Smoker324

Hi All,

I got a manual rack and am going to rebuild it.

Here are some pics. I plan on keeping a photo diary of the project. Any comments or advise will be welcomed.

The pass side looks like its missing something -- but I guess thats the way it is -- right?

-Dan C.

hardtail15

does your car have power steering right now?

and what year did the manual rack come out of

Smoker324

Yes, the car does have PS now -- and I am unsure of the year the manual rack came out of -- the part number is odd -- I think it is 944.347.011.05 -- rather than the 944.347.11.00 you usually see?

Darwantae951

Buy a boot kit from paragon. Did you grab the intermediate shaft as well?

-Darwin

Smoker324

I was unable to get the intermediate shaft. I am looking for a good one now.

hardtail15

is the intermediate shaft the part that goes from the steering column to the rack?

Darwantae951

Yes. The manual shaft is longer than the PS shaft.

PorscheDoc

There really isn't anything to a manual rack. Add some grease to the gears and maybe lube the bushing that is pushed into the end in your first picture.

Smoker324

Thanks for the tip doc -- what bushing are you speaking of? Does it act as a scraper bearing between the shaft and housing?

-Dan

Spidey944

I had an extra manual steering shaft, but I lent it to Gina and Mike (user Gina.Kane) to have it sent out and reproduced. It has been 6 months or so and am still waiting to see what ever became of it. If I hear anything I will let you know.

Smoker324

Sounds good....

PorscheDoc

When you disassemble the rack, if you pull the main shaft out of the housing, you can look inside the housing and you will see a black bushing that sits in an indenture in the housing, that the main shaft slides on. You can drive the bushing out using a long extension and a socket, but I don't see any need. If you do, just make sure you get the exposed ring on the bushing to sit in the notch in the housing, or the rack becomes very hard to turn.

I had a track event last year where I lost control of the car in a turn, and let go, the rack slammed to the full steering stop in one of the directions (I don't remember if it was to the left or right anymore, the turn was a right hander). After that the steering was extremely hard to turn. I pulled the rack, and found that the bushing had popped out of it's groove ever so slightly, which then pinched the main shaft tightly, causing the stiff steering.

PorscheDoc

If you look at your pictures, you can faintly see the ring indenture about an inch from the end of the main housing (pics 1 and 3). That is right where the bushing sits.

GTSilver944

I don't mean to steal your thread but - Is the manual rack and intermediate shaft the only parts needed for a manual conversion?

alex

I have heard that if you get good u joints you can have a machine shop pop off the old ones and put the new ones on. Then you wouldn't need the whole thing. The joints on mine were so bad that they were affecting the steering. I sprayed some wd40 on there and its been perfect for months. Now I just have pull it back off and get the steering wheel straight.