Freightliner Century Class. Manual - part 31

hoses. Repair or replace lines, hoses, and fit-
tings as necessary.

NOTICE

Do not tighten the tube fittings on the hard trans-
fer lines. Tightening the tube fittings can cause
tearing of the O-ring seal and increased fluid leak-
age.

10. Check the tube fittings on the hard transfer lines

of the gear, see

Fig. 6

, Item 15. If there is leak-

age from either of the fittings, replace the steer-
ing gear.

46-07 Bellows Replacement,

Rack and Pinion
Steering Gear

Park the vehicle on a level surface, shut down
the engine, and set the parking brake. Chock the
tires.

Raise the front wheels off the ground and sup-
port the vehicle with jack stands.

Remove both wheels from the steer axle.

NOTE: A Tiger Tool Slack Adjuster Puller, part
number 10406, may be used to assist with re-
moval of the outer tie rods.

Disconnect the outer tie rods from the steering
arms, as follows.

4.1

Remove the cotter pins and castellated
nuts.

4.2

On the driver’s side, loosen the jam nut.
See

Fig. 6

. Note the number of exposed

threads and the position of the outer tie
rod to ease installation.

4.3

Disconnect the outer tie rods from the
steering arms.

Use brake cleaner to remove dirt and debris from
both bellows and surrounding areas.

Remove the small and large Oetiker clamps from
both bellows. Discard the clamps.

Disconnect the outer tie rods from the inner tie
rods. If necessary, use a backup wrench on the
inner tie rod flat to turn the inner tie rod. See

Fig. 6

Remove the bellows from both sides of the gear.

NOTE: A thin film of leftover Terostat MS 939 on
the rack housing is acceptable when installing
the new bellows.

If the housing has Terostat MS 939 on it from a
previous replacement of the bellows, remove as
much of the leftover Terostat from the housing
sealing surface as possible. Wipe down the
housing with brake cleaner to remove all remain-
ing dirt and debris.

IMPORTANT: Only apply grease to the rack
shaft on the driver side. Do not apply grease to
the teeth of the rack shaft. Do not apply grease
to the shaft on the passenger side.

10. Turn the wheels all the way to the right to fully

expose the driver-side rack. Without applying
grease to the teeth of the rack shaft, evenly
apply a light film of Renolit CX-FO 20 grease to
the metal surfaces covered by the driver-side
bellows.

NOTICE

Two syringes of the Terostat MS 939 are included
in the Bellows Service Kit. Ensure only Terostat,
which is white in color, is applied to the rack
housing.

Do not allow Terostat MS 939 sealant to come into
contact with the inner tie rods. Mistakenly apply-
ing sealant to the inner tie rods may cause dam-
age to the bellows and the gear. See

Fig. 6

IMPORTANT: Terostat MS 939 sealant must be
applied at a temperature between 41 and 104°F
(5 and 40°C) to effectively seal steering gear
components. Because Terostat sealant sets
within ten minutes of application, the bellows
must be installed within ten minutes of sealant
application to ensure a good seal.

11. Evenly apply Terostat MS 939 sealant to the

outer diameter of the rack housing where the
large ends of the bellows seat on the gear hous-
ing. See

Fig. 8

Steering

46/6

NOTICE

Improper installation may cause moisture and
contaminants to enter the gear, which may result
in severe damage.

12. Install the new bellows on the gear. Ensure the

bellows are seated properly on the gear housing
and inner tie rods.

13. Rotate the bellows back and forth approximately

15 degrees to evenly disperse the sealant be-
tween the bellows and the gear housing.

14. Install new Oetiker clamps on each of the bel-

lows as follows.

NOTICE

Fully opening an Oetiker clamp may cause perma-
nent damage and render it ineffective.

14.1

Rotate the ears of the large Oetiker
clamp forward on the bellows to avoid
pinching the clamp in the next step.

14.2

Ensure the large Oetiker clamp is prop-
erly seated in the clamp groove on the
bellows. Align the large Oetiker clamp ear
with the small clamp ear. Both clamp ears
should be aligned with the rack housing
casting rib. See

Fig. 9

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f462241

A. Do not apply Terostat near the small end of the

bellows.

B. Only apply Terostat to the gear where the large end

of the bellows seats.

Fig. 7, Apply Terostat To Large End of Bellows

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Evenly apply a bead of Terostat MS 939 sealant where the
large ends of the bellows seat on the gear housing.

