Steering rack Questions

[450knotOffice]

Since I have the entire front suspension out anyway, I decided to replace the steering rack shaft bearing which was worn out, which caused my steering shaft to clunk a little.

I removed the lower U-joint bolt on the steering shaft and managed to pull the U-joint ALMOST free. But not quite.

Do I need to remove the Steering rack and pull it out from below to separate the U-joint from the shaft?

I have no problem doing that if it's required.

[antares]

450:
I am doing the same thing right now. i pulled the
rack out the other day. disconnect the upper steering shaft U-joints after removing the heater plumbing and blower tubes. be careful to spray/put some nut/bolt penetration oil on the two
hex nuts that hold the rubber shaft bearing in place or you may strip them as the inner on is a bear to get out. i had to remove my a/c lines to get mine out from below but the a/c is dead anyway so no hassle. when reinstalling make sure the rack is back into position thru the rubber mount before you refasten to steering ujoints as the end spline shaft has a tendence to bind up so hook that last. the book says to replace the nuts on the u joints at those locations.

antares
fatnwide

[450knotOffice]

Antares,

Thank you.

Yea, I have to agree with you about the hex bolts that secure the C-clamp to the rubber shaft support bearing. I tired to loosen them with my hex key wrench and had no luck at all. I went to the local auto parts store and ended up buying a set of hex head sockets. I put the 5mm hex socket on my big breaker bar and both bolts popped off with no problem at all.

Leverage..ya gotta love it.

OK. Tomorrow I'll pull the rack and pull it the rest of the way out of the U-Joint and bearing. No problem. I'll clean the rack and install the tie rods, boots, and retainer springs while I'm at it.

Thanks again.

[450knotOffice]

Anyone else chime in - those that have done it?

[randywebb]

Zeke....

[450knotOffice]

Well, it is a done deal. Thanks for the help guys.

I ended up taking off the crossmember, since it was already stripped of everything, and just pulled the steering rack out. The thing was filthy from years of driving so I cleaned it fairly well and then took a good look at it. It seems to be in pretty good shape with no loosness that I can feel anywhere, however when I turn the shaft the bearing seems to drag just a tiny bit and it doesn't feel like a smooth drag. It feels just the slightest, slightest bit notchy. I mean it is really subtle but you can feel it. Is that indicative of a bad bearing or is it supposed to feel that way?

When it was on the car the rack felt fine, other than the little clunk caused by the bad shaft support bearing down in the smugglers box. It felt light and smooth.

[no substitute]

Which bearing, or what do you mean by bearing drag?

[patkeefe]

Steering Rack "Rebuild" Procedure

Scott: Check this link. Someone sent it to me; it's very helpful.

I did my rack while I was in there...big difference. Those two Allen cap screws are the worst. Allen socket with a universal on the ratchet worked for me, and a telescoping magnet for when I dropped them.
Pat

[RoninLB]

I haven't opened up the rack yet. Where are you guys buying the parts. I don't even have the part numbers ?

thx

[jyl]

FYI, Kokelen (sp?) is or was making a replacement rack/pinion that gives a faster steering ratio. If I ever had a need to rebuild the steering, I'd look into that, for a more go-kart feel (and bigger biceps).

I once heard that 930 steering racks also have a faster steering ratio than the regular 911 racks. I called Griffiths (they rebuild Porsche steering racks) and they said there is no difference. Bummer if true.

[no substitute]

I believe there is a 3 turn lock to lock rack and pinion you can buy.

[Carrera3.5L]

Originally posted by jyl
FYI, Kokelen (sp?) is or was making a replacement rack/pinion that gives a faster steering ratio. If I ever had a need to rebuild the steering, I'd look into that, for a more go-kart feel (and bigger biceps).

Quaife in England makes them for Kokeln. You can call Vision Motorsports at 949.770.2888 and see if they still have some. If not, I still can get you one but you may have to wait a couple of weeks.

I believe that it is 2.5 turns lock-to-lock, which may make parallel parking a pain but would be really responsive when at speed.

Scott, if this sounds attractive to you, let me know. I'm 99.9% confident that I can get you a smoking deal from them.

Ralph

[450knotOffice]

Ralph, sorry about the late response. My street was without power for about 12 hours today and my computer was offline because I use a cable modem that requires electricity.

I would love a new rack with that kind of ratio but I'm already WAY over my budget for the rust repair and complete suspension rebuild.

Stay in touch Ralph. Stop by one of these days if you like.

[patkeefe]

Scott:
How's that suspension rebuild going?
Pat

[Carrera3.5L]

Originally posted by 450knotOffice
I would love a new rack with that kind of ratio but I'm already WAY over my budget for the rust repair and complete suspension rebuild.

Stay in touch Ralph. Stop by one of these days if you like.

Hey Scott,

No problem. Just so you know, it's not a complete assembled unit. It is simply the internal bits that you swap over.

If you're buying new internals anyway, it may be worth looking into. I talked to Dwain this morning and could make you a pretty good deal.

PM your address. I may have some time on Saturday to lend a hand if you need it, the boy's going to a birthday party so I should have a few hours at least.

Ralph

[450knotOffice]

Thanks Ralph. I'm going to be in the Santa Cruz area this weekend with family so this weekend's no good. I appreciate the offer though.

As for the rack, it's actually OK. I had a friend of mine who's a pro Porsche mechanic come over and take a look at it and he gave it a clean bill of health. I actually had to pull it because of a bad needle bearing that supports the lower steering shaft in the smugglers box. The only way to pull that bearing out is to disconnect the lower U-joint from shaft and pull it off the shaft so that you can then slide the bearing up off the shaft as well. The only problem is that you need to lower the rack a little to get the two sections separated. So I figured I'd just pull it out completely, along with the cross-member, clean it, inspect it, put the new turbo tie rods on it while it's out of the car, and then re-attach it to the cross-member with the bump steer rack spacers. Then I'd just bolt the whole contraption back up into the car. In fact, I'm doing that today.

Hopefully I finish that work today.

[Nitrometano]

Hi guys, I have the same problem than yours. I'm looking for the bearing that fix into the shaft and I have not found one yet. Where you buy it? It have a part number? The bearing is the one that is actually mount into the shaft.