What are the best steering tips for the VAZ 2114

Car breakdown is a common and commonplace situation. It is not so easy to prevent it, even if you carefully monitor all components and assemblies and carry out preventive work on time.

Each car has its own weaknesses. In the case of the VAZ 2110, these include steering tips. If they are not replaced promptly in case of damage, you may face complete destruction of the entire steering mechanism. It’s hardly worth saying what financial losses you will incur.

How do they look

What are the best steering tips for the VAZ 2114

Tie rod ends are steering control elements that are present on every modern car.
The VAZ 2114 model was no exception. The purpose of the tie rod ends is to provide a connection between the linkage and the steering knuckle of your car's wheel. When the tips move, the steering rack rods move, turning the wheel. In essence, steering tips provide the ability to make maneuvers, turns, and change the direction of movement of the car.

Element appearance

Signs of breakdown

Tie rods have two main enemies.

Dirt. PH are hinged parts, therefore, when the boot is damaged, various solid particles of debris, dust, and dirt begin to enter the mechanism. Friction occurs, parts begin to wear out faster, and moving components are destroyed.
Bad roads. How many bumps, holes, curbs do you have to overcome every day? All these impacts negatively affect the condition of the tips - the hinge begins to actively wear out, and play occurs in the vertical direction.

If a tip is found to be faulty, it must be replaced. It is better not to do with restoration and restoration of functionality.

Many people are interested in the question of how you can check the steering tips and make sure they are worn out or, on the contrary, intact. It is not necessary to go to a service station and pay money for this.

There is one more important measure that is recommended to be carried out even if there are no signs of wear on the launch vehicle. To do this, a pry bar is inserted between the steering knuckle and the rod, after which the parts are moved relative to each other. If no vertical play occurs during these manipulations, everything is fine. If it is, you will definitely have to change the component.

Preparatory activities

Many experts advise taking certain steps to prepare for the replacement so that everything goes easier and faster. These actions include the following.

Treat all nuts and fasteners with penetrating liquid. WD40 works great.
If the tips last longer than one winter, to remove their fist you will need to use a 17 socket to unscrew the nuts.
If the nuts stick, try heating them with a hair dryer. A gas burner is also suitable, but you need to be as careful as possible with it.
Prepare tools for removing tips.

Today, two methods are used to dismantle steering tips - modern and traditional. The first involves the use of a special puller, and the second - a sledgehammer.

Jack and WD40 at the ready

The traditional dismantling method involves the following actions:

The steering wheel is turned all the way;
Several strong blows are applied to the steering knuckle;
Vibration causes the tip to pop out.

But the method has two serious drawbacks.

It will take special skill to deliver precise, but at the same time accurate and strong blows.
This method can reduce the service life of steering racks.

Therefore, the best option is a puller. You can literally buy it for 200-300 rubles, but it will be useful in the future and will significantly preserve the integrity of the remaining parts when replacing the launch vehicle.

Dismantling works

Replacement

The replacement procedure is quite simple. Especially if you have prepared the connecting elements in advance and acquired a puller.

Using a jack, lift one of the sides where you will begin to change the tips.
Turn the steering wheel to such an extent that it is convenient for you to replace damaged elements.
Treat the elements again with a penetrating liquid.
Unscrew the fastening nut.
Remove the tip from the steering knuckle hole. Here you just need a puller or the traditional old-fashioned method using a sledgehammer.
Check the condition of the steering rods. Sometimes it is better to replace them in the first couple of wears. Besides, you still got into this knot.
Replace damaged tips with new ones.
Perform the reassembly procedure.

Assembly

Do the same with the second wheel.
We recommend that you think additionally about protecting threaded fasteners from moisture and dirt. To do this, the threads can be lubricated with lithol, graphite grease, a tube of a suitable diameter can be put on, or heat shrink can be used.
After completing the replacement of the steering tips, visit a service station to adjust the wheel alignment.
If you don’t want to go to a service station, then count in advance the number of revolutions when removing the old tip. The new one is twisted by the same number of revolutions.
Drive onto a straight road and check whether the car does not skid to the sides when driving in a straight line.

One of the main conditions for a successful replacement is the choice of quality parts.

