How to tighten the steering rack on a Lada Granta

Cars of the Kalina-2 family are equipped with a steering rack similar in design to the Granta rack. This part transmits force from the steering wheel to the front suspension links. If you feel a knocking sound from the rack while driving, it needs to be adjusted (tightened) correctly. The effect described here can be observed after 10-15 thousand kilometers, and more often it makes itself felt on uneven roads. Next we consider how this problem is solved in practice. And the solution comes down to turning one nut.

A little theory: front suspension design

Before attempting to fix any problem, there is a tendency to look at the blueprints or repair manual. It is known that the VAZ-2192 parts catalog contains the following object:

This is what the steering rack looks like in the drawing

Whether the knock will remain in the steering rack of Kalina-2 depends on the following: how accurately element “14” is adjusted. The adjusting nut, marked “14”, looks almost invisible here. But first impressions are deceiving. In the catalog, by the way, the element is called “Stop Nut”.

It is important to know that the thrust nut has external threads. And it spins clockwise. And the words “tighten the rack” mean screwing in the specified nut, and nothing more.

Now let's move on to practice and see what the node in question looks like in reality:

If you remove the rail, it looks like this

The nut has a non-standard notch, and it can only be rotated with a special tool. By the way, the recess will be closed with a cap. In the catalog it is designated by the number “15”, and now, let’s look at the appearance of the special key:

Rack adjustment key

The thrust nut is turned at small angles. We are talking about values of 10-15 degrees. What happens if you overdo it with tightening the rack? The knocking noise will disappear, but the steering wheel will turn with difficulty. Therefore, if necessary, the nut can be pulled back.

Malfunctions of RM Kalina and ways to eliminate them

Even the most reliable mechanisms wear out, especially if they are not protected from dust, dirt, water and aggressive environments. Although the steering rack of the Lada Kalina is located under the hood of the car and is protected from below by a pallet, during operation, especially in off-road conditions, it is exposed to all of the listed factors. The main malfunctions of the PM can be grouped into three groups:

large free play of the steering wheel;
knocking, noise and creaking in the mechanism;
tight steering wheel.

Increased play, squeaks and knocking of the Kalina PM can be caused by:

loosening the tie rod nuts,
wear of their tips and silent blocks,
loosening the PM fastening nuts,
large gap between the rack and the adjusting nut.

These faults are easy to fix: you need to tighten the nuts and pin them where necessary, and replace the silent blocks with new ones.

Difficulty turning the Lada Kalina steering wheel can be caused by more serious reasons:

wear of the bearings of the upper support of the steering column upper universal joint,
damage to the rack support bushing,
failure of the telescopic strut of the front suspension,
faulty electric power steering or low tire pressure.

If the last reason can be dealt with quite easily by inflating the wheels to the level specified in the car’s operating manual, then to eliminate the rest you will need to replace parts and assemblies with new ones.

Many Lada Kalina owners are interested in whether it is possible to replace the standard rack with a mechanism of a different design. It's possible, but not necessary. The manufacturer does not structurally provide for the replacement of the rack and pinion steering mechanism with other types. Worm or screw PMs simply won't do. To facilitate steering wheel rotation, an electric power steering is installed on all Kalina models.

Lyrical digression

In Lada Kalina, the steering rack never makes a knock when we are talking about a new car. This is also true for the break-in period. Let's say in your case this is not done. Then, do not try to repair anything, but go straight to the dealer. According to reviews, the defect in question is covered under warranty, and most car dealers do this: the steering rack assembly is replaced with a new one.

This is what the replacement unit looks like, the rack assembly

There is a logic here. At the factory, adjustments are made correctly (this is true in 99.9% of cases). If a defect appears, the dealer replaces the assembly without expecting that adjustment will solve the problem. The owner does not need to hope for this either. The choice is yours.

Making adjustments yourself

You can access the adjusting nut from the engine compartment, but to do this you will need to remove the battery, as well as the battery mounting pad. It is better to drive the car into a pit and then remove the crankcase protection (engine mudguard). If you look from under the bottom, the required element is immediately visible:

You need to turn this nut

And when you open the hood, you can feel the nut, but not see it. Its location is marked in the figure:

To make adjustments, place the key here

Before adjustment, remove the rubber cap from the recess. Its appearance is shown in the photo:

Remove the cap and install the key

If it is not entirely clear what exactly needs to be done, it is better to contact the service. The key is installed in the recess and then rotated 10-15 degrees.

When looking at the rack from above, turning the key clockwise corresponds to unscrewing it. The handle of the key comes from the center of the car - which means tightening is being done. By the way, the latter is true provided that the handle faces forward.

Preparatory actions, dismantling unnecessary parts

To remove the crankcase protection, you need to unscrew 4 screws located in one row near the bumper. Also, unscrew two screws having a standard size of M6x16. In some configurations, the protection consists of two parts, but in this case they are attached only with self-tapping screws. These words are illustrated by the following photo:

First, unscrew the “10” screws, and then the two “18” screws. In the second case, there will be more screws (eight).

