way and they still sell them. I think Renault had a very fussy engineer responsible for the steering rack.

I just bung them back in and haven't noticed a problem.

 

[petak]

For now i have put back same shims that were.

Can really tell if there is any differance in drive.
It is much better just because rack is now more firm.

But on F4 i find out that on one side there is shim and on the other there is no shim.