New part

What to choose

Finally, we will present several options for the most popular steering tips, which are used today when replacing a VAZ 2114. So you can decide for yourself what to choose and which ones are better.

They vary slightly in price, but are of good enough quality to serve your vehicle faithfully and reliably.

Do-it-yourself repair and replacement of tie rod ends

There are no minor parts in the car's control system. Each of them is responsible for their own area. The steering linkage connects the car's steering wheel with the rest of the control system. By design, the steering can be rack and pinion or with a worm drive.

The advantages of the worm system include the ability to transmit significant force and a large rotation angle. The disadvantage is the complexity of the mechanism, consisting of many hinged joints, clumsiness and tendency to backlash. Relatively cheaper, compact and simple rack and pinion mechanisms are most popular among manufacturers of passenger vehicles. Heavy trucks do not use a rack and pinion mechanism because the driver will feel every push of the steering wheel.

Why do you need to repair tie rod ends?

When the steering wheel is turned, force is transmitted to the steering knuckles through steering rods with hinges that provide the ability to move drive elements in different planes.

When turning the car, the rack and pinion mechanism ensures that the wheels turn at unequal angles. This is necessary in order to equalize the linear speeds of the outer and inner wheels at the same angular speeds. A slight increase in the angle of rotation of the outer wheel is created by a trapezoidal structure consisting of rods, hinges and levers. This not very complex mechanism wears out over time and is subject to mechanical damage. The most typical malfunction is wear of the rod tip, which manifests itself as follows:

when the vehicle moves in a straight line, directional stability decreases;
an extraneous metallic knock is heard under the hood;
The steering wheel travel becomes tight and the steering wheel can be felt.

It is clear that it is dangerous to operate the vehicle in such a technical condition and an urgent replacement of the tie rod end is required. This procedure can be entrusted to the technicians of the service station, where the repairs will be carried out quickly and efficiently. Experienced drivers who know how to change a tie rod end prefer to replace the tie rod themselves. But let’s not forget that after installing new steering rods, it is necessary to check and adjust the wheel alignment and a visit to the service station cannot be canceled.

Repair of tie rod ends

First of all, be sure to make sure that it is they that are faulty and not any other part of the steering or suspension mechanism. Diagnostics in the garage is carried out in the following order:

checking the stroke of the steering tips on the axle. The assistant rotates the steering wheel, and the driver checks the play with his palm. If available, a measurement is made. If the play exceeds one and a half millimeters, then the part must be replaced;
checking the tightness of the adjusting coupling clamp;
Inspect protective covers for damage.

How to remove and replace a tie rod end

First of all, you need to buy new tips. You can order original spare parts for your car, but it is much cheaper to buy an analogue from a well-known manufacturer. The purchase can be made in the online store at a better price.

If you start a repair, it is advisable to change a couple of tips at once, but this is not a prerequisite. It’s just that the working tip still doesn’t have long to live. The tools are the most common - a jack, wheel supports, a standard set of wrenches and a screwdriver. It would be nice to have a special puller, but you can do it without it using a pry bar and a hammer. Once ready, you can begin replacing the part.

Secure the rear wheels with chocks and put the car on the handbrake.
Raise the front wheels and place them on stands.
If you have to work with the left rod, turn the steering wheel to the left.
Remove the clamp and unscrew the nut securing the hinge to the lever.
Using a puller, remove the tip pin from the swing arm. If there is no device, then use a pry bar and a hammer.
Unscrew and remove the rod mounting bolts.
Disconnect the rod from the mechanism.
Secure the rod in a vice and loosen the locknut slightly.
When unscrewing the tip, be sure to count the number of turns on the thread. In the future, when assembling, it will be tedious to wrap the tip in the same way so as not to greatly disturb the wheel alignment adjustment.

Manufacturers and prices

There are several manufacturers on the automotive parts market that have proven themselves well. This:

AvtoVAZ is the official supplier for conveyors, the cost of the set is 650-700 rubles.

"Track" has about the same cost.

FINWHALE - cost - 850-950 rubles.

LEMFORDER – price – no more than 900 rubles per pair.

“VIS” – 700-750 rubles per set.

