CyCloNe!

Hey guys I can tell a lot of people on the forums really want the pdf for how to depower the steering rack the proper way. I have decided to attach it here so many can enjoy it. I take no credit for making it, all the credit goes to Genikz for taking the time to making a grreat tutorial! I'm posting to just keep the great tools we have still available.

On a side note if you decided to depower your rack I have heard it mentioned that the spring that is located behind the flat plate on the main housing (where the steering u-joint clamp goes) should be removed and an object should be installed to help keep the position on the rack centered. Item's I've heard used were washers and a cut up allen wrench end.

Hope you all enjoy and please share any insight to improve the tension on the steering outside what has been mentioned.

Here's the link:

http://www.4shared.com/office/ceIPE_...ck-how-to.html


(These instructions are for my own personal use. If you follow these instructions and damage your car, yourself, your dog, hurt your feelings, or get a busted knuckle, it is not my fault. Use at your own risk. You are liable for your own actions.)
1. Start by removing the rack from the car. I left the tie-rod ends attached to the spindles and unscrewed the inner tie rods from the rack, since they had to be removed anyway. I ended up cutting many of the hard lines from the power steering system to ease removing the rack; this will ruin your power steering system permantely, so do at your own risk.

2. Remove the three screws holding this little plate on. Remove the two larger bolts by alternating a few turns on each bolt; the plate is under tension from the spring.

3. Remove the three bolts on the top of the “tower” of the rack. The black seal is holding the cover in place, so very carefully pry it up trying not to scratch the mating surface.

4. Carefully pull up on the shaft, being careful not to scratch the steering mechanism, or lose any of the washers or bearings. Pay very close attention to the order of the bearings and washers.
Here is a view of all the items removed thus far.

5. Carefully remove the bearing and washer underneath it.

6. Use a hammer and punch (or something similar) to tap this ring in a counter-clockwise direction. Keep unscrewing until the two halves of the rack are separated.
I used a T15 torx driver.

7. Separate the two halves. Be very careful not to damage the steering rack in anyway.

8. This hard line banjo bolt was striped. I decided to just cut it short with a hack-saw and hammer the end closed. The system will no longer be pressurized, so I just need to keep dirt and debris out.
Smashed closed with plyers. I filed the sharp edges as to not cut myself handling the rack.

9. While you can buy M12 x 1.5 caps for all the “ports” in the system, I decided to cheap out and crimp two of the lines shut, and found some scrap lying around to take the place of the hard line for the other two banjo bolts. Like I said before, you just need to keep the dirt out (while keeping the bolts from sticking too far into the housing).


10. All the parts cleaned. This makes everything much easier to handle. Notice I replaced the cardboard with a clean sheet. The bearings and rack need to be free of dirt and debri, so pay close attention to where you’re putting things.

11. To reduce the effort needed to operate the rack, this little guy needs to be removed. It’s surrounded by c-clips. Use a good c-clip removal tool here, so you don’t scratch the rack. I needed to use a screwdriver to carefully guide the c-clip out of it’s grove .

12. With the c-clip removed, carefully guide the piston off the shaft.

13. Remove the two rubber seals, and remaining washer and c-clip.

14. I put the rubber seals back, but they probably aren’t necessary anymore.

15. Liberally grease the rack.

16. Guide the rack back into the right housing, then screw the left section back on. Pay close attention to the orientation of the rack mount on the left (it can be easily rotated however) and the small “turret” looking thing that had the black hose connected to it. The latter cannot be easily adjusted, so be sure to line it back up in line with the one on the other side of the rack.

17. Liberally grease and reinstall the shaft and its bearings and washers. Do NOT use any force. If it does not drop in as far as you see it here, be sure the rack is rotated so the teeth are facing the right direction, and gently rotate the shaft and slide the rack back and forth until it drops in practically under its own weight. Good luck trying to get this back exactly as it was before; just prepare to adjust your steering wheel to center correctly again when you’re done.

18. Reinstall the bearing and washer. I greased it all, just in case.

19. Finish assembly and install on the car!

Copilot

Awesome write-up, thanks - on a side note, I have powered rack where I broke that spring you said has to be removed... can I buy yours???

CyCloNe!

I haven't removed mine yet, I will try by monday and see if it assists in making the rack movement easier if so I will give it to you for free.

Copilot

Thanks!!!

Hollywood D

I did not remove that spring that is behind the plate. I assume you are talking about the spring that goes behind the plate with the two bolts. The spring is there to adjust the tension on the rack to increase or decrease steering effort.

CyCloNe!

I would assume that removing it would relieve tension on the rack then and would allow it to turn easier? Just thinking out loud, if so then I will remove it in a heart beat. My rack still is tight to turn, its easy if your going straight and make 10 degrees either left or right though, I still need an alignment but I wish to make sure everything is as it should be first. With the car jacked up it moves very nicely with hardly any effort, so I assume it's about as good as it gets.

I hear that wheel size will effect the steering as well, so would smaller or larger wheels improve the steering effort?

Hollywood D

From what I know you are not supposed to remove it. If you make it too loose, the splines will slip against each other. IE, you turn the wheel but the tires don't turn. When I put mine back together I put it back to the same way it was when I removed it.

A thinner tire should be easier to turn since there is less rubber/less friction area.

Van

Larger diameter steering wheel will reduce effort, and, as Hollywood says, a narrow contact patch will reduce effort (so will less weight on the front).

CyCloNe!

I'll keep that in mind Hollywood and thanks for the input Van you advice is always greatly appreciated. I feel that an alignment will help as well, it's been a year since my last one and I've replaced blown struts recently as well. The wheel doesn't really seems to pull one way but the passenger side tire looks like it needs a toe adjustment judging by the wear pattern.

Van

Caster will affect steering force, especially under braking.

CyCloNe!

Van- how much weight would you guess would need to be removed from the front to feel a large difference in steering with the rack depowered? Over 100lbs?

sydneyman

i didn't weigh my setup but i would be surprised if it was over 5-6 lbs... do it to get rid of fluid, do it to get some fore arm development. don't do it for weight savings... jmho

CyCloNe!

Wait a min. didn't you convert back to powersteering?

Ya I got rid of mine for the same reasons, leaking fluid and thought "hey why not eliminate it completely." Honestly it's not that bad, I still need an alignment which will help some and I was thinking about where I can cut additional weight in the front to make it a little easier. I heard it gets a little easier over time as well; I'm curious though how a true manual rack feels.

arthropraxis

I can't make a comparison with a de-powered rack but my wife can drive my car with a manual rack without any issues. Actually, a little disappointing, I was hoping it would discourage her from wanting to drive it.

F40LM

I never had any problems with my de-powered modified rack staying centered.

I just removed mine, decided to keep the manual rack from a '83 parts car I just got and go with it. The modified de-powered rack was great for a $20 mod and only started looking for a true manual rack after I moved up to 18x8 wheels up front.

If anyone would like to buy my already modified rack PM me. I did about 20k on it with no issues.

michael