Planning future work: Steering rack
07-12-2018, 11:15 AM
#1
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Planning future work: Steering rack
So my car has a number of needs in the steering/front suspension area, however I'm not sure I can or should tackle everything at once.
- Front discs (not critical, but when I do it, I'd like to clean up/refurbish/repaint my calipers too)
- Upper ball joint boots
- steering rack bushings (very critical...LOTS of slop, vibration on right hand sweepers, etc)
- shocks
- motor mounts
I'm not sure there's any real advantage in doing these things together, with the exception of motor mounts and steering rack, BUT...I'm not prepared for the motor mount ordeal yet. I can't do this in my driveway because it's got a slight slope, and I can't do it in my garage with jack stands because there's no room on the sides to jack it, so I need to get a QuickJack or scissor lift before I do that...and that hasn't happened yet.
About that rack..I know the bushings are toast, the whole rack shifts back and forth when I rock the wheel. Is it leaking? I don't know. My car is still fairly goopy down there. My PS reservoir does not constantly need topping up, but the level does drop a bit over time. I don't see fluid pouring out of the boots, but then again those boots are in need of replacement so it would most likely just leak out a little over time. In any case...what are the chances I don't need, or won't need in a very short time, a rebuild? I'm guessing low? (I don't know the history on this rack, I've had the car about four years and never changed it). In any case, either the rack needs to come off. I've read that it's "a couple hours" to do this. I'll take much longer I'm sure, but is it really that much less than the motor mount job? If it really is, I suspect I could do that in my driveway by just jacking up the front, which won't work for motor mounts I would guess (engine would then lift at an angle). But I've also heard that "while you're in there" doing the rack you may as well do motor mounts. So those two ideas really don't match. What's the general consensus on doing the jobs separately vs doing them together?
- Front discs (not critical, but when I do it, I'd like to clean up/refurbish/repaint my calipers too)
- Upper ball joint boots
- steering rack bushings (very critical...LOTS of slop, vibration on right hand sweepers, etc)
- shocks
- motor mounts
I'm not sure there's any real advantage in doing these things together, with the exception of motor mounts and steering rack, BUT...I'm not prepared for the motor mount ordeal yet. I can't do this in my driveway because it's got a slight slope, and I can't do it in my garage with jack stands because there's no room on the sides to jack it, so I need to get a QuickJack or scissor lift before I do that...and that hasn't happened yet.
About that rack..I know the bushings are toast, the whole rack shifts back and forth when I rock the wheel. Is it leaking? I don't know. My car is still fairly goopy down there. My PS reservoir does not constantly need topping up, but the level does drop a bit over time. I don't see fluid pouring out of the boots, but then again those boots are in need of replacement so it would most likely just leak out a little over time. In any case...what are the chances I don't need, or won't need in a very short time, a rebuild? I'm guessing low? (I don't know the history on this rack, I've had the car about four years and never changed it). In any case, either the rack needs to come off. I've read that it's "a couple hours" to do this. I'll take much longer I'm sure, but is it really that much less than the motor mount job? If it really is, I suspect I could do that in my driveway by just jacking up the front, which won't work for motor mounts I would guess (engine would then lift at an angle). But I've also heard that "while you're in there" doing the rack you may as well do motor mounts. So those two ideas really don't match. What's the general consensus on doing the jobs separately vs doing them together?
07-12-2018, 08:23 PM
#2
Chronic Tool Dropper
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Do it all at once. The lower control arms come off for the motor mounts and the rack hangs from tie rods. Pop the tie rod ends and the rack falls out. The lower control arms hang by the shocks so it’s a great time to undos few bolts on each side and drop them out for replacement. Must importantly you get to do a shipload of cleaning in advance and during. Power steering hoses are exposed and due for replacement. Super easy to drop the alternator console with the ps pump attached, so easy to rebuild the pump and install those hoses. Plan on a long day plus cleaning time. Invest in a few cans of spray engine cleaner, use them.
07-12-2018, 08:36 PM
#3
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What Bob said. Do it all at once. Get it up on a rack or 4 post lift with a set of stands. Including PS hoses.
07-13-2018, 10:08 AM
#4
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So far I have had zero people recommend just doing the rack by itself. Dammit 
I guess I should just go ahead and buy that damn QuickJack and get started then...
I guess I should just go ahead and buy that damn QuickJack and get started then...
07-13-2018, 11:33 AM
#5
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Nickel worth of more free advice. There is NO WAY I would do this big of a job on a partial lift, or on stands again. It's 1000 times easier working standing under the car on a full lift. The climbing down and up, and down and up, and down and up, tore me apart. I'm going to start this job once my 88 is running, and I'm taking it to one of my good good buddy's for their lift for a few days. It's a horribly job doing it on your back.
