The steering gear is located behind the front wheel suspension and is connected to the steering wheel by articulated steering shafts. This design allows for compact placement of the steering in the vehicle body. The steering shock absorber absorbs all shocks caused by uneven road surfaces, preventing them from affecting the steering wheel. The steering gear must not be disassembled or repaired. The power steering is installed at the customer's request and is described in section 16.
Removal and installation
Raise the front side of the car and place it on stands, or lift it using a lift or place the car on an inspection pit.
Loosen the Allen bolt connecting the steering shafts.
Loosen the nuts securing the ball joints of the steering rods and the transverse steering rod, and remove the ball joints using a puller. When installing a replacement steering gear, perform all dismantling and installation work depending on the configuration of the replacement gear.
Unscrew the shock absorber and steering mount to the bracket on the base of the car body.
Loosen the three bolts securing the steering gear to the longitudinal body reinforcement.
Disconnect the steering gear from the steering shafts and lower it down.
Before installation, unscrew the plug in the steering gear housing, check the oil level and top up if necessary.
During installation, perform the following tasks:
Set the steering gear to the middle position. To do this, turn the drive shaft so that the center of the steering gear nut hole is located exactly under the threaded hole in the steering gear cover.
Screw the control bolt into the steering gear cover and fix the steering gear nut in the middle position (see fig. 235).
Fig. 235. Fixing the steering mechanism.
1 - steering mechanism,
2 - steering gear nut,
3 - control bolt.
Connect the steering gear screw to the steering shaft so that when the steering gear is in the vertical position, the double splines on the coupling are positioned exactly horizontally.
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Turn the steering shaft to the middle position.
Turn the steering wheel so that the steering wheel pad is in a horizontal position. To check, remove the pad and check that the mark on the steering shaft is directed vertically upwards.
If the steering wheel has been removed, it is necessary to check that the cam of the turn signal switch on the steering shaft is in the middle of the cutout of the protective cover.
Lower the steering gear down onto the longitudinal body reinforcement, install new mounting bolts and tighten to a torque of 70-80 Nm.
Loosen the control bolt.
Screw the plug into the steering gear cover.
Insert the Allen bolt into the coupling and tighten it.
Check the rubber protective caps on the ball joints of the longitudinal steering rod. If the caps are damaged, they must be replaced; if the ball joint is also damaged, it must be replaced as an assembly. Perform a similar check of the ball joints of the steering rods. Install the ball pins of the joints in the conical holes, screw in and tighten the fastening nuts. When turning the pin in the hole, it must be held with a corresponding hex key. The fastening nuts must always be new.
After installing the steering rods, check the alignment of the front wheels as already described.