Re: (ET) New steering failure mode?

[Bruce Conner <bconner mediaone net>]

Could be there was a little notch in the weld area causing a stress
riser that turned into a crack that travelled. Doesn't take much of a
nick to do that and it's amazing how it can weaken something.  

Bruce Conner

Geoff Rich wrote:
> 
> Hello all,
> 
> Over the weekend, I experienced what was for me, at least, a new mode of
> failure in the ET steering.  I was mowing along, began to turn, and then 
> all
> of a sudden, no steering!
> 
> Turns out that the weld on the "gear and sector assembly" (I can say this
> properly now, having read the parts manual...Thanks, Don!) let go.  It 
> broke
> where the plate to which the tie-rods attach is welded to the shaft 
> turned
> by the sector gear.  I disassembled everything and now have the assembly 
> out
> and handed over to a welder friend for repair.  What's really strange is
> that there was no rust or corrosion at the weld, and it LOOKED like a 
> good
> weld, to me anyway.
> 
> Anyone else ever had this happen?
> 
> Geoffrey Rich