Now let's look at how to remove the battery. First of all, disconnect its terminals. Then, you need to move the additional fuse box to the side. In general, actions are performed according to the photo:

It turns out that the steering rack can be repaired (video example)

The knocking of the steering rack on the Grant was inherited by this car from the younger model - Kalina. In fact, the design of the rack is no different and the catalog number remains the same. As for adjusting the steering rack, you can do it yourself, having the necessary tool at hand:

special wrench for tightening the rack
10mm socket and ratchet (for unscrewing battery terminals)
13 mm socket - for removing the battery pad
Phillips screwdriver

How to tighten the steering rack on a Lada Granta

So, there are two ways you can go:

The easiest and fastest way is to tighten the rack using a special key, inserting it into the hole where the steering rod passes on the left side of the Granta body.
The second method is longer - it is suitable if the hand does not fit into the hole in the body from the wheel side. In this case, you will have to remove the battery and its platform to get to the adjusting nut.

So, with the first method everything is clear; as for the second, let’s consider it in more detail. First of all, unscrew and remove the terminals from the car battery.

Then we remove the battery and proceed to dismantling its platform.

Now that the platform has been removed, you need to get to the adjusting nut from the inside of the steering rack housing.

The rack is tightened clockwise, take into account the fact that it is in an inverted state, so the movement will be counterclockwise.

Please note that to adjust the rack on a Grant, you need to buy a special key, which is designed for the VAZ 2110 rack. Its price is no more than 150 rubles, and sometimes they are sold combined: on one side for the rack, on the other for the timing rollers.

Lada Granta was originally created as an inexpensive car. Actually, that’s why it became one of the most popular cars on the roads. The manufacturer tried to introduce both proven and new elements into the design. But they have their drawbacks. The Lada Granta steering rack can present various surprises during operation. It is useful for the owner of a domestic car to understand the structure of many components.

Diagnosis, repair and reassembly techniques

A knocking noise has appeared and it is impossible to eliminate it without preliminary diagnosis. Before determining the cause of the knocking, you should disassemble the rack and subsequently diagnose all its internal elements for the presence of wear and damage.

The disassembly procedure is carried out following this sequence of actions.

We place the rail in a vice, taking care to install gaskets made of non-rigid material.
Unscrew the nut that secures the mechanism housing.
We remove the crankcase pipe and remove the clamps that secure the pipe bushings, after which we dismantle the bushings themselves.
We unscrew the nut, which allows for adjustment. The previously mentioned special key, endowed with special edges that allow effective manipulation, is suitable here.
We proceed to removing the rack stop spring, then the sealing ring and then the rack stop.
Now we can remove the crankcase cover.
After removing the bearing cage and ring, remove the rack from the pipe.
We dismantle the second important component of the pair - the steering gear shaft.

After completing the disassembly process, we begin diagnosing the bearings and sealing rings of the LADA Granta. After thorough cleaning, we evaluate the degree of wear on the gear sectors, as well as the rack surface and shaft. It is in this mechanism unit that the main cause of knocking may be hidden. If the condition of the parts suggests the need for replacement, then we carry it out. Or maybe you will have to do without replacement, in which case you need to know how to tighten the steering rack.

During assembly of the unit, we lubricate the entire list of critical connections with a suitable compound. We do not skimp on lubrication, since its shortage can further provoke premature wear of the critical components of the LADA Granta rack and pinion unit. This, in turn, will inevitably cause a violation of the regulatory gap, and, as a result, a knock. This point may explain the annoying situation when a newly installed steering rack bothers you with an irritating knock.

The knocking noise was fixed and eliminating it did not take much time. We assemble the steering mechanism using the reverse algorithm. In order to install bearings correctly and quickly, we select suitable mandrels. When the assembly is finally assembled, we resort to mandatory adjustment, because an incorrect gap will inevitably lead to knocking noises.

Steering of Lada Granta

It is designed to control the car while driving. Structurally, it consists of the following main elements:

The work of the mechanical part is that the driver acts on the steering wheel, the impulse through the steering mechanism and rack transmits force to the front wheels through the levers, and the car turns in the desired direction. A characteristic feature of a passenger car steering wheel is its smaller diameter (compared to a truck). The design of the mechanism also differs. The steering of the Lada Granta is complemented by an electric booster. The steering wheel can be adjusted in height. Unfortunately, there are no settings for departure.

The steering mechanism of the Lada Granta is rack-and-pinion type, the simplest and most inexpensive option.

The drive is mechanical, structurally consisting of levers, rods and hinges. For more efficient and convenient control, the Lada Granta is equipped with an electric amplifier. This is a complex mechanism that provides force through the use of electricity. An electric power steering, or simply EPS, is used to improve dynamic characteristics and controllability. And, according to some data, it allows you to save fuel by increasing the vehicle’s maneuverability.

