General TR Splined Steering Rod Shafts

[KVH]

I’m able to pull my steering wheel up toward me, and I can see where the play is. The splines at the steering rack, and another closer to the firewall, move up and down about an eighth of an inch if I pull up and push down on the wheel.

Is this natural, or does it indicate that the coupling bolts I’m using are too skinny? They of course slide into the machined grooves of the shafts.

I’m using 7/16th head, 1/4” fine thread bolts. The manual calls them pinch bolts but surely that’s a misnomer. Nothing is getting pinched, especially at such low torque.

 

[mctriumph]

Go to a better bolt, it should PINCH tight.There is zero movement tolerated here....
Mad dog

 

[KVH]

Go to a better bolt, it should PINCH tight.There is zero movement tolerated here....
Mad dog

The way that fitting is made seems like it wouldn’t actually pinch, and the torque is really low, less than 15 pounds. I’ll take another look at it.

 

[Sarastro]

I had this problem at one point, too.

Those pinch joints are not well designed. It takes a LOT of torque on those pitiful little 1/4" bolts to tighted them, about the limit of what they can take. With grade 8 bolts you should be able to torque them to ~20 lb ft without damaging them.

 

[poolboy]

Like battery cable clamps and the distributor clamps, those pinch clamps may have been pinched to the max at one time or another and may just need spreading and retightening.

 

[KVH]

I just tightened them. They seem way too tight. This doesn’t feel right intuitively.

The manual says 6 to 8 foot pounds. My shafts are now more snug, but I’m at least 25 foot pounds.

I’m wondering if the spines are strong enough and resistant to stripping, and whether the pinch bolt is merely to avoid the shafts coming apart since they slide into grooves for that purpose.

Looking at the design, how they are made, I’m not seeing any real hint indicating that an actual pinch was intended. The adapter seems way too stout for that.

 

[charleyf]

If you totally take the splined parts apart you will find that the location of the pinch bolt has material removed to accomodate the bolt. So the splined parts will not come apart as long as there is a bolt in place.
I would suggest that you try removing some of the material from the pinch slot so that when you pinch it with the bolt you are not trying to compress the metal but actually pinching the gap.
Charley

 

[KVH]

I had mine totally off. There’s plenty of room to pinch but the strength and integrity of the piece is telling me it wasn’t meant to move much at all. I may post a pic. Seriously, muscling that thing with ratchets on both sides does very little.

 

[KVH]

I had mine totally off. There’s plenty of room to pinch but the strength and integrity of the piece is telling me it wasn’t meant to move much at all. I may post a pic. Seriously, muscling that thing with ratchets on both sides does very little.

Here are some pics. I can try grade 8. I’m definitely near the point of ruining the grade 3 or 5 I have there, and I’m way above specified torque. Thx guys.