These are the steering tips you can find on the VAZ-2114. The price depends on the manufacturer, the quality is almost the same for all. If you operate the car correctly and carefully, then they will serve faithfully for a guaranteed period.

Source

How to change tie rods and ends on a car

Diagnostics

Steering rod is an element related to steering, the main task of which is to prevent the car from sliding when turning. The correct operation of this element contributes to the correct rotation of the drive wheels. Consists of middle, right and left rods and levers for the left and right wheels. Depending on the car model and type of construction, there are many types of traction.

The ends are the final elements that go from the steering rod to the car wheel. They have another name - hinges. These parts are part of the car's steering and an integral part in the operation of steering rods. The hinges look like hemispherical fingers. The main reason for failure is their fragility. They cannot be partially repaired, since the replacement is carried out entirely. The tip consists of the following parts: a body with an axis, a threaded pin, a Teflon gasket along which the finger moves, a protective housing (designed to protect the tip from deformation and shock), a plastic cover to protect the steering tip and housing, a silicone ring for protective cover fastenings, spring and nut.

One of the main guarantees of normal operation and long-term operation of all components and parts of the car is timely and correct diagnostics.

To ensure that the steering rod is not replaced so often, you need to monitor some parameters. The tips should move along the axis of the fingers by no more than one and a half millimeters. If the indicators are slightly different, then the tip must be replaced along with the hinge.

The coupling clamp must be firmly attached to the coupling. Sometimes you need to check how tight it is. It is very important that the tip protection covers are not damaged. Otherwise, the hinges may become unusable due to dust getting on them. If there are some defects and cracks on the protective covers, then it is necessary to make a decision about their urgent replacement.

Timely diagnostics allows you to identify existing problems before they manifest themselves. To perform it, you do not need to purchase a special tool. All you need to do is sit behind the wheel and turn it in different directions.

In this case, you need to listen carefully to the sounds (if there are hints of a breakdown, new sounds may appear). The presence of sounds or a noticeable poor response of the wheels to steering wheel turns is a clear signal to replace parts in the steering; most likely, these parts are the rods and tips. If this happens, then you need to urgently replace them.

One of the main steering failures is considered to be premature wear or partial damage to the tip joint.

How to remove and replace

Replacing the steering linkage and replacing the tie rod ends is not a simple task, but this is not a reason to panic and seek help from specialists from the nearest service station. Replacing tie rod ends and the rods themselves is also possible on your own.

All that is needed for this is the desire to repair your car on your own and the acquisition of spare parts and the necessary tools. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that each car model has corresponding elements, so buy only those.

The steering rod can be replaced together with the ends. That is, if your tips have not yet deteriorated, but you have been using them for a long time, then it is better to replace them too. This, of course, will not save you money today, but it will not force you to crawl under the car again after a while, only now to change them.

So, let's prepare the necessary tool:

The jack is the main element when repairing a car;
Goats for additional insurance;
Wrenches;
Pliers;
A device for removing rods (you will have to buy this device, since without it replacement is inconvenient and time-consuming);
A flathead and Phillips screwdriver (just in case);
Liquid for loosening fasteners VD-40 (sometimes you can’t do without it)

After you've got everything ready, it's time to start replacing the tie rods. Let's do it step by step, this will allow us to understand this issue in more detail.

Of course, it is advisable to drive the car into the inspection hole; this will create full access to parts and more comfortable working conditions. Therefore, we find out where we can use the pit and bring the car.
After a successful entry into the pit, you need to lock the parking brake and lock the steering wheel. It is also recommended to disconnect the battery.
We take a jack and install it directly in the area of the intended replacement. Then we raise the car and install additional safety trestles. Since replacing the steering rod occurs in pairs, this action must be duplicated on the other side. Once the car has been raised and secured, the jack can be removed.
It is advisable, before carrying out work, to process all fasteners that will have to be unscrewed. I recommend using VD-40 for these purposes. This will allow you to loosen the fastening without much effort and speed up the whole process.
Now you can remove the wheels. The procedure is familiar to everyone. You need to unscrew the lock nuts on the mounting bolts and remove the wheels from them.
The first step is to unscrew the nut on the rod joint that secures it to the swing arm.
Next we press out the ball pin. A special tool is needed for this. With its help, this process is more enjoyable. If you don’t have one, then you can’t do without a hammer and a pry bar (I’m not kidding).
After this, you need to bend the locking plate and unscrew the fastener that secures the tie rods to the steering mechanism. So we removed the steering rod.
To disconnect the tip, you need to firmly clamp the steering rod in a clamp. Then it is necessary to loosen the fastening of the tip and coupling.
To correctly install a new tip, when removing the old one, you need to mark its location or count and remember the turns.
Replacing the boot is a necessary step. To do this, you need to remove the o-ring that holds it in place and remove the boot.
Now you can begin installing new parts. The tip is installed first. Put on a new boot and screw the tip onto your finger according to the marks made.
Next, assembly occurs in reverse order.