Power steering and power steering: do-it-yourself installation

The electric booster first appeared on Kalina, then on Grant and on the new Priora. You can drive a car without an ESD. But if a car owner previously owned a car equipped with a hydraulic or electric booster, then, at a minimum, he will experience great inconvenience. On the Lada Granta in the minimum configuration, the manufacturer does not install electric power steering, so many owners of such cars decide to install the power steering themselves. This procedure is not the easiest, and the unit is not cheap. But its presence means a comfortable ride, maneuverability and safety.

Steering rack adjustment

The unit knocks for various reasons. In fact, this is a real disease of the control mechanism, inherited from the Lada Kalina, since the components are identical on these cars. You can adjust the rack yourself.

To do this you will need a minimum of tools:

steering rack calibration key;
socket heads for 10 and 13;
shaped screwdriver.

To tighten the slats, you can use two methods. The first involves using a special key that can be inserted into the gap of the arch on the left side. The second method is more labor-intensive and is suitable if it is not possible to stick your hand into the gap. To do this, you will need to dismantle the battery and its platform; this is the only way to get to the nut for tightening the gearbox. The first method is simple, so it’s better to consider the second option.

How much does a repair cost on average?

Dismantling and installation of a mechanical steering rack will cost an average of 2,500 rubles. The same procedure with a hydraulic unit costs approximately 3,000 rubles, and with an electric unit, from 3,500 rubles. The cost of repairing a mechanical steering rack will be approximately 4,000 rubles.

The cost of restoring the hydraulic and electrical mechanisms will be approximately 5,500 rubles and 8,000 rubles, respectively. The price differs for different brands and models of cars. For example, the cost of repairing a rack for Audi will be from 3,500 to 12,000 rubles, for BMW from 4,000 to 15,000 rubles, for KIA from 4,000 to 8,500 rubles, for Renault from 4,000 to 9,500 rubles.

Steering wheel tuning on Lada Granta

There are few options for upgrading the steering wheel on the Lada Granta. The most popular of them is installing a sports version. Such a steering wheel will not only make the interior more attractive, but will also increase the comfort of control, especially if it is selected correctly. You can install a multi-steering wheel, but only if the configuration is maximum, in other cases there will be nothing to control with its help.

The sports version must be injury-proof, that is, in the event of an accident it must be deformed without causing damage to the driver. Among the shortcomings, it can be noted that although there is an airbag in the standard steering wheel, the sports one does not have it. You can also modify the steering wheel by installing braid. More advanced ones install a heating thread under it.

To install the sports steering wheel, you will need to carry out the following operations.

Align the front wheels straight (you can drive a little forward and back so that the trajectory is straight).
Disconnect the battery terminals by de-energizing the vehicle's on-board network.
The airbag control module must be disabled (if the Granta equipment is equipped with it). If you do not turn it off when removing the factory steering wheel, it may shoot out.
Remove the steering wheel and install a horn on the adapter. The wiring must be stored in the adapter; to do this, carefully inspect all contacts.
Connect the adapter to the shaft, but do not secure it with a nut.
A sports steering wheel is installed on the adapter and secured with special screws.

You cannot throw away or sell the factory product; the sports version will raise questions when passing inspection.

Power steering and power steering: do-it-yourself installation

Installation does not require any special knowledge or skills; minimal experience and a set of tools are sufficient.

If the question arises about installing electric power steering on the Lada Granta, then when purchasing an electric power steering unit you should pay attention to its number

The set of numbers contains a definition of the place of production, these are the last two digits:

00 – made in Makhachkala (not the highest quality, has many negative reviews);
04 – Korean amplifier, you can buy it in a store, a rare copy at auto wrecking yards;
02 – made in Kaluga, a good medium option.

To install the amplifier you will need a set of wrenches, screwdrivers and an angle grinder (grinder). Before proceeding with installation, the steering wheel, all steering column switches, the ignition switch, and the steering column with cardan must be removed. The further algorithm of actions is as follows.

Knock out the bolts from the removed bracket in the form of a plate and cut off about 3 cm from the top with a grinder.
Drill holes in the plate to mount the electric amplifier.
Fix the cardan to the EUR.
Place washers under the bracket (where the electric booster is mounted), and you can use them to adjust the steering wheel.
Attach the electric booster, and then install the cardan into the rack.

After this, all that remains is to connect the EUR to the wiring according to the electrical diagram supplied with the amplifier. Using washers you need to adjust the steering wheel deflection in different positions. No further maintenance of the electric amplifier is required. Those who decided to replace the electric power steering with a hydraulic booster should understand that this idea is pointless. Firstly, the power steering is much more technologically advanced and modern, and secondly, installing the power steering on the Grant is a labor-intensive and expensive process that has no practical advantage.