Can a steering gear with water ingress be repaired?

[VonPaige]

For a steering gear with water ingress, the power assist unit can be disassembled to drain the water. However, replacement is recommended. Below is relevant information about steering gears: 1. Introduction: The automotive steering gear, also known as the steering mechanism or direction mechanism, is the most critical component in a vehicle's steering system. Its function is to amplify the force transmitted from the steering wheel to the steering linkage and alter the direction of force transmission. 2. Types of Steering Gears: (1) Rack and Pinion Steering: This is the most common type of steering gear. Its basic structure consists of a pair of meshing pinion and rack. When the steering shaft rotates the pinion, the rack moves linearly. Sometimes, the rack directly drives the tie rod, enabling the steering wheels to turn. Thus, it is the simplest steering mechanism. Its advantages include simple structure, low cost, sensitive steering, compact size, and the ability to directly drive the tie rod. It is widely used in automobiles. (2) Worm and Sector Steering: This type uses a worm as the driving component and a sector gear as the driven component. The worm has trapezoidal threads, and a finger-like tapered pin is supported by bearings on the sector gear, which is integrated with the steering arm shaft. When steering, the rotation of the steering wheel turns the worm, causing the tapered pin embedded in the worm's helical groove to rotate and move in an arc around the steering arm shaft, thereby driving the sector gear and steering arm to swing and turn the wheels. This type is typically used in heavy-duty trucks requiring greater steering force. (3) Recirculating Ball Steering: The recirculating ball power steering system mainly consists of two parts: mechanical and hydraulic. The mechanical part includes the housing, side cover, upper cover, lower cover, recirculating ball screw, rack nut, rotary valve spool, and sector gear shaft. There are two pairs of transmission components: one is the screw and nut, and the other is the rack and sector gear or sector gear shaft. Between the screw and rack nut, there are recirculating steel balls that convert sliding friction into rolling friction, improving transmission efficiency. The advantages of this steering gear are ease of operation, minimal wear, and long service life. Its disadvantages include complex structure, higher cost, and lower steering sensitivity compared to rack and pinion steering.