In fact, replacing the tie rod and ends should not cause you any difficulties. Now you need to check the work performed. If you did everything correctly, you should have the following results:

There should be no play in the new rods;
The steering wheel must have a smooth and continuous motion. The number of its revolutions to the right and left should be equal. It must also independently return to its original position after performing the maneuver;
After a run of 800 kilometers, it is necessary to perform an extraordinary adjustment.

After completing the replacement work, it is advisable to do a wheel alignment. This will avoid buying new tires.

Important Tips:

Before you begin removing and installing new equipment, you need to prepare all the necessary tools.
Also prepare a clean rag and a container of clean water. This will undoubtedly come in handy both for cleaning parts and for pre-washing hands after work.
It is better to replace it over the repair pit.
To create increased safety, use hemp or goats. It is not advisable to use the jack for a long time. It only serves to lift the machine.

How to replace a tie rod and how to replace rods is no longer a mystery to you. Now all that remains is to purchase a new set of elements. If you want to change and forget about repairs for a long time, you need to buy only high-quality parts. In this case, saving is not appropriate. I wish you success in learning more about your vehicle as you replace parts.

Do-it-yourself steering rod replacement

Design Features
Diagnosis of the problem
Replacement process
Video

The car's steering must always be in order. This is a truism that probably no one will argue with. In this regard, it is necessary to regularly carry out technical inspections, and if the slightest malfunction or suspicion of it is detected, appropriate measures must be taken immediately.

Any motorist should be familiar with replacing the steering rod, at least in general terms, since in this case it will be possible to quickly carry out repair procedures.

Design Features

Basic steering elements
First, familiarize yourself with some of the design features of your car's steering. This will make it much easier to navigate in the future.

The building diagram includes the following elements:

steering rack or worm gear;

trapeze or steering gear.

It is in the drive that we need the steering rods, so to complete the task we should deal with this particular unit.

Not everyone will undertake to replace the steering rod with their own hands, since this procedure is still somewhat complicated. But in any case, as already mentioned, useful knowledge is never superfluous, for example, in order to freely communicate with auto repair shop workers.

Diagnosis of the problem

Steering rod mounting diagram
The cause of steering gear malfunction is most often wear of the ball joint of the rod ends. Detecting a problem, as a rule, is not difficult - it manifests itself in discomfort when driving the car and various extraneous noises.

What indicates a malfunction?

Unusual sounds, especially knocking sounds;

Steering wheel vibrations;

Increased steering play;

Tight steering wheel rotation;

Unusual deviations in the vehicle's trajectory while driving in a straight line.

When repairing, all basic requirements must be strictly taken into account. It is not recommended to carry out the so-called restoration of steering rods. This old method is to try to restore them. However, the effectiveness of such repairs is not very high. The best solution is to completely replace the steering rod.

When an external inspection is carried out, the first thing you should pay attention to is the movement of the steering tips along the axis (it should not exceed 1.5-2 mm). You should also check the strength of the clamps and inspect the joint covers for mechanical damage.

Replacement process

Buy a new part

It must match the design of your car.
If you still decide that replacing the steering rod is necessary, then you should get ready for work. The first step is to select new rods complete with tips. It is recommended to change both at once to avoid problems later.

To perform this work, you will need the following tools: jacks, goats, devices for removing steering rods, wrenches, pliers, hammers, etc. You should also prepare technical lubricant WD-40.

