I’ve always been a bit puzzled by the standard lube procedure for the Pantera steering rack. The manual suggests .3 pints of 90wt. It also says don’t exercise the rack lock to lock while the car is suspended because this may blow a boot (huh?). Lube leaking out of the boot is common and the recommended solution is to clamp the end of the boot properly.
I’ve done similar things to stop the annoying leaks but afterward found myself wondering what the gear oil was doing for me if it was pooled at the end of the boot.
I read the Drew article at Pantera Place and it states:
Although the Pantera rack was originally filled with 90-weight gear oil, TRW (the company that bought out Cam Gears UK, the manufacturer of the Pantera rack) now recommends 0-weight grease, instead of oil. Although 0-weight grease can be purchased in 10-gallon tubs, only a fraction of that is necessary for this job. The nearest thing you can find at the retail level is CRC Engine Assembly Lube, which is 0-1/2 weight.
Now this makes sense to me. Any lube that will essentially stay put and not drain, and not become too stiff at cold temps seems right to me. It’s a pretty light duty requirement as far as lubrication goes.
Clearly you’d be better off to disassemble the rack and pack everything with lube, but has anyone ever chosen a good place to install a zerk and just pump in some light grease? Is there any issue with too much lube potentially hydro-locking the rack or does the internal volume stay fairly constant throughout travel?
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