2005 megane 225 front hub swivel bearings.....

[robbocop33]

Just stumbled across something on a forum last night, regarding hub swivel bearings and the effect knackered ones can have on a steering rack.
Basically 5 weeks i fitted a refurbished steering rack, and it's back to making the loud cracking noise turning at parking speeds the old one did!!
While i was fitting new track rod ends to the new rack i noticed when the track rod end was disconnected the hub seemed extremely slack turning from side to side? I thought it 'seemed' odd, but i didn't know at the time these have swivel bearings!
So, if one of the hub swivel bearings is knackered could it eat a steering rack in five weeks? All other suspension components are new, drop links, strut tops etc. Thanks.

[StoatInACoat]

It sounds far more likely that the rack bolts (two 18mm) are not tight enough. A bit of slack will make the most awful cracking and creaking noises.

[robbocop33]

StoatInACoat said:

It sounds far more likely that the rack bolts (two 18mm) are not tight enough. A bit of slack will make the most awful cracking and creaking noises.

Yes i've heard about that, i'll double check i've tightened them enough, cheers.

[StoatInACoat]

Really tight. Can't remember what they're meant to be but without dropping the rack I could only get a swan neck spanner in there which is a pain. They need threadlocking as well which I didn't do as I couldn't be arsed to wind them all the way out a quarter turn at a time and now they're knocking again.

[robbocop33]

Yes it's a bit tight in there! :-) Might drop the subframe again and threadlock them, thanks for that!

[robbocop33]

Well that was interesting, had the bolts really tight already when i first tested them there, but managed to get maybe half a turn on each one and after much cursing and swearing it's stopped creaking!
Managed to get a wrench and socket onto both nuts, they'll be getting thread locked when i've got the time,one of those jobs today you set to thinking you're going to achieve nothing but there you go! thanks for the help!
P. S Might stick two nyloc nuts on the exposed threads of the two bolts as a back up too! :-)

Edited by robbocop33 on Tuesday 26th June 18:07

[robbocop33]

Well that was interesting, had the bolts really tight already when i first tested them there, but managed to get maybe half a turn on each one and after much cursing and swearing it's stopped creaking!
Managed to get a wrench and socket onto both nuts, they'll be getting thread locked when i've got the time,one of those jobs today you set to thinking you're going to achieve nothing but there you go! thanks for the help!
P. S Might stick two nyloc nuts on the exposed threads of the two bolts as a back up too! :-)

Edited by robbocop33 on Tuesday 26th June 18:11

[robbocop33]

Just updating this for the record, incase anyone else has this problem.,steering rack is moving again, yep, about one weeks driving lol.
Bolts are coming out, thread locked, and nuts on the bolt ends.