07-13-2018, 12:29 PM
#7
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07-13-2018, 12:32 PM
#8
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I had a cunning plan to use my friend's two post lift while he was out of town for a couple weeks on business, but I stupidly started an intake refresh a week before then and as is typical for me, that stretched into a month or so. If I were confident of being fairly quick about, I would ask to use it and I'm sure he would have no issue with that, but if I took a month for an intake refresh...I just can't monopolize his lift that long, he uses it a lot.
This is a big part of why I've put this job off for so long!
This is a big part of why I've put this job off for so long!
Nickel worth of more free advice. There is NO WAY I would do this big of a job on a partial lift, or on stands again. It's 1000 times easier working standing under the car on a full lift. The climbing down and up, and down and up, and down and up, tore me apart. I'm going to start this job once my 88 is running, and I'm taking it to one of my good good buddy's for their lift for a few days. It's a horribly job doing it on your back.
07-13-2018, 01:25 PM
#9
Drifting
I did these jobs as part of same project, so I can understand advice to do all at once:
steering rack bushings
inner tie rods
outer rods
rack gaiters
motor mounts
front shocks and springs
oil pan gasket
But a lot of the time advantages in combining jobs come through doing the motor mounts, and so removing the cross member.
You’re not saving on that much time/effort if you just do the steering rack stuff, as dropping the rack is much easier than removing (and reinstalling) the cross member. It’s ‘just’ removing rack protection plate, outer tie rod ends, rack bolts through the bushings, and disconnecting PS lines at rack to give yourself more room to get at the old bushings (I may have left lines attached at rack, but loosened them at clamp on side of engine bay). There’s none of the real ‘grunt’ work involved in pulling the cross member/lower arms.
i did the work using Quickjack, but it would have been wonderful to have been able to do it standing up!
steering rack bushings
inner tie rods
outer rods
rack gaiters
motor mounts
front shocks and springs
oil pan gasket
But a lot of the time advantages in combining jobs come through doing the motor mounts, and so removing the cross member.
You’re not saving on that much time/effort if you just do the steering rack stuff, as dropping the rack is much easier than removing (and reinstalling) the cross member. It’s ‘just’ removing rack protection plate, outer tie rod ends, rack bolts through the bushings, and disconnecting PS lines at rack to give yourself more room to get at the old bushings (I may have left lines attached at rack, but loosened them at clamp on side of engine bay). There’s none of the real ‘grunt’ work involved in pulling the cross member/lower arms.
i did the work using Quickjack, but it would have been wonderful to have been able to do it standing up!
07-13-2018, 02:17 PM
#11
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Ahh, good point on the alignment!
StratfordShark, when you use the QuickJack do you use a creeper with it? Is there enough room for that?
StratfordShark, when you use the QuickJack do you use a creeper with it? Is there enough room for that?
07-13-2018, 02:36 PM
#12
Drifting
I overlooked alignment too, but counting threads on tie rods would get you pretty close.
Using both rubber blocks at each corner there would be room for creeper. I was looking forward to using one after years under axle stands, then realised my garage nowhere near long enough so I’d be trapped trying to come out at each end! If you’ve got a creeper’s worth of room at one end you’d be ok.
Using both rubber blocks at each corner there would be room for creeper. I was looking forward to using one after years under axle stands, then realised my garage nowhere near long enough so I’d be trapped trying to come out at each end! If you’ve got a creeper’s worth of room at one end you’d be ok.
07-13-2018, 03:11 PM
#13
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Thread Starter
Oh, that's an interesting problem. I'll have that too...my saving grace is that it's not air-conditioned, so I'll most likely have the door open whenever I'm working on it.
I'm not 100% it's long enough for the horizontal movement on a QuickJack, since I have a workbench at one end. I need to check that....I'd hate to get the car up in the air and then not be able to close the garage until I finish. Might be a good motivator to get s**t done though!
I'm not 100% it's long enough for the horizontal movement on a QuickJack, since I have a workbench at one end. I need to check that....I'd hate to get the car up in the air and then not be able to close the garage until I finish. Might be a good motivator to get s**t done though!
I overlooked alignment too, but counting threads on tie rods would get you pretty close.
Using both rubber blocks at each corner there would be room for creeper. I was looking forward to using one after years under axle stands, then realised my garage nowhere near long enough so I’d be trapped trying to come out at each end! If you’ve got a creeper’s worth of room at one end you’d be ok.
Using both rubber blocks at each corner there would be room for creeper. I was looking forward to using one after years under axle stands, then realised my garage nowhere near long enough so I’d be trapped trying to come out at each end! If you’ve got a creeper’s worth of room at one end you’d be ok.