Simon928

I'm in the process of doing an oil pan gasket and motor mounts job on my '90 S4, so I started to take some things apart on the bottom of the engine. I was following both Dwayne's and Pirtle's guides, and I followed all of their steps up to the point where in their guides the steering rack should be free to drop, but in my case I can't get it free. The rack plate is off and the sway bar has been swung down out of the way and the PS hose has also been disconnected from the clamp at the side of the engine bay. In both guides it says that the rack should drop now, but I can't get it down. It seems to be catching on the driver side around where the pinch bolt is. Do I have to remove that bolt in order to drop the rack?

The one thing that I am doing differently compared to the two aforementioned guides is that I didn't remove the front wheels, as I have the car on a four post lift and I read that keeping the car with the weight on the wheels makes it easier to get the toe alignment back to where it was.

Another point of note--I also want to replace the two boots on the rack as they are both cracked. Would this necessitate disconnecting the rack from where it attaches to the tie rods? And if I did disconnect it from the rods, would I need an alignment? Could an alignment be avoided if I marked the nuts and put it back together according to those marks? I would prefer to not have to take the rack off completely as I have heard that it can be a pain to get everything aligned properly on re-install, and my general rule of thumb is to not mess with things if I can avoid them. But of course, I will do what I must to get this job done properly.

Any tips are appreciated! Thanks in advance.

soontobered84

Drop is a subjective term in this instance. I've always had to pull them down out of the crossmember

StratfordShark

You don't mention removing the 4 17mm head bolts which attach through the rack eyes to the crossmember, but those are removed right? If so the rack should pull down, but that will be easier if you disconnect the pressure and return lines from the rack, as there's not much slack in those lines. I did remove wheels when I did same project you've started (91 S4), but that shouldn't make any difference to rack clearance (but it will give you a lot more space).

To replace the boots you needn't disconnect rack from inner tie rods (you can just cut off the old boots) but you do need to disconnect the outer tie rod ball joints at hub to slide on the new boots. Reinstalling after putting on the new boots (there's a great tip for doing this when you get to that point!) shouldn't affect the alignment. You don't need to mark the nuts or count threads at all, as you won't be moving the outer rods. When separating the outer ball joints I'm sure it will be easier without the wheels on, if only from POV of being able to move the hubs around when they are detached.

When I did this project I replaced the inner and outer tie rods, and installed new rack bushes, and installed new lower ball joints so I did have an alignment after the suspension had settled (tried to get in ballpark by counting threads on rods, and took photos of position of camber/caster eccentrics on ball joint). So my advice for your case may be wrong, in which case I hope someone jumps in to correct me!

Adamant1971

Get the wheels off the ramps and she will drop down. Your fighting the weight on each wheel as the tie rods need push on the wheels as you lower the rack.

If your doing boots just pull the rack, putting new boots on is much easier with the rack on a bench and you should be doing an alignment anyway as you are loosening the lower control arms to get the cross-member out.

StratfordShark

I forgot about the crossmember! Yes you need an alignment after loosening the LCAs, whatever you do with the tie rods. Maybe you have access to those jacks allowing you to lift the wheels on a 4-poster?

dr bob

REMOVE THE PINCH BOLT from the TOP of the little universal joint where the steering shaft connects. Before you do that, wrap a piece of masking tape around the shaft just where it touches the installed u-joint, and put an index/alignment mark there to line up with the split in the coupling. That will guide you when you reinstall, as it's sometimes possible to be off by one spline tooth and still force the pinch bolt back in. The bolt indexes in a groove/relief in the steering shaft, so must come out before the coupling will slide off the shaft.

Note that the coupling to rack joint has a spec for insertion, so it's easier to leave that connected. In my experience, it's easier to manipulate the top connection to the steering shaft on installation anyway, especially with the index mark and the tape location to guide you during reassembly.

----

New rack bushings are recommended WYAIT. These, plus the chance of changing the position of the LCA in the rear carriers makes alignment mandatory when you are done.

If your car has over a00k on the original tie rods and ends, they are due for replacement. Since you have everything apart and need an alignment anyway, it's a good time to replace those and the rack boots. Take the tie rods loose from the spindle end first without disturbing the adjustment at all. Then remove the whole assembly from the rack with thin spanners. Fit the new pieces after matching the lengths of the new pieces to the old ones, and you'll be close on toe adjustment.

DuncanF

Given what you've done already and your intention to replace the rack boots you may as well take the whole rack out. The pinch bolt is easy to access so should not be too big a deal.

I had my rack out at the weekend to replace the mountings and rack boots. The boots are a pain to get on unless you search these forums and find MrMerlin's trick of turning the steering on to full lock - this will squeeze the end of the boot between the rack end and lock stop and if it's lined up right it will just pop nicely on to the rack end.

Regards
Duncan
87 S4

Simon928

Okay, good to know about the alignment. If I have to get that done anyways I guess that I might as well do as many have suggested and drop the rack entirely. I will remove the pinch bolt as dr bob suggested, which is the bolt in this picture, correct?



And regarding removing the rack from either end, is this the location that everyone is referring to? Just take this nut off from either end and lower it down?

Adamant1971

You may need a tie rod puller to release it. I have one you can borrow. A few of us are meeting for beers tomorrow night in Burlington if you want to join. I have an extra silicone gasket as well, if you need one.

Simon928

I have a tool in my drawer like the one pictured below--would that work for separating the rack from the tie rod? And if I had known about the silicone gasket I definitely would've taken you up on it, but I already ordered one which is on its way. Thanks so much for the offer!

Adamant1971

Yep that's the tool, just wear safety goggles in case it gets away from you.

Imo000

When I pulled the rack on a ’90, I left the outer tie rods in place and just disconnected them from the inner tire rods. For this, I had to lift the front wheel off the ground so the wheels can be turned inwards as the outer tire rods gets unscrewed from the inner tie rod. Since you are doing the pan gasket too, this will not help you much but will for someone that only wants to pull the rack and nothing else. And yes, the pinch bolt at the steering shaft needs to come out but make sure the rack is centred and the steering wheel is tide down so it can’t move. This is especially important if your car has an airbag.

soontobered84

Simon,
It is not necessary to completely remove the steering rack to replace either pan gasket or motor mounts. Just an FYI.

Simon928

Thanks guys. While I'm asking questions about the steering rack I figure I might as well ask one more. There seems to be a leak from the passenger side of the rack under the boot. It's very slight and doesn't leave anything on the ground but as you can see in the pic it's a little wet under there. Is it feasible to change the offending seal without too much difficulty? Or if I'm not a pro, would I be better off replacing the boots and leaving well enough alone until such a time that the rack needs a full rebuild? I would prefer not to spend the coin on sending it out for a rebuild right now since it doesn't seem to be too bad and I have my cash tied up in some upcoming landscaping work on my property. If it's relatively simple to just change a seal or two then I'll do it, but if I have to take apart the whole rack I might not bother right now and wait to do a proper rebuild.

Imo000

To get a proper rebuild locally it will be about $250. I would do it now.