When replacing a steering rod, specialists identify the following steps:

We lift the car with a jack and install it on the “goat”;

Remove the front wheel, unscrew the nut;

We install the puller and tighten the nut, hit the swing arm with a hammer;

We completely unscrew the steering tip from the coupling (use lubricant if it is tight);

Remove the boot, unscrew the nut from the steering rack;

We install the new steering rod exactly at the level of the old one (you can make a special mark for this);

Let's put everything back together in reverse order.

Raising the car with a jack

Removing the wheel

Replace the steering rod

Disassembly diagram
During the work process, it is recommended to use a variety of lubricants, and you should also immediately get rid of dirt. Thanks to this, you can ensure that you can more easily complete the task in the future. Plus, clean parts simply work better.

After replacing the steering rod, the first thing you need to do is adjust the wheel alignment.

Even the presence of marks and the exact fulfillment of all conditions does not guarantee compliance with all parameters, so you still should not ignore the “breaker” specialist. Otherwise, new problems may appear, and the rubber will wear out very quickly, so that it will soon need to be changed.

If you do everything exactly according to the recommendations of specialists and do not ignore any procedures, then the result will be at the highest level. Otherwise, it is better to immediately take your car to the nearest car workshop and ask for help from professionals. They are also ready to complete everything in the shortest possible time and replace the steering rods without any problems, however, in this case you will need to pay a certain amount of money, which, of course, is not always pleasant.

Video

The process of replacing the steering rod is presented in the following video:

What to choose?

When starting to replace tips, most owners of domestic tens ask themselves questions: which ones are better?

You have two options to choose from.

Part type

Peculiarities

Good quality, full compliance with the design of your car.

Imported, manufactured under contract

There are different manufacturers, so the quality may vary. If you find a good contractor, the level of tips they produce may be higher than the factory original. But the cost will be slightly different.

As you can see, both options have their own characteristics and advantages. So make the choice yourself.

When choosing tips, pay special attention to the quality and integrity of the rubber boot.

Do-it-yourself replacement of steering tips for a VAZ 2107

Experts recommend that the process of replacing steering rods and steering ends of a VAZ 2107 car be carried out simultaneously. Of course, as before every repair, you first need to conduct a full diagnostic of the car to find out its condition.

What you need to replace tie rods and ends

To carry out this type of work you will need some equipment and tools:

The first tool is a twenty-two open-end wrench;
A puller that will help you remove the ball joint;
Pliers;
A hammer, this tool should definitely be in every owner’s home.

Symptoms of faulty steering rods

There are two symptoms that indicate that the steering rods of the VAZ 2107 are faulty:

The first reason is a knocking sound from the front suspension. Quite a bad symptom with serious consequences. This knocking noise is especially audible when the car is driven on bad sections of the road and at low speeds. It is worth noting that this symptom may also indicate other problems with your car. For example, some suspension elements, ball joints, stabilizer struts and more.
The second reason that may indicate this malfunction is when the free play of the steering wheel increases. This is noticeable to the naked eye when, when the steering wheel is turned, the wheel itself remains in place and does not move. This makes it very difficult to drive a car at high speed, and especially on bad roads.

If you want to check the serviceability of the steering rods on your VAZ 2107 yourself, there is a way by which you will not need to contact professionals to diagnose the car. You just need to put your car in a pit. Next, you will need to take this rod from below and try to sharply move it up and down, and if you manage to do this with your hands, then you should change the tips.

Next, let's move directly to the process that interests us, this is replacing the tie rod ends of a VAZ 2107 car.

The process of replacing tie rod ends

A procedure of this type is considered not difficult to do with your own hands, but despite this, certain skills will be required. Replacement is carried out using two options. The first is to use a puller from the manufacturer, and the second is to knock out the rod with your own hands and the tools that you have.

The first option is designed to make replacement even easier and faster. You will need to disconnect the tie rod pin from the wheel. This can be difficult, because after driving for quite a long time this finger begins to press into the cone very, very tightly. Therefore, you will need a tool such as a puller that will allow you to remove the ball joint. The puller is very easy to operate; you need to put it on the head of the tip and at the moment the bolt rotates, the pin of the steering tip will come out. You can make this job even easier if you treat the joint with a special liquid called WD-40.

