GRNMAXDMON

iTrader: (1)

anyone that has done this on their own can tell me how long and hard it was to swap out the rack with a new rack? i need to know cuz my rack is gone. that thing is leaking oil everywhere and i have to swap out my pump as well. i shall attempt this weekend so i can use my car for the followin' week. so please let me know how difficult/easy it was?

morides4chefs

good luck,let me know how it goes

bonez_tmac

I haven't done it on the max before but i have done it to other cars. Sometimes they can be a real pain in the backside tho. I am going to check it in a few mins and let you know how long it should take and if i see anything causing you some headache or gobs of times.

maxitech

iTrader: (7)

From what I recall, it's worth paying someone 150 bucks to do it...

fulyngu

Mine is doing the same exact thing. Just bought the rack and pinion from advance auto and read the procedure at auto zones site.
~> Click Here <~
Looks like you have to take the steering wheel off and airbags out as well. Doesn't look like much fun!
You go first and let me know how hard it is (lol)
Anyone know if the play in the rack and pinion could possibly make the spindle nut (or even the lug nuts) come loose from excessive wobbling and/or heat?
Also, after replacing the entire driver side spindle/bearing/hub... The car did fine for about 300 miles but now it feels like you are driving with the brake on, has a hard time shifting and I noticed that tranny fluid is high with bubbles.
Could any of this be related? Like maybe the wheel is harder for the trans to turn and it's causing it to act all 'bajigity'?

GRNMAXDMON

iTrader: (1)

well, i kind of checked the FSM and it didn't specify to take off the steering wheel and airbag off for replacin' the rack. from my understanding, the only thing that should come off is the rack brackets and bushings, pressure lines, tie rod ends from spindles, and unbolt the screw that attaches from the steering column to the rack gear. how long it takes i don't know. of course im pretty sure u have to unbolt the rear part of the crossmember and take down the y-pipe so there is enough room on the passenger side bracket of the rack. hopefully my friend from BMW will help me out since he knows how to do all this crap. and then my other friend is an alignment guy for BMW as well and i always c how he does the racks on the bimmers. of course they look easy as hell to swap out. thank god i don't do what they do but just program the bimmers.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

http://www1.autozone.com/servlet/UiB...3d801f5837.jsp

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

hey guys, how do you disable the air bag?

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

oh yeah we gotta take the steering wheel off... how do you do that? does that means you gotta rip the entire dash apart?

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

unplug the yellow jacketed wire harness

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

I assume it's underneath the steering wheel somewhere or is it on the engine side by the rack?

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Don't you find it just a tad odd that you quote my post with the link that has the answers to your questions?
http://www1.autozone.com/servlet/UiB...3d801f57af.jsp

Steering wheel removal and airbag disable.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

hahahhehehe you gave two different links. Anyway, thanks I knew you would've come to the rescue.

Yo Jeff, I remembered you changed your heater core before and you posted a lot of useful tips and photos. Do you remember where is that thread cuz I can't find it? or was it from Matt? thanks.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

my steering wheel is really tight after I turn on the ignition unless I wait a few mins then it'll steer normal. I never have to do that before.

I know this is a lazy solution but could I just resolve this problem by bleeding the power steering?

bonez_tmac

Lemme get this straight you guys are taking the steering wheel off to get the Rack and pinion out?

austspecmax

drain the coolant below the hoses to the heater ( firewall) and then take hoses off for room. Easiest way of removing the rack is to take front wheels off, splash shields off, tie rod ends, (measure the threads so as you know how far to put tie rod ends back on, take all hoses off rack, un bolt mount bolts and remove upwards manouvering it inbetween the firewall and engine, tried going from underneath but spent two hours mucking around without success, took 30 minutes to take out from above the engine, reversal for installation. * don't foreget to get a wheel alignment as you will most likely never get it exactly aligned by eye.

austspecmax

when taking the rack out, the gear that links the steering colum to the rack cannot be moved otherwise when putting rack on your steering wheel will be upside down. check haynes etc for the position of the steering gear prior to installation, also don't forget to bleed the power steering fluid, have a friend or relative pour the fluid in while car started and driver moving steering wheel all the way right and left quickly until no more bubble appear in resevoir. Changed my rack about 2 months ago and havn't had any dramas since.

GRNMAXDMON

iTrader: (1)

well, it took me 2 hours today to do the rack and pinion. what a mess that was. the way i took it off was by:
-secured the steering wheel with THE CLUB
-raised the car securely
-took off both front wheels
-took off outer tie rod ends
-took off the high and low pressure lines from rack
-took off the securin' screw that bolts to the steering wheel
-took off y-pipe
-and finally took off 5 bolts that holds the rack in place.

now here's my question:
How the hell do i torque down the pressure lines. is there a special tool for that? or can i just do the tightenin' with a wrench? also i noticed that the new rack has the red ATF but my old one had the clear power steering. does that mean that i have to flush out the clear fluid and put in the red ATF Dexron III? other than that i guess im done. all i have to do tomorrow is just install the pressure lines and flush the system.

