Assessment Of The Steering Of A Vehicle Involved In An Accident
The steering gear may have to be replaced in the following situations:
- Yellow or red warning light (in the instrument cluster) indicating a problem with the steering.
- Visible or perceptible damage to the steering gear.
- Fire damage (e.g., steering bellows burnt).
- Unacceptable rise in torque and the steering gear jams or catches when turned fully from stop to stop. Perform test with the engine running and switched off. Front wheels must be free when turning (front axle raised).
- Permanent deformation, damage or breaks on:
- Wheel rims
- Tie rods
- Steering arms
- Steering-gear mountings
- Steering shaft
- Bellows in connection with water leaking in
- Suspension struts
- Wheel bearing housing
- Trailing arm
- Front-axle cross member
- Points on the body where wheel suspension parts are bolted on
Information
The tie-rod ball can be checked for bending due to excessive strain while driving (e.g., accident, kerb impact) using the > 9914 - gauge .
Due to the predetermined bending point, plastic deformation of the tie-rod ball always occurs in the direction of the test surface attached to the gauge.
Check dimensional stability of tie-rod ball:
> 9914 - Gauge-1- must be fitted on the tie-rod ball from underneath. The tie-rod ball must be seated fully in the groove of test gauge -Inset A- , and the number "9" of part number -3- on the underside should be covered by test gauge -1- .
- The tie rod is the correct size if there is a slight air gap between the test surface of the test gauge and the outer joint of tie-rod ball -2- (test gauge is not touching the outer joint).
- The tie rod is not the correct size if the test gauge does not fit correctly on the tie-rod ball or if the test surface of the test gauge is touching the outer joint of the tie-rod ball.
Checking that tie rod is correct size
If the listed criteria are insufficient for making a decision, we recommend that the steering gear be replaced.