Option number two is that you will load the steering rod, a crowbar and a hammer will help you with this, with the help of a crowbar you pry it off, and with a hammer you hit it hard and quite sharply directly on the bipod of the steering knuckles. But, most importantly, do not overdo it, otherwise you can damage the bipod. This is exactly how you can knock out the inner and outer tie rod ends. After you have done the work that we described above, you need to measure the length of the rod. This must be done so that there is no significant change in the amount of toe-in and camber of the wheels. You need to accurately measure the distance from the coupling to the point determined by you and located on the tip. You also need to count the number of turns on the thread to the coupling, which is the connecting one.

What to choose?

When starting to replace tips, most owners of domestic tens ask themselves questions: which ones are better?

You have two options to choose from.

Part type

Peculiarities

Good quality, full compliance with the design of your car.

Imported, manufactured under contract

As you can see, both options have their own characteristics and advantages. So make the choice yourself.

When choosing tips, pay special attention to the quality and integrity of the rubber boot.

avtoexperts.ru

There are several types of steering mechanisms, but there is always a common part - this is the steering tip. The main task is to transfer a certain movement from the steering rod to the steering knuckle. Depending on the configurations, there can be from 4 to 6 parts.

For example, if the type of steering system is rack and pinion (the majority of them), then there will be four tips, 2 per rod (2 rods). If the mechanism is of the so-called “worm” type, there will be six, two per rod (rod 3).

Device

Please note that depending on the steering system configuration, they may vary in shape and size. The rod can be of different lengths or have bends, both in horizontal and vertical positions. Therefore, it is important to remember that if there is a bend, then the part is not interchangeable with the same one, but on the other side.

If they are initially the same in shape, there are no bends, then they can be replaced from one side to the other without consequences.

Remember, the main components:

• Directly the housing into which the steering rod is screwed.

• “Finger”, as a rule, on most models there is a thread or another type of connection, for example, a stud.

• Hinge housing uses wear-resistant metal for long service life.

• Various locking rings that prevent the pin, spring (to securely hold the liners) and liners from popping out.

• The “finger” nut is a fairly important part; without it it is impossible to secure the tip to the “fist”.

• Anther. Rubber pad that protects the device from dirt, dust, sand, and moisture.

Looking ahead, I would like to clarify the importance of maintaining this anther in an intact state. Otherwise, failure is inevitable. As a rule, in most cases, breakdowns occur due to a collapsed boot and the entry of foreign objects into it.

Almost all devices have the same shape, regardless of the car model. The only exceptions may be based on the format of the material used for production. For example, SUVs require more wear-resistant parts with increased protection due to the special conditions of possible operation.

Types of steering tips

Depending on what type:

It depends on whether there is a special hole on the support cover for pouring lubricant. As you understand, those being serviced have such a hole, which allows you to periodically add lubricant. The second option does not have this option, so after the lubrication is complete, they are thrown away because their maintainability is zero.

There is a second subdivision group:

Collapsible ones have a thread on the bottom cover (under the “finger”), which allows you to replace the hinge mechanism itself or the liner separately (a rubber or Teflon part that tightly fixes the “finger” in the “cup”). In modern cars, this principle is already difficult to find, because in terms of safety they are seriously inferior to non-separable parts. If the tip has failed in the car, you should inspect whether there is a thread on the cap or a retaining ring. If you do not find something like this, you can safely throw such a part into the scrap yard.

Malfunctions

Often, there are no problems with them, especially if they are new, which cannot be said about worn-out parts. During operation, the liners are necessarily worn down or deformed, causing a noticeable backlash to appear. Apparently the “finger” is already quite loose in the body. If the situation worsens, he can simply pull out the “stopper” and jump out.

Keep in mind that the tip can lead to quite serious consequences; the rod may break, which will lead to more dire consequences, including an accident. You basically lose control of the car, without even being able to turn the wheels.

As a rule, the resource with proper operation is quite long, but one should not forget about the characteristics of the road surface, which directly affects the durability. The service life, on average, does not exceed 100,000 km; it is not uncommon, as on new cars, for parts to break.

