Lancia Beta Forum

Hi everybody, im completely new to your beta website so please bear with me if im asking stuff that is old hat. I own PVO 987 X she is a 2.0 coupe automatic ( any info would be great ). My problem is my steering rack, which is a zf, it has lots of play in it and i dont know if i can recondition it or need to get a replacement unit. I see on the parts section that bushes are available but i dont think they are for a zf rack ?  please let me know if that is correct. Any info/help would be greatly appreciated as this is my final job before it is ready for MOT. I still have plenty of other jobs to do but i really just want to get the car on the road !! 
 My name is Mark and i live in Manchester, is there any local meets i could attend ?
 Thank you in advance of any information i recieve.

Mark,

Welcome ! Put some pictures up then !

Sadly it's most likeley that the rack gaitors have gone at some point and the rack has run dry and worn. While I believe you can adjust the backlash on the ZF rack (haynes shows this pretty well) you might be better sending to a specialist to be rebuilt as the racks a bit of a pain to get out so you don't want to have to do it twice.


I'm assuming you've checked the track rod outer and inner ends to make sure they're not the culprit.

Stuart

Hi Mark,
Welcome aboard, glad there will be another beta back on the roads soon, where they belong ;D If you can get to any of the AutoItalia meets quite a few of us are there, also check out the calendar page.
If you can; put some pics together and a bit of info/history about it in the members cars section, then we can all have a nose ;)
Marcus.

I think there are parts commonality with other vehicles the American beta people seem to be the most expert on this subject try searching on www.lancisti.net (http://www.lancisti.net) forum

WOW !!  Thanks for your quick replies. Ive checked the rack and it is jumping forward with a clunk towards the engine when the steering is rocked. The track rod ends and mounting clamps are all good. I will have to see if i can find a replacement or send mine away to be re-conditioned.
I will try and post some pics as soon as possible. I just hope its not laughable compared to other members cars.  Thank you all again,cheers mark.

don't worry whilst there are a few truly immaculate cars most Lancia people aren't the kind of mad concours perfectionists you find elsewhere

I'm sure its better than mine was, it looked like this when I picked it up:
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q152/lanciamad_album/IMAG2040.jpg)
Rust, dents and scratches galore, amazing what a picture can do :)

Hi Mark,

Firstly welcome to the Beta Forum.  As you'll find out theres a lot of helpful fellow Beta fans on here.

If it helps I have a spare steering rack in my garage. 

Good luck with it and as said already ... lets have some pictures up!!

 ;D ;D ;D

BRILL !!!, Recieved my steering rack bush today and have fitted it in the rack. Looks like its taken the play out, just need to re-build it all and re-fit it to the car and hopefully all will be well. IF the weather is
ok this weekend I will get the job done and then hopefully can get some pictures loaded up for all to see.
A big thank you for a speedy send out of the part, and thanks to all the members for there help and advice    ;D

 ;D Just finished refitting my steering rack. After doing this I have decided I am able to paint hall, stairs and landings through your letterbox  ;) Could anybody please tell me what series of Beta mine is? Also, is auto desireable? Does anybody know the name of the colour of the car?

Hope I've not let anybody down with the car. Can't wait to use it on the road and thanks to everybody who has been of help!

(I have also put these pictures in the "Member's Cars" Section of the site. Hope you like them!)

Cheers, Mark.

...

It's a series 2 face lift 1 model. You'll often see FL1, FL2 on the forum and it's the facelift that it refers too.

I think the clour is Lancia Blue (code 105) someone perhaps could confirm this.

If you want to know a bit more about Betas I can recomment Lancia Beta: A Collector's Guide - By Brian Long as a good starting point. It's still in print and on Amazon and Ebay.

Is auto desirable  ? - welll it's a bit more unusual but I wouldn't say it's any more or less desirable than a manual.

Looks great by the way. As to the access we share your pain, you'll get used to it (the steering rack is one of the most awkward jobs). Next you should try the clutch master cylinder on an Integrale !

Stuart

Thanks Stuart, im glad you think its ok and thanks for the info. Cheers Mark.

 ;D   Fantastic, Thanks to everyone for your help.   ;D     I went out around the block for the first time over weekend and it seems to pull quite well and changes up and down well, which was a worry as i had to take a chance on the engine and box being good when i bought it. The steering is a bit on the heavy side but im sure will free off with a bit more use, ( spiolt by power steering ) and will be fine once up to speed. I also fitted a new set of front pads and checked the rears which are good, but the for the first few applications had my old ticker jumping around !! but again these will only get better with use. The exhaust has developed a blow since going out in it so I will have to a look at that, and im hoping its something I can weld up or patch up. I will try to crack on as fast as possible because im dying to get it tested and on the road.  Cheers Mark. ;)