Patent ID: 7815204

Claim:
A rack-and-pinion type steering apparatus comprising: a housing having a cylindrical holding hole in its interior; a pinion which is disposed rotatably in said housing and is rotated by steering; a rack bar which has rack teeth meshing with said pinion and is movable; a rack guide which is disposed movably in the holding hole within said housing, and which guides and supports said rack bar movably; and resilient means which is disposed between said housing and said rack guide to resiliently press the rack teeth of said rack bar against said pinion by means of said rack guide, wherein said rack guide includes: a rack guide body having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface, a wide annular recessed portion formed in the outer peripheral surface, and at least one narrow annular groove formed in a bottom surface of the wide annular recessed portion and having a narrower width than a width of the wide annular recessed portion; a sliding plate piece which is secured to said rack guide body and is brought into contact with an outer surface of said rack bar so as to support said the rack bar movably; an endless annular elastic member fitted and secured in the narrow annular groove of said rack guide body in such a manner as to project from an opening of the narrow annular groove; and a cylindrical bush which has a split groove and is fitted and secured in the wide annular recessed portion, such that said cylindrical bush on an outer peripheral surface side thereof projects from an opening of the wide annular recessed portion of said rack guide body, while an inner peripheral surface of said cylindrical bush abuts against an outer surface of said endless annular elastic member, said cylindrical bush being fitted in the holding hole of said housing with an interference, an outer peripheral surface of said cylindrical bush being movably in contact with a cylindrical inner peripheral surface of said housing defining the holding hole of said housing.