The steering wheel, mounted on the steering column, transmits the force to the rack and pinion.
The gear rack of the steering gear is connected on each side to the tie rod via a ball joint. The tie rods transmit power through the steering knuckles and steering knuckles to the front wheels. Rack and pinion steering is easy to move and has no play when turning the steering wheel from lock to lock. The steering is virtually maintenance-free, but the condition of the protective covers of the ball joints should be constantly checked.
To facilitate turning the steering wheel, a hydraulic power steering is installed. It consists of an oil pump, expansion tank and oil lines. The pump, driven by the engine through the V-ribbed belt, supplies oil from the reservoir under pressure to the valve located in the steering gear. The valve is mechanically connected to the steering shaft and supplies oil, depending on the direction of rotation of the steering wheel, to the corresponding side of the working cylinder. The oil presses on the rack piston and thereby keeps the steering wheel moving. At the same time, the piston pushes oil from the other side of the working cylinder through the return line back into the expansion tank.
An airbag for the driver is installed in the center of the steering wheel. The airbag on the driver's side is standard equipment on all models. The security system is activated when the ignition is switched on and is activated by a deceleration sensor included in the control unit. If there is a malfunction in the airbag system, the warning lamp in the instrument cluster comes on.
Attention! It is strictly forbidden to carry out welding and straightening work on the parts of the steering system. When installing, use only new self-locking nuts.
On a vehicle equipped with an airbag, when carrying out any repair work on it, when moving and storing it, observe the following safety measures:
- do not disconnect the battery while the engine is running;
- do not disconnect the battery terminal when there are people in the car;
- when performing any work on the security system or performing electric welding on the car, deactivate the security system;
- if the warning lamp of the alarm system of the security system is on, contact the service station immediately;
- transport the airbag separately, bag up;
- when transporting, do not put your hands on the airbag;
- do not drop the airbag;
- do not disassemble the airbag;
- avoid contact with solvents or cleaning agents on the airbag;
- do not expose the airbag to temperatures above 80°C;
- do not allow the airbag to come into contact with an open flame;
- Do not install a defective or damaged airbag on a vehicle.