Fig. 8, Terostat MS 939 Sealant Application

09/09/2009

f462176

1 2

Inner Tie Rod

Small Oetiker Clamp

Bellows

Large Oetiker Clamp

Housing Casting Rib

Fig. 9, Oetiker Clamp Alignment

Steering

46/7

NOTICE

Do not over-tighten the Oetiker clamps. Over-
tightening may lead to stretching of the clamp,
which could allow moisture intrusion and corro-
sion. If an Oetiker clamp stretches, remove and
discard the clamp and install a new clamp.

All three barbs on the clamp must be engaged. If
all three barbs are not engaged after crimping, re-
move and discard the clamp and install a new
clamp. Oetiker clamps must be adequately
crimped and the bellows must be tightly secured
to the gear housing to prevent moisture intrusion
and corrosion.

14.3

Using an Oetiker clamp tool like the one
shown in

Fig. 10

, crimp the small and

large Oetiker bellows clamp ears until the
ear width is 0.08 to 0.16 in (2 to 4 mm).
See

Fig. 11

and

Fig. 12

15. Remove excess grease from the bellows and the

gear housing.

16. Install the jam nut on the driver-side inner tie rod,

and the tie rod clamp on the passenger-side
inner tie rod.

17. Thread the inner tie rods into the outer tie rods.

18. Attach the outer tie rods of the rack and pinion

gear to the tie rod steering arms. Tighten the
castellated nuts 240 lbf·ft (325 N·m). Continue to
tighten until the next castellated nut slot aligns
with the hole in the ball stud and insert the new
cotter pin.

19. Tighten the jam nut on the driver side, and the

tie rod clamp nut on the passenger side.

20. Align the steering gear.

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Fig. 10, Oetiker Clamp Tool, P/N 14100037 or 14100082

07/21/2009

f462165

Outer Tie Rod

Small Oetiker Clamp

Bellows

Large Oetiker Clamp

Oetiker Clamp Tool

Fig. 11, Oetiker Clamp Installation

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f462172

A. Crimp the clamp ears

until the ear width is

0.08 to 0.16 inch (2 to
4 mm).

Bellows

Large Oetiker Clamp

Fig. 12, Oetiker Clamp Ear Width

Steering

46/8

NOTE: Use a calibrated, computerized,
multi-wheel alignment tool, operated by a
certified service technician to complete the
following steps. If this type of tool is not ac-
cessible, the alignment procedure must be
done by a facility that has the appropriate
tool.

When the alignment process requires that
the steering wheel be pointed straight
ahead, align the steering rack on-center
pointers instead. See

Fig. 13

20.1

Loosen the driver-side tie rod jam nut. If
necessary, hold the inner tie rod in place
with a backup wrench on the inner tie rod
flat. See

Fig. 6

20.2

Align the steering rack on-center pointers.

20.3

Place a wrench on the driver-side inner
tie rod flat and align the left tire by rotat-
ing the inner tie rod.

20.4

Tighten the tie rod jam nut 285 to 305
lbf·ft (386 to 414 N·m).

20.5

Loosen the passenger-side tie rod clamp
nut.

20.6

With the gear on center, place a wrench
on the passenger-side inner tie rod flat
and align the right tire by rotating the
inner tie rod.

20.7

Tighten the tie rod clamp nut 30 to 36
lbf·ft (41 to 49 N·m).

IMPORTANT: Total toe-in should be between
0 and 1/8 inch (3.2 mm), and the target is
1/16 inch (1.6 mm).

20.8

Check the clearance of the front wheels.
With the tires on turnplates, and the
wheels turned all the way to the right and
left, there must be at least 1/2-inch (13
mm) clearance between the wheels and
stationary components, and at least 3/4-
inch (19 mm) clearance between the
wheels/tires and moving components. If
this is not the case, back out the stop
bolts and adjust the jam nuts to limit the
turning angles and to prevent possible
contact with components.

20.9

Tighten the stop-bolt jam nuts 80 to 120
lbf·ft (108 to 163 N·m).

NOTICE

Maximum wheel cut is not to exceed 46 degrees.
Excessive wheel cut may damage the inner tie
rod.

20.10 Verify that wheel cut does not exceed 46

degrees. Adjust wheel cut if needed.

21. Install both wheels on the steer axle.

22. Remove the jack stands and lower the vehicle.

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f462071

A. Align the pointers.
1.

Input Shaft Seal
Cover

Input Shaft Housing

Fig. 13, Rack and Pinion Pointer Alignment

Steering

46/9

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