MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - Oil in the steering boot

Hey all. While rebuilding my front end on my 59-A, I pulled the boots off to replace them and there was oil from the steering gear in the boot. Should there be some oil in the boots or does this indicate a bad seal or leak.

Thanks
Don Rosales

There should be oil in the boots, lots of it.
dominic clancy

I recently replaced tie rod ends on my Mk II, and had to deal with the "boot" issue. Getting gear oil into the steering rack can be tricky (and messy). There is a supposed "zirk" fitting on the rack housing, but once someone tries to mistakenly put grease in there, it is clogged until you yank it out and rebuild. Even with a new fitting and an "oil gun", getting the required pressure is near impossible.

A trick that I learned from a number of sources is to slip a flattened plastic or copper tube under the lip of the rubber boot on the end nearest the tires. A length of rubber hose from there to the tip of a plastic bottle of Castrol gear oil provides enough pressure to squeeze the oil in there. Put about a half pint in each boot. After reclamping, move the steering wheel back and forth - you should hear the oil squirting through the rack from side to side as the boots expand and collapse on either side.

-Chuck
Chuck Mosher

An alternative to Chuck's method of getting oil into the rack, and being able to use the zerk fitting is to make a high pressure oiler from a standard grease gun. For details see: http://www.omgtr.ca/technical/highpressureoiler/highpressureoiler.htm
or just remove the damper cover and damper and pump oil in at that point. Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed on 28/10/2005

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGA BBS is active now.