This steering rack is supplied without inner rods. The inner rods from the original unit must be reused, making sure they are secured using thread lock.
When loosening and refitting the inner tie rod, grip the bar at the toothed end only! Damage to the pinion valve and rack bar will occur if the rack bar is not supporte when removing or fitting the inner tie rods to the rack bar.
It is also very important that any plastic spacers found on the original rack bar are transferred onto the new unit. Careful attention must be made to refit the spacers to the same side of the rack bar as they can be uneven in length on certain models.
Failure to transfer the spacers of your unit to the new part will lead to a malfunction and loss of assistance after a short time. The spacers also prevent the tyres fouling the body and protect the CV joints from over extension and so re-fitment is safety critical.
Noise in applications such as the Audi A4 and A6 that are not resolved once the pump has been changed and the air has been purged and left to settle out of the oil can be due to the deterioration of the high pressure line from the pump to the steering rack and pinion.
The internal liner og the high pressure hose can become delaminated from the outer reinforcement layer and the effect is that as fluid passed through the tube it creates a reed effect (like a saxaphone) the vibrating tube creates audible sound waves.
The fluid in the steering system is an excellent noise transporter and so it can be very hard to pinpoint the origin of the noise in the system. Infact it can sound like you know where the sound comes from but it is not actually the source of the vibration causing the noise as it has traveled away from source.
The only solution is to change the high pressure line from the rack to the pump.
There are 2 issues to be aware of when fitting an SP3771.
1 The inlet pipe is immediately next to the outlet connection, when tightening the outlet connection great care must be taken not to push against the inlet pipe. Moving the inlet pipe to allow access to the outlet connection can result in damage to the inlet pipe seal and the pump will then leak or be able to suck air into the pump under vacuum, either will result in the premature failure of the pump and is not covered under warranty.
2 The original Teflon seal of the outlet hose connection is a 1 use seal. Once the fitting is undone to remove the old pump it is necessary to wrap the thread ot the hose connection with Teflon tape in order to create a pressure tight seal for the replacement pump. Do not attempt to use an oring / glue or silicone, none will withstand the pressure and these will result in leaking. Wrap the whole threaded part of the connection in Teflon so that the connection binds tight before the connection bottoms out in the pump, which can result in stripping the thread out of the soft aluminium pump.
Be careful and start screwing in the outlet connection by finger to avoid possible cross threading of the pump connection.
