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hi there searching for service late 87 245 for steering rack info. it has the boots on the inner tie rods with the small opening, so i thought it would be the cam gear when i removed the inner tie rod it has the male threads from what i have read this does not make sense. i never did inners before. also it has grease not oil so i am confused. also someone has worked on the rack before.so here i go again. hardknocks!!! thanks.
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thanks everyone for the info .
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Sounds like you may have an earlier or later (than '87) rack.
'75 - '78 (CAM) 1205666, picture shows Male end (RPR catalog)
'79 - '87 (CAM) 1272927 with Female end (S.A.V.E. catalog)
'88 - '93 (CAM) 1387451 with Male end (ditto)
The early ones (pre '79?) said to put about 6 oz. of oil in each boot. They had a "balance pipe" connecting each boot so that oil squeezed out of one side (on a tight turn) could transfer to the other side, to relieve pressure inside the boot.
If the boots on your rack have a hole at top/inner for oil pipe, it is probably the early CAM rack. But you mention "late '87", so you probably need the '88 - '93 steering rod.
As far as the grease in the boots — I guess it can't hurt, but have never seen it mentioned in the service manuals. (We batted this around before, right Doug?).
--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current)
'80 GLE V8 (Sold 5/03)
'83 Turbo 245
'76 244 (lasted only 255,000 miles)
73 142 (98K)
'71 144 (track modified--crusher bound)
New 144 from '67 to '78
Used '62 122 from '63 to '67
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Hi Bruce,
I think last time we were talking about grease in the area under the plate where the power steering adjustment is made on the 81 CamGear. If I remember right, someone was trying to balance the power steering because his car was pulling to one side.
As far as grease under the boots, I know I read in a manual somewhere (I think it was a green book at the dealer, but I can't be sure. If I see it again I'll get a copy for you.) that grease goes under the boots to keep the inner tie rod connection lubricated. When I bought a set of boots from IPD last year they came with a packet of black grease that looked like MolyGraph Multipurpose Grease to use for that purpose. Anyway, I'm no expert, but it made sense to me so I went ahead and slathered it all over the inner tie rod connection before putting the boot over it. Mine has a balance pipe from one boot to the other along the top of the rack, but I thought that was for air pressure equalization. The only year I've done inner tie rods on is 1981, though, so I know there's a lot more I can learn.
Nice to hear from you.
--
Thanks to everyone for the help, Doug C. 81 242 Brick Off Blocks, stock, M46; 86 240, 135k
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Hi Doug,
Taking off from: "Mine has a balance pipe from one boot to the other along the top of the rack, but I thought that was for air pressure equalization."
Just checked a '76 Greenbook, with a nice, numbered graphic of the CAM rack. Item #1 was the "Air Overflow Pipe" (didn't run between the boots, the ports were actually built into the left and right rack housings).
Then on the next page was a color-coded, 3-part schematic showing how the rack works, with "Lubricating Oil" flowing between the boots via the "Air" pipe. Go figure.
It also showed grease being put onto the ZF pinion assembly, but not the CAM. But who knows? That was 1976.
And I now recall that the CAM rack on my '80 260 GLE had boots with holes for (what I'll call) the "balance" pipe, and also that the pipe hole in the aftermarket boots was way too small for the pipe. So it seems that style didn't end in '79, as I'd thought.
If there is anything I can ever dig out of these old greenbooks for you, give a holler,
--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current)
'80 GLE V8 (Sold 5/03)
'83 Turbo 245
'76 244 (lasted only 255,000 miles)
73 142 (98K)
'71 144 (track modified--crusher bound)
New 144 from '67 to '78
Used '62 122 from '63 to '67
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thanks everyone . well sunday went to junkyard most of the tie rods were shot . then i checked a 740 and saw some good boots so i looked under the boots and found inner tie rod just like the one i needed. looked like new. it worked. all the 240s i checked and disasembled were quite different 3 different ones? go figure. all my searching and reading didnt answer much.now to search for wheel alignment the old fashioned way.thanks again!
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I just did the inner on my 89 with CAM, got the part from FCP.
The tie rod end was male on the inside end (and outside, for that matter), and there was grease on the rack, as well as just general guck from a temporary seal leak. The new boot for $8 was worth it, but it goes on very hard. The old one would have been worse, it was oil-hardened to the point of brittleness.
I wiped the old grease and guck off, put new grease onto the rack.
I think the male/female thing is more about which part are we talking about. The end of the rack was female.
--
You must be present to win.
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The service plate is under the "lid" for the 3rd seat in the back.
Doug C seems to know way more about the actual rack than I do....for now anyway...I will be tackling one shortly I think.
Bret
--
rust free in west Texas
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On my 81 CamGear the boot has an opening on the outside end that is about the size of a dime. The boot fits directly over the tie rod. Yes, inside the boots should be grease, not oil. The ball joint connection in there is not lubricated by the power steering fluid. On my 81, the tie rod has a female connection at the inner end where it connects to the main shaft of the rack and pinion system. It sounds like yours is set up differently with a male connection. The Bentley manual on page 640-2 shows three different CamGear racks and two different ZF racks. Maybe there were several different ways of connecting the inner tie rod to the main steering shaft. I'd call Nick at FCP or Chris at Swedish Engineering and see what they know. I have not worked on an 87 rack yet. Good luck.
--
Thanks to everyone for the help, Doug C. 81 242 Brick Off Blocks, stock, M46; 86 240, 135k
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