Steering Gear issue

As if the C steering is not bad enough already, this is what greeted me when I took the cover off the bearing housing.

I'm no expert but !!!! I think there may be a slight problem here.

Enjoy the pic,

Bill.

ouch.

Mine was not that bad...the bearing was toast, but that's it....fine now..after some 30k additional miles since 1997.

Been there, amazing how things will clean up. Usually the upper pinion seal is gone and water runs down into the rack.
Ron

Good thing you have a nice wire brush!

Looks bad from the picture, hope it is rebuildable. Good Luck I might thing about a replacement.

Now would be the time to swap over to the Quick Rack......if the rest can be reused.

FWIW
I have the last known OEM rack and pinion and many of the parts to rebuild the rack including the inner tie rods......

The Quick Rack is marketed by Doug Smith at MG Motorsport.

Reduces the turns from lock to lock.

Everyone I know who's fitted it has raved about it.

Mark,

Do you know the number of turns from lock to lock on the standard rack?
Looks like the quick rack from MG Motorsport is 2.9 turns from lock to lock.

How does this compare to the MGB?

Sorry for all the questions.

Bill,

I can't answer your question but the Moss Rack I put in shortly after I bought my C is great accept and a Big accept....you need 40 acres to make a sharp turn.

OUCH!!!

Take it all the way apart (except maybe not the tie-rod sockets, the lock rings are not available) and check everything. I would expect everything on the driver's side to have suffered. Hopefully it didn't get used much like that, rust can be so abrasive. Clean it all and maybe polish the remains. The bearing and seal can be replaced, most of the rest can be adjusted, if not worn much. Good luck.

The Doug Smith at MGMotorsport has the Quick-Rack made for him, so he is the exclusive source. It has a different ratio and is 2.9 turns lock-to-lock. The stock rack ratio is 3.5 turns lock-to-lock. Turning circle is the same and not that much different than a B either.

I have my own cure for preventing the water from running down the pinion shaft and into the rack housing, too.

C Ya,
Mark

Mark
I got it, rat guards to keep the water out. They work great on mooring lines so why not steering racks.:D

Ron

Rats are pretty smart, and I've seen them get around rat guards without a hitch.

Kind a like a "squirrel-proof" bird feeder - haven't seen one yet that can't get around.

But in keeping with the maritime theme (you started it Ron) the use of a very heavy duty preservative like Cosmoline would probably help the steering gear internals last a lot longer.

Being an old submariner, when the rats get to be a problem we just submerge. MK 48 torpedoes are a tad too expensive to use on em. Cosmoline, love the stuff.
Ron

Ron: Good call! Didn't think of it that way! (Shame on me. My father, grandfather, great uncle and older brother were all Navy men and mother's "little" brother was Coast Guard - Acadamy and all.)

Made mine out of UHMW and fitted tight to the pinion shaft just above the pinion seal. Seems to have worked well. Drove the car in all kinds of weather for many years and the rack seems to be as good as when I rebuilt it. Seal seams to be to keep the oil in, not water and dirt out.

Mark: I think I have an old can of cosmoline around here that might have been "liberated" by my late father-in-law. It is a good coating for preservation, but for lubrication I would rather use a modern synthetic gear lube instead.

And for a squirrel-proof bird feeder check out the spinner type of feeder. They give up and go away after only a couple of rides on them. And a lot of fun watching them try!

C Ya,
Mark

While I still have one of the last OEM racks I intend to bring in some of Dougs quick racks....anyone interested contact via PM...

I also have the quick rack that MG Motorsport sells. Believe that it is made by Quaiffe or somehting like that. Anyway, it does make a difference. But before I installed the quick rack, I had no problems with turning the car. You just need to work out lol. There is no doubt, that the steering requires some effort and muscle. I am wondering though how long it will be before one can get an electronic power sterring unit for the car for those that may need it?

The MG Owners Club in the UK developed a Power Steering system for the MGC, and I plan on featuring the article from Safety Fast in a future AMGCR newsletter.

From what I know, it was still in development when fitted. I believe the conversion was only available on RHD MGCs, because of the rack itself.

Colne Classics now offers it, and maybe it's available for LHD applications, as I believe all the components came from a French car.

Someone fitted one to a MGC over here, as I remember seeing it at the Gettysburg AMGCR meet way back when, and I believe it came out of a Chevrolet Chevette.

Mine steers rather easy for a non power steering car.