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MG MGA - New Moss Steering racks

I recently asked Moss if we need to put any lubricant into the two rack seals on their new steering racks. They tell me that it is not necessary, as they are all pre-lubricated for "life". On the original racks, oil was either inserted through the nipple fitting, or via the ends of the bellow seals.
Has anyone had any more feedback on this?
Gary Lock

As I understand it, the Moss racks use a different type of bushing than the factory ones. Original racks use "oilite" bushings which are porous and meant to absorb oil, which gives it a self-lubricating property. Oil is pushed back and forth as you steer, flushing contaminants into the boots where they settle to the bottom and wait to be discarded when the boots are renewed. Grease will clog the pores of oilite bushings negating this important function, so it should never be used.

I'm not sure how the Moss rack retains the grease, but in my experience, grease in an oem rack it is pushed out into the boots and does not return.
Steve S

Gary,

You need to get more information from Moss on their "pre-lubricated for life" statement.
If the rack housing is filled with oil it will need topping up.
Even with a good pinion (steering column) seal and good condition bellows seals on the ends of the rack housing/tie rods oil is eventually lost.
If it is filled with grease that is much worse.
The back and forth movement of the rack by the pinion gear will push the grease to the ends of the housing, leaving the rack and gear not lubricated.
If the rack seizes you have to hope that it does it slowly, sudden seizure can lead to serious consequences for the driver, and others.

Mick
M F Anderson

They are greased. They are also different in construction than original which is what allows grease to be used. I don't know the difference, this is just what I was told by Moss. There are many of them out there on MGBs and I've never heard of a failure, so maybe they aren't so bad. I have heard of very stiff steering on some of them however, but I'm sure that isn't due to grease being used.
Steve S

Steve,

Possibly Moss use a semi-liquid grease such as Castrol L/EP0.
This grease is self levelling and so when displaced it will slowly flow back to it's original position.

See image.

Mick


M F Anderson

Whenever I see anything 'prelubricated for life' it amazes me that people take that to mean for thier life or the life, rather than the life of the part, which will normally be far shorter that it would be with old fashioned provisions for regular maintenance.

Sealed tie rod ends are a perfect example - they wear out whenever the grease get shot enough (which it does beside a disc brake rotor) a pools in the boot (which often has tears in them) and no longer lubricates the joint.

If that is all I can find I normally drill and tap the joint for a nipple.

I'd be pretty leery of any sealed for life rack in terms of likely longevity.

Of course how many people actually get around to doing a regular lube on their cars - it won't matter whether you had nipples on there if you never use them.

Mick, I'm not sure the Spheerol style of grease would help. It would flow out and settle in the boots and wouldn't do much for the rack itself. Not sure this is progress.....
Bill Spohn

Perhaps Kelvin Dodd (Moss USA) can make a comment please?
Gary Lock

Gary;
I purchased and installed one on my MGA in Nov. '08.
It bolts right in. Works fine; have had no problems with it.
I noticed a tear in one of the boots several weeks ago and replaced both. The Moss boots for the original fit perfectly on the new rack.
When the boots were removed, I could see the grease, a kind of amber/brown color. It looked to be lubricating in an acceptable manner, but I noticed enough grease located in areas of the rack where it wasn't needed that I could scoop finger-fulls of it and add it to the grease already along the geared portion of the rack, most of which is accessible if the steering is turned to the far left. I'd guess that doing the above whenever boots needed replacement would be enough to insure acceptable longevity to the unit.
In the end, it's a personal choice. Our cars demand constant maintenance and, as for me, anything that eliminates some of it is welcomed.
-Rick
Rick deOlazarra

Rick,

Your comments seem to confirm what most owners (and the MG factory) believe, that you should use hypoid oil in the rack, not grease.
The problem that you observed of the grease being moved away from the center of the rack to the ends is the problem.
It is the center of the rack that gets the most use.
You should not have to remove the boots and relocate the grease as a maintenance task.
With oil, as you turn the steering oil is pumped across the whole of the rack to the other side, and then back again.
For anyone interested the liquid grease it is shown on YouTube.
However,I am not convinced that it should used.

http://youtu.be/fkz05UsNbz8

Mick
M F Anderson

This thread was discussed between 05/08/2013 and 11/08/2013

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