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Do you mean the small lines on the rack?
If so,You should use a flare nut wrench for the lines,but in a pinch,a regular wrench will work,just be careful not to round them off..

Definitely get the clear fluid out of the sytem before you proceed futher...The clear atf fluid is probably why the rack failed in the first place...All nissans require dextron atf for the p/s systems

GRNMAXDMON

iTrader: (1)

apparently, today i finished everything. i went ahead and tightened the lines with a regular wrench. i also changed the small o-rings in the lines, cleaned up all of the oil mess under the chassis from the old rack. installed new rack bushings from Nissan. i also drained all of the clear power steering fluid from the system and put the red atf in it. when i was done the steering felt a whole lot better than before cuz now it feels stiffer. now i gotta buy a new power steering pump since thats already leakin' as well.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

so how exactly did you do it? tell us how what we need to take off and tips?

Sevorg1

can someone show me a picture of the rack bushings? I think that mine are completely gone. sometimes the car pulls to the left with the wheel cocked, other times the wheel is strait and the car goes strait down the road

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

Clear power steering fluid?
that's your whole problem. use ATF. the power steering fluid will ruin the rest of the system.

GRNMAXDMON

iTrader: (1)

i figured that may have been the cause of the whole thing. i remember my car when i first bought it that it had the red atf in the system and not the clear power steering fluid. so Matt i just put in ATF in the system since it said it in the instructions when i bought the new rack.

bvtran: go back 3 posts before urs and u'll c what i did to tackle the rack and pinion on my car. if u need more details or help just ask.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

what is the "club" and how does it looks like?

Ok, I didn't know we had 2 pressure hoses there. How much did you paid for your 2 hoses? does the hoses come with o-rings ? thanks

maxitech

iTrader: (7)

Hold on a sec, guys...The P/S system takes ATF??? I've always had clear in mine. I had the rack replaced a few years ago and it was refilled with and still has clear fluid in it. My P/S pump started to get a bit noisy earlier in the year...coincidence?

So what happens with clear fluid in the system? Do I need to get my a$$ out there and flush the system and refill with ATF?

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Probably too late..

Couldn't hurt though..

maxitech

iTrader: (7)

Too late for what? pump and rack? does the clear **** eat the rack's internals?

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

I don't know exactly what it does to the internals,but i would guess clear fluid would destroy the seals....

maxitech

iTrader: (7)

That sucks...Guess I'll be changing it over ASAP.

traxtar944

iTrader: (12)

speaking of changing the rack and pinion, I was wondering if it would be possible to change the gear ratios for the rack and pinion setup to make steering more responsive. I've commented a few times on how driving the gf's mustang feels a lot tighter than driving the max, and I guess it's just because of the gear ratios in the rack and pinion setup....

I dunno, just though it might be something worth looking into!

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

The clear stuff very likely will damage the pump and internals of the rack, but that's only speculation. it will also soak into the fluid hoses and cause them to leak eventually. I forget what the regular PS fluid is based on, but it doesn't mix well with ATF.... which is what ALL Nissan Power steering systems are based on.


As for changing the rack, the front end is designed so that you pull the rack out through the opening on one side of the car (I think the left side). it's a close fit, but the entire rack slides right through- metal hoses and all.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

GRNMAXDMON, does this mean you did NOT removed the entire steering wheel right? Instead you used a stick to hold the wheel in place as you remove the rack? I'm doing heater core right now and that wheel looks quite complicated to get off despite the fact that I had ripped off the entire dash apart.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

yo somebody please help out here... I'm stuck!!, I don't wanna take off that stupid steering wheel. Can I get away without removing it? I know many of you had done it, please help... thanks.

urgh, this autozone instruction is confusing me. It said I must remove the steering wheel to "avoid damaging the SRS spiral cable. " WHat the heck is SRS spiral cable? Do we even have it?

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

wait a min, when that autozone instruction said to remove the "steering wheel". Did they meant the whole steering wheel assembly from steering wheel all the way down to the where it contacts the rack & pinion??!??! Or did they just meant, the circular steering wheel itself??!?

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

just the wheel itself, so that you can spin the shaft or something. I forget exactly why, but you gotta pull the wheel and the clockspring out in order to properly put everything back together.

when doing the heater core, it's not necessary to pull the steering wheel.
in fact, that was about the ONLY thing I didn't remove.
http://blehmco.com/pics/car/interior/heater_core/

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

Thanks Matt!

That's what I'm at right now, similar to that photo.

Now, regarding rack & pinion removal. The Autozone instruction said to use a juller to remove the wheel. How does that puller looks like, do you know? or I could just use any big jaw puller?

What about the funny star shape lock nut on the wheel? It said to replace it, can I just reuse it?

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

a juller?
I used a steering wheel puller.
you can rent/borrow one from your local autozone if you need one. I wouldn't use a jaw-type puller, as IIRC there's nothing to hook onto. you need to use a bolt-type.

locknut? I don't remember that part.. I know I didn't replace anything when I did it.

bvtran

iTrader: (3)

puller, I meant puller... ok, thanks Matt!