Signs of malfunctions and how to check?

• Significant deterioration in controllability.

• The appearance of dull knocks, especially when turning.

• Feedback in the steering wheel, even with the smallest irregularities.

If you notice something from the list, do not aggravate it, check if everything is in order with the node. Doing this at home is quite simple. It is better to carry out the operation with an assistant. So, you need to have a hole, an overpass, or simply place the “front” on some hill so that you can crawl under it. We put the handbrake on, be sure to turn off the car. The person in the cabin turns the steering wheel, the second one at this time, carefully monitoring the movement of the tip. The play will be noticeable even visually, not to mention tactile touches.

In addition, when checking, pay attention not only to the presence of play, but also to the integrity of the anthers, connections to the “fist”, and also pay attention to the bushing (axis) itself, into which the rod is screwed. It is not uncommon for a “break” to occur in that place or a crack to appear.

Who is last?

You can't pronounce the full name of these products at the counter. “External steering linkage extreme rod ends for classic Lada cars - what is it like? In general, today we are checking the “outermost helmsmen”. Or, even more briefly, we find out: who is the last?

As always, there are two main types of purchased products: “ours” and “not ours”. “Ours” are also divided into two subgroups: according to the materials used and methods of heat treatment of the ball pin. Thus, the product from ZAO NPO Belmag, shown in photo 1, has (be patient!) a ball pin made of 12ХН steel using the cold heading method, followed by nitrocarburization of the spherical surface of the head to a depth of 0.1–0.3 mm and current hardening high frequency to hardness HRC 55–61. Many manufacturers purchase such fingers from Belebeyevsky Plant Avtokomplekt LLC. Products from VAZinterservice were manufactured in a similar way (photo 3). The rest of the domestic “steering” ones contain ball pins made of steel 40ХН with subsequent machining and volumetric hardening to a hardness of approximately HRC 30. This group includes the Miass “Kedr” (photo 2), two products from the Vladimir “Progress” (photos 4 and 5) , an unnamed tip (photo 6), sold to us as “Belebeevsky” and turned out to be also from Vladimir, as well as “second-hand” from the Moscow market (photo 7). The quartet of “foreigners” is represented by the British Lockheed (photo 8), the Swiss Federal Mogul (photo 9), the Spanish IRB (photo 10) and the Italian OKAP (photo 11).

Among the design features of the presented “steering units” we note the following. All “Russians”, as well as the Italian OKAP, have a spring inside that presses the spherical head of the ball pin to the surface of the polymer insert. The other end of the spring rests against a support washer rolled into the hinge body - this compensates for the wear of the rubbing pair. The rest of the products do not have a spring - the tension ensures that the support washer is pressed against the polymer insert during rolling.

The tests were carried out according to a program close to the certification one. Each “brand” was represented by two products. The main “legislators” are the design documentation of VAZ and RD 37.001.613–97 “Ball joints of vehicles. " The results are shown in the table. As an optional check, rubber covers for the “steers” were tested.

The following happened. When checking the longitudinal and transverse swing angles, almost no complaints arose - only one of the “Italians” was “outside the game.” During the “strength exercises” of squeezing and tearing fingers out of the body, the Moscow homemade products, which were unexpectedly accompanied by the “Spaniards,” completely failed. And the “geometry lesson” determined that the “Swiss” and “Spaniards” had heads that were too small by our standards.

The size of the heads is only one component of the longevity of the steering wheel. Here, not only the diameter of the spherical surface plays a role, but also the cleanliness of its processing, the quality of the liner material, the hardness of the surface (in case of partial penetration of dirt), as well as the design of the protective covers and their wear resistance. It turned out that the working surfaces of all the “foreigners” and our “Cedar” were processed better than others, while the rest were limited to rough grinding.

There is no unambiguous interpretation of the results regarding hardness. At first glance, all foreign tips failed, except Lockheed, as well as domestic products from VAZinterservice with nitrocarburization, but “ours” were justified! Experts explained that in February 2000, AvtoVAZ JSC allowed the Belebey enterprise to carry out hardening to a hardness of HRC 39.1 - while the surface hardness of such fingers still remains higher than those subjected to volumetric hardening. Well, that means we're all right.