Anyone ever rebuilt or serviced a Sweet rack and pinion?

[Driver50x]

I bought a Sweet manual rack and pinion off of ebay. It has plenty of miles on it. I bought a rebuild kit, hoping to tighten it up a bit. When I disassembled it, I found that it has a bronze bushing inside one end of the housing, but no bushing on the other end. It seems like the rack has too much up and down play on the pinion end of the housing. How much play is too much, and how can it be fixed?

[keeks]

Any play on the pinion is too much. There are a series of bushings and bearings for the rack, and the pinion. All the wear items can be replaced. Sweet has a tech page on the website. You should be able to find what you need there.

[Driver50x]

The pinion does not have hardly any play. It's the rack that fits too loose. The website does not show any bushing available for the "drivers side" of the rack.

[petesbuyin]

There is no bushing on the left side of the housing. The pinion sits in the housing under the rack shaft. There is a plastic yoke and spring under the large adjusting screw on the top of the rack. Tighten the adjusting nut until you have very little play in the rack shaft but no binding when moving the rack shaft right to left. If you error, error on the loose side(too much rack play). Too tight will cause binding and excessive wear. When you get the adjustment you want, lock the adjusting nut down with the set screw. When you are turning the large adjusting screw, you are pushing the rack shaft into the pinion, which reduces any play in the rack shaft.

[Driver50x]

Thanks Pete. That's about what I figured. I was a bit surprised by the amount of up and down play on the left side of the rack, but I guess that will have only a very small effect on the operation of the steering.

[petesbuyin]

If everything is adjusted properly, there will be a minimal amount of up & down or rotational play in the rack shaft. Excessive rack shaft movement will effect the bump steer and make the car feel darty and unpredictable on entry.

[Driver50x]

It has very little rotational play. But the up and down play is a good 1/16 of an inch. I wasn't sure if that could be normal, or maybe this housing is worn.