Removing 964 steering rack

[iamtheari]

I am generally following along with these instructions:
Steering rack replacement DIY

Unfortunately, I do not know all of the terminology for steering and sometimes a picture isn't enough. The step I'm unsure of is removing the tie rods / ball joints from the rack before removing the rack from the car. The picture on the DIY link above is too narrow an angle for me to get a clear idea of what's intended. Here is what I get from it:

1. Using one wrench on the lock nut on the outboard side of the tie rod adjusting piece and one wrench on the adjusting piece, loosing the outboard lock nut
2. Remove the outer tie rod by turning it, the adjusting piece remaining locked by the inboard lock nut
3. Using two wrenches, loosen the ball joint and remove it from the rack (this part I am not clear on - one wrench on the side of the ball joint inboard, toward the rack, and the other wrench where?)
4. Remove the ball joint by turning it

Please correct me where I'm wrong. Thanks as always!

[iamtheari]

I should add: By 'ball joint' in the above post, I refer to the joint between the steering rack and the tie rod, not the tie rod-to-knuckle joint that the workshop manual seems to use the term 'ball joint' for.

I also wanted to ask: What is the part number for the thicker steering stop for use with 17" wheels? While I'm in there...

[Vandit]

Read through here.
Tie Rod Removal/Steering Stop Install - Rennlist Discussion Forums

On the inner rubber joint on the ends of the rack, the spacer/steering stop itself is the jam nut on that piece of the tie-rod.

Part # 964.347.325.02 , sold individually!, and they're not cheap considering what they are.

[Newsboy]

Just wanted to mention, that if you take careful measurements of the tie rods, you can install the new rack with the same measurements, and avoid an alignment. Make sure you replace the 4 bolts with new ones of the proper grade.

[bazar01]

Have you considered pulling the rack and pinion with the tie rods still attached? It would be easier to remove the inner and outer tie rod assemblies from the r&p on a bench vise. And you save the settings too.

[iamtheari]

All the DIY procedures I've found instructions for involve removing the tie rods while the rack is in the car. It seems like you'd need to remove a couple of pretty hefty pieces of undercarriage to get the rack out with the tie rods still on it. Is there another way?

Also, I'm going to show my ignorance of the steering system here, but what prevents you from simply disconnecting the tie rod assembly at the rack and removing the entire thing without touching the adjusting piece and lock nuts?

[bazar01]

After reading the diy, you are right, there is not enough room to drop the rack and pinion with the tie rods still attached.
I guess you could try removing the whole tie rod assembly up to the rack and pinion without altering the setting.
Good luck.

[iamtheari]

Tie rod puller showed up on Friday and I finally got a chance to try it out. The driver side tie rod end actually came out using the tool at finger tightness. A wrench was required briefly on the passenger side but it came out easily enough.

Well, most of the way out. The tie rod end doesn't seem to want to clear the bottom end of the shock absorber. I have tried at full left, full right, and center steering positions and tried jacking up the wishbone but had no luck. I don't want to pull sideways too hard to twist the angle of the tie rod end for fear of damaging something. Am I missing something obvious?

[iamtheari]

It turns out that enough jimmying and you will find the exact position to squeeze it out.

Update on the tie rod removal: The first side, I undid the tie rod and other tie rod end together. The second side, the inner tie rod end started coming loose from the rack on its own so I removed the entire assembly intact. I reassembled the first side after removing the inner tie rod end, so both entire assemblies are sitting intact on a piece of cardboard, labeled as to which side they came from and how many turns the inner tie rod end was into the rack.

The rack is out. It was definitely a chore but not terribly difficult. Removal would have been easier with a helper, but with two normal jack stands on hand to support the rack and a healthy bit of patience it can be done solo. Removing the steering fluid reservoir from the return line was actually more frustrating.

Thanks for all the helpful hints. Glad to be on Team Pelican.

[wachuko]

Thank you for the thread. Doing this in the afternoons/nights to rebuild the steering rack in my car. I have 17" wheels so it will be an excellent time to also check if the correct stops are in there or if I need to order those. The new stops for 17" wheels are 10mm and the others are 6mm so it should be easy enough to find out.

[kuehl]

When you R&R the tie rod assemblies from the rack gear shaft, be sure hold the rack shaft still so it does not twist into the pinion gear the rack; this could damage the gear teeth.

Pull back the boots off the housing ends. You can either:
A) use wrench on the flats of the rack shaft ends; do not put a wrench on the smooth section (RH side on LH drives) else you could damage the shaft seal surface, or
B) crank out the gear section and hold the rack gear by its flats using "soft jaws" in a vise