I had a mechanic put the rack in, this is where all me latest problems with the mini first started

So I would say if the rack requires oil to be put in, then there was probably no oil put in it.

Took the column apart again, and it appears it is the column moving on the rack again.

I believe that the rack is pointing to far upwards, so I will loosen it off sometime this weekend and re-align it. Once this is fixed I will be happy.

So, I have now determined 100% that what is moving is the pinion coming out of the rack itself.

- The rack doesn't move, both u-bolts are done up as tight as they can go.
- The column does not move on the pinion. The splines are not worn.

When the wheel is turned, the pinion moves into the car by about 1 mm, maybe slightly less. The column stays solidly attached and follows the movement of the pinion.

Does this mean I have ended up with a faulty rack ?

Is it a sign that there is no oil in the rack ?

I'd say with that much movement, you will need to pull the rack out, however, the pinion is supported by bearings and these (along with the pinion itself) are held in to the rack with a cover plate. This plate is shimmed to pre-load the bearings. You can access this from under the car, there is a hole in the sub-frame for it. You can try taking some shims out. There are actually 2 cover plates, the one you want is the bigger of the 2. But it does sound like the rack will need to come out....

The original Rover rack is now enroute to DrMini Inc for repair.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

OK the Rover rack has slop in the LH inner tierod joint.
The RH one isn't loose, but feels too free to me.
Otherwise the rack feels good.
Does anybody sell tierod bits for these UK racks or are they a bin job (as Karcraft told me)?

If I can't fix it, I'll build up an Oz rack instead.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Actually I think I saw some on ebay yesterday, not 100% sure if they were for UK racks. Don't Mini Sapres have parts?

Looks like Somerfords have parts.

Thanks I'll check. Minispares don't seem to carry the bits. Just racks... dodgy or non dodgy, who can tell?

<edit> Somerfords lists Part Number: GSV1009, repair kit, tierods- but it's out of stock, or special order in. No pricing.
Google listed Somerfords as saying sold out.
Mini Spares said NLA.

Ah well, a good reco Oz rack full of EP90/140 will last him 20 years or so.
UK Rovers will be rusted away by then.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

True, the Oz racks (CAM Gears) are the best by a long way.....

Oz rack rebuild is now underway.
None of the Mini places I spoke to in Sydney today had the poly rack bush in stock, then I found my mate had a new one spare.

<edit> I found some on the web, 4 are coming next week.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

We have bronze ones on the shelf

Maxi's Oz rack is now all together and full of real gear oil.
It's a hybrid- the body is out of Tiny's van and the rack out of Gafmo's.
Tiny's rack was badly corroded where the bush runs, due to lack of ANY lubricant for a long while. It did have oil in it, once...

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.