De-powered steering pinion failure

#21

I rec’d a note Re. banning this guy as a spammer. I checked up on him and he might be legit. I sent him an email pointing to this post. Maybe he’ll respond in some appropriate manner. I don’t want to remove his post until he has had time to receive my email.

#22

apologies if i appeared off topic. In addition to interest in the tech topic at hand, I found the vintage movie format amusing (my quirky sense of humor). My daily driver E30 and in-work track car both have de-powered racks so i’ll continue to follow the discussion. Remove posts as you wish. Doug

#23

I drilled the pin out to remove outer part of the upper pinion shaft.

I’m assuming I must weld the seam pointed to in the image below. Can anyone confirm this?

#24

Yes, that is where you would weld or preferably braze (after you remove that bearing!). I’ve been told you want to put as little heat as possible into the system so you don’t alter the material properties and end up making the shaft more brittle.

Keep in mind this is not explicitly allowed in the rules.

#25

[quote=“jlucas” post=69959]Yes, that is where you would weld or preferably braze (after you remove that bearing!). I’ve been told you want to put as little heat as possible into the system so you don’t alter the material properties and end up making the shaft more brittle.

Keep in mind this is not explicitly allowed in the rules.[/quote]

Makes sense, although I don’t think I know of anyone local that brazes. Has welding worked well in your case?

#26

Ah so, I finally figured out the joke. That was a reference to the vintage power steering movie and cold war bomb shelters.

We’re a very helpful community here at SpecE30.com. We will happily help you with your e30 as well as help you with the construction of an effective joke.

#27

I removed the pin, but the shaft is not separating. Is there something I’m missing? What would be holding the parts together?

#28

you don’t want to seperate the torsion bar (its pressed in as well as pinned)

remove the bearing and weld, then reinstall bearing and begin reassembly

#29

Ah, I didn’t know it was pressed in as well. I originally planned on separating the two halves so I could clean them then press them back together to create a gap small enough to braze. Welding would be easier, but I may see about having them heat treated afterward.

#30

I would think you would not want to change the overall length so things will reassemble properly. Note: spool valve is left out when you reassemble.