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Changing Streering Rack
Symptoms of a bad rack
The usual symptom is fluid leaks. The fluid will drip out right below the boots on either end. If you're in doubt, put a newspaper under them for a night and locate the source of the drip.
Excessive play in the steering can also be a symptom of a bad rack, as well as other front end handling anomalies. However, most often these problems are usually not the rack, and are more likely to be bad tires, warped rotors, bad ball joints, bad springs, bad strut cartridges, bad tie rod ends, or shot bushings.
Tools Needed :
Other that the usual jack stands, jack, metric sockets and wrenches, screwdrivers, etc., the only thing that you may want to consider investing in is a scissors type tie rod remover.
Removal of Old Rack :
- Jack the car up and put it on stands. Make sure you do this right and put the stands on the right hardpoints as illustrated Manual. If it falls on you, you'll get a toe tag.
- Remove the splash guard (10mm bolts)
- Remove the front wheels.
- Remove the cotter pin, and the nuts from the outer tie rod ends. Pop the outer tie rods loose with the scissors tool mentioned above. This tool makes it relatively easy.
- Using a small pocket knife or something similar, count the number of threads exposed on the inner tie rod on each side. Write this down so you don't forget.
- Remove the outer tie rod ends from the rack, and examine them for excessive play. If they are bad, now is the time to replace them. Mine were still pretty good after 120,000 miles. Make sure you remember what side of the car they came off.
- Remove the fastening nut from the inner tie rods to reuse on the new rack. My new rack came with its own end nuts, but they were of a different thickness and would throw off the thread counting.
- Next loosen the bolts on the upper and lower steering wheel linkages. You will have to turn the steering wheel to get these bolts lined up in the right position to get a socket on them. You may want to spray them down with WD 40 first to help break any rust loose. The upper one is near the turbo charger if you have a turbo model and can get a little rusted.
- Once you get these bolts loose and the rust broken free, you should be able to push the shaft of the lower linkage up into the joint on the upper linkage, while prying the lower joint off the rack with a screwdriver. You don't have to take the shaft out of the upper linkage.
- Next remove the two bolts (10mm, I think) retaining the two hydraulic lines to the crossmember. You will need to do this in order to get the lines free enough to remove them from the old rack and put them on the new rack.
- Now, remove the four bolts securing the right and left clamps that hold the rack to the crossmember. Note that the passenger side clamp is symmetrical and doesn't have a front and back. The driver's side isn't like that and can't go back either way, so note carefully how it went on. My car had a shield and small bracket mounted to the driver's side rear clamp mounting bolt. I found it easiest to remove the shield as well, as it provides more room to remove the rack. You'll have to experiment with the right wrench extensions to get to the clamp bolts because they are in an awkward position. As I recall, what worked best for me was a 1/2" ratchet with a 1/2" to 3/8" adapter before the socket. The adapter seemed to give me just the right height to get in there.
- Unscrew the two hydraulic line connectors from the rack. Have a drain pan ready to catch the runoff. It will drain quicker if you open the power steering reservoir. As it's draining, run some of the fluid through a paper towel and examine the towel for any signs of metal shavings or small metal particles. If you see any of these, its bad news and you should change the PS pump as well. If you don't, your new rack will probably have a short life.
Installation of new rack :
- Rebuilt racks are not shipped with new bushings. Remove the bushings from the old rack. Mine were in pretty good shape and there was no reason not to reuse them. I had to slit the passenger side bushing with a razor to get it off. No real problem because new bushings come with the slit anyway.
- Make sure the new rack is centered with the pointer directly at the center marker. Your rack probably has some instructions on this.
- Put the bushings on the new rack and slide it into place.
- Re-install the steering wheel linkage. You will need to make sure that you get it aligned properly. Have an assistant hold the steering wheel centered, and with the rack centered (pointer on marker) snap the linkage on top of the rack knurled shaft. Do not tighten the upper and lower linkage bolts yet.
- Install the clamps over the rack bushings and tighten them in place.
- Now tighten the upper and lower steering wheel linkage bolts.
- Check that the steering wheel doesn't bind and freely turns. If there is a bind, you may not have the rack at the right angle and it may need to be rotated a bit. You'll have to iterate on the previous two steps.
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