Krystyn-ef9

Hello,

I have an issue and just wanted to pick some of the track guys brains.

My steering rack locks at high speeds. I have a quick steering rack from Quaife and just recently when I go fast at one corner at mosport (track) it locks to the point I can not move it not even a 1cm just straight lock to the right soild.

When I went on the track in my warm up speeds it did not do that only when I pushed hard 120kms it would lock at that one corner.

Has anyone experienced this before? I jacked up the car everything is good its a manual rack, tie rods are brand new, rack is brand new and nothing seemed like it was bending and nothing is making noise and it drives perfectly in low speeds.

Thanks for you help

TPB

Which corner did this occur in? Assuming this was on the GP track if you're going through the corner at 120kmh. Was it full lock to the right when it occured?

Krystyn-ef9

Thanks for the reply, yeah it was and it would not move one bit solid to the right. I do not think it is steering column because when it locks it still has play to move this was solid.

10cjennings

iTrader: (1)

If it was me, I'd pull it and open it up. Easy to do and it seems like a safety hazard, something is binding and there's only a couple parts in the rack itself.

The first thing that popped to mind was the rack guide screw. Did you set it correctly when you installed the quafie kit? I could see it being too tight causing something like this.

Krystyn-ef9

Thanks, I was going to pull it apart on the weekend, but it has been on my mind and driving me crazy.

I had a professional steering rack guy assemble the rack because there was some modifying because of the quaife pinion does not come with a bearing and I didn't want to mess it up.

An alignment guy suggested that I may have to much steering angle so it is causing the tie rod to flip over and go straight and lock I have tried to google what the symptoms would be but cannot find any information on it. But he suggested to just increase the bump stops to 5 degrees

Black R

I have the quaife gear in my EF rack and have no such issues.

Did you add spacers to the inner tie rods where they meet the rack?

What you're describing is what the drift guys call overcentering.

But how are you at full lock at high speed?!

10cjennings

iTrader: (1)

No modification is necessary if you're using the right kit. You just order the bearing seperatly. Take it apart and go through it yourself, i did it with no previous experience and it was simple.

I've never heard of the tie rod flipping thing, but put the wheels on somthing that will allow them to turn and look at what's going on as you turn towards full lock.

"Increase the bump stops to 5 degrees". You must
Be talking about some bumpstops in the rack, of which I've never seen/heard. The steering rack stops when the pinion gear has travelled the full distance of the rack gear.

And yeah, full lock at high speed doesn't make much sense.

Krystyn-ef9

Black R - Not sure if there was spacers ever installed - I took apart the rack first and nothing matched so I emailed Quaife and they actually gave me a link from Honda Tech for the install - I gave it to my steering rack guy with the thread and the Honda Pinion and the Honda Pinion bearing

This is what Quaife sent me:
How to: Quaife 88-91 2.8 LTL Quick Rack & Pinion into 92-95 Steering Gearbox - Honda-Tech

It is very weird this is why I am asking you guys because this is where Quaife sent me before.

If it helps when it happened more information:
I had already went up the elevation change and made a right and when I stepped on it before the corner to initiate that is when it locked and threw me down the hill in the corner - Tire tracks were left and it happened twice in the same corner - I had jacked up the car at the track and it looks like my Coilover brake clip could have hit my tire and so i dropped the forks and turned it around and went for another lap - First lap was ok warming up my tires and scrubbing but after at the hard lap it threw me again down the hill sideways - Lets just say I was so freaked out because the wheel had no play no control until I came to a stop at the bottom of the hill and I turned my car off and a buddy came because he saw the whole thing and thought I broke and when he tried my wheel it had steering.

and I was not at full lock going into the corner but that corner I always drift it because I am only on Rivals and they suck because my car weights 1600lbs and they do not warm up, but I was turned going into the corner and all of a sudden the wheel went straight lock and I could not move it.

So I am not sure if it is locking when not turned all the way or if it goes into full lock and the tie rod turns and that is what locks it

Sorry not bump stops but end stops my Alignment guy just corrected me

Sorry trying to describe it as best as I could


Also where do I get the spacers that Black R had mentioned?

10cjennings

iTrader: (1)

I wrote that thread.

Are you using the EF 2.8 turn kit in a 92-95 box? In that case, then yeah the modifications in there are necessary, and now you need to question whether they were done correctly. If you're using an EF kit in an EF box or an EG kit in an EG box, it just installs right in place of the origional parts.

Krystyn-ef9

I just seen that lol Well Quaife is sending people to that thread.

I am using an 89-91 steering rack with an 89-91 part from quaife and nothing fit when I had disassembled it that is when they referred me to that thread and everything worked, I have gone through 4 track days and only this time did it do that.

10cjennings

iTrader: (1)

Weird, It should have just dropped right in. You might have been sent the wrong parts or something.

Short of pulling the rack, or looking at what the tie rods are doing, If you can access it, I'd re-set the rack guide screw. When I installed mine, it needed to be adjusted after the first couple hours of use because the parts broke in and there was some slop (FSM says up to 10mm of play is within spec, I set mine with just slightly more play than 0). If yours has been tight since the install, I'd suspect it may have been set too tight initially.

Edit: You will probably find this helpful if you decide to pull the rack. Also download the FSM, it has instructions on how to do everything.

http://www.accutach.com/Documents/QuaifeRackUpgrade.pdf

Krystyn-ef9

greatttt...Tie rods are honestly doing nothing when I jack the car up, it does not seem like I have maxed out my steering angle it is just so weird.

Going to pull it apart this weekend just wanted to see if anyone else experienced this issue or what else I can look for.

Thanks for your help 10cjennings much appreciated

Black R

Wait, which EF rack are you using because there are at least 3 different ones...?

The dx manual rack is the only one compatible iirc.

The si rack is not compatible, nor is the power rack.

Krystyn-ef9

I have a DX manual rack, purchased it brand new from Honda

10cjennings - I remember why I had to use your thread now:

The problem was the EF pinion and Pinion bearing from Honda come already together and when I bought it I could not remove the Pinion from the Pinion bearing - So I contacted Quaife and they gave me your thread so I bought the parts from Honda that was listed there and everything worked well and my Steering rack guy did not say anything was odd.