Supporting apparatus for supporting pinion shaft in rack-pinion power transmitting system

A rack-pinion mechanism for a vehicle, comprising:

• a housing,
• a pinion shaft having housed within said housing a pinion and first and second supporting portions respectively disposed to opposite sides of said pinion, and
• a rack shaft having a rack meshed with said pinion within said housing, said rack shaft being shiftable in an axial direction thereof by rotation of said pinion to axially shift a tie rod connected to said rack shaft,
• wherein said second supporting portion is supported within said housing by a corresponding bearing means, and
• wherein said first supporting portion of said pinion shaft is supported within said housing by a pair of angular rolling bearings having respective inner races fixed to said first supporting portion and respective outer races abutted with one another, said outer races being held with a predetermined pre-load between a stepped portion of said housing in abutment with one of said outer races and a nut threaded to said housing and pressing against the other of said outer races but not pressing against either of said inner races.