How to check the steering tips at home

One of the most crucial parts in the car is the steering gear. It consists of several elements, including traction and tips. From the state of these mechanisms depends not only the comfort of movement, but also the safety of driving. Therefore, the steering system should periodically be checked and monitored for its state of completion. In today's article, we'll look at how to check the tips of the steering rods and what to look for.

Characteristic

The tips are a component of the steering control of the car. This element ensures the rotation and mobility of the wheels at the desired angle. The design of the tip is based on the ball joint. The element is attached to the steering rod on one side, and on the other it is connected to a pivoting fist.

Depending on the type of steering in the car can be used from 4 to 6 such mechanisms, which due to the special location (under the arches of the wheels) are constantly exposed to external factors. They get dirt, water, snow, dust and so on. The resource of these elements can differ significantly from the operating conditions. Therefore it is so important to know how to check the steering tips. VAZ-2110 is also equipped with this design. Well, let's get to the inspection.

How to check the steering tips? Visual inspection

If you periodically inspect the steering components, you can prevent and repair the damage in advance. Visual inspection does not take much time and effort. How to check the steering tips? What do we need for this?

Since the tailpipes are fixed to the bottom of the car, we need a viewing pit or flyover. If this is not possible, we jack up the front of the car from one side and the other.

• First we wipe the part with a piece of rags.
• After removing excess dirt, we check for defects. First of all, you should pay attention to anther - a part that most often fails (bursts, crackles).
• At the next stage we check the mechanism play. Ask the assistant to turn the steering wheel in both directions. At this time, it is necessary to observe the operation of the mechanisms. If the tip has a backlash along the axis of the finger more than two millimeters, then it has become worthless.
• Having checked one side of the mechanism, we pass to the other. Operations are similar to what we described earlier.

Helpful advice

Examining the state of the steering tip, pay attention to other suspension parts (so to speak, without departing from the ticket office). Check the play of the steering rod. Inspect the condition of the rake anther. It should not flow. Before checking the steering tips, inspect the condition of the hub bearing by shaking the wheel back and forth (until we have removed it). The main sign is a backlash. If the part has a large free stroke, it urgently needs to be replaced.

About the resource

As we noted earlier, the steering tips do not have a definite service life. In some, they are designed for 40 thousand kilometers of run, others change at a rate of 200 thousand. In many ways, everything depends on the operating conditions, the quality of the road surface, the style of driving.

Various salts, water and dirt have a detrimental effect on the condition of the rubber technical elements. And this applies not only to the tips, but also a number of other components of the car - ball bearings, anthers, slats, silent blocks of suspension levers.

We identify the malfunction "by ear"

How to check the steering tips (VAZ including) without visually inspecting them? All malfunctions may appear in the course of travel. So, the main sign is the arrival in the cabin of abnormal sounds. If the anther is damaged, dirt settles on the joints. At speed, you clearly hear their work, which, under normal conditions, should be noiseless.

It is worth listening to these sounds. It is not recommended to postpone repair for later. After all, the malfunction will spread to other controls and suspension.

How else can I check the serviceability of the steering tips? Another characteristic feature is the vibration of the rudder. If there is a backlash mechanism, it will be given to the steering wheel, especially when driving on a rough road. Of course, such vibrations can also be due to other elements (for example, a curve of the brake disc or unbalanced wheels). But in any case an extraneous sound is the first signal that informs about the need for diagnostics.

How do I replace the tips? Instruments

If the signs of a malfunction are confirmed, you must not postpone the replacement of the problematic mechanism. To install new steering tips we will need the following tools:

• Balloon wrench.
• Hammer or special puller.
• Torque wrench.
• Pliers.
• Jack.
• The keys are "17" and "19".

Getting Started

First of all we tear off the wheel bolts. Next, raise the machine on the jack and remove the disk. Find our tip. It will be in the mud (even after we wiped it with rags), so we process the joint of the part with universal grease VD-40. To be convenient to remove the tip, turn the steering wheel to the extreme position until it stops.

Then we unscrew the whole mechanism with the keys. Using the pliers, take the pin from the hinge nut. Then unscrew the fixing bolt. Using a puller or mount, push the pull rod so that the tip moves up. So the bolt will come out of its seat. After that, unscrew the hinge from the steering rod. It is important to remember the number of revolutions made clockwise (so that later do not make the alignment). Next, we pick up a new tip and twist it counter-clockwise. The number of revolutions should be the same as that of the removed element. Tighten the nuts with a force of 50 Nm. After that, install the cotter pin and replace the wheel.

We leave for a small test drive. If you have not guessed with the number of turns, the car will lead to the side. In this case, it is better to go to the collapse-convergence, because at random to expose the corners will be very long.

Conclusion

Now you know how to test the steering tips, and how to replace them yourself. To prevent a malfunction from catching you on the road, it is important to perform a visual inspection on a regular basis. If foreign shocks occur, be sure to diagnose the elements for backlash.