you may want to perform this simple test http://s164.photobucket.com/albums/u...t=MVI_0802.flv
I have the parts to fix it (steering rack insulator bushings) and probably will tackle it on sunday. if you can wiggle your steering wheel 20 degrees back and forth and not feel the car try and change direction at all, this may be your problem, as opposed to the rack itself being bad. Or if you have to counter-steer around gentle curves on the highway, or if your car randomly changes lanes (caught my car stepping out 1/3 of a lane today into an SUV around a right-handed bend, and last night it did the same thing into the lane my boss was driving in)... you may want to check it out.

Internetautomar has them for a good price.

 

I would stop driving that car until they are replaced dude,that is about the worst case of bushing rot I've ever seen.

 

Hmmm, I'm gonna chck that out...I wonder if I got 20 degrees of turning with no steering. Thanks for posting I'll post update on mine too

 

Thanks for posting that. My steering doesn't seem to be what it should, and I was blaming it all on the control arm bushings, but they just don't seem to be THAT bad. I'll have to check out those rack insulators, that could well be a big part of my problem.

 

the bushings on these cars are all old, any bushing you replace is a good bushing to replace.

 

It's like a whole new car after you replace them

 

Brian, do you have the poly equivalents? When I replace my rack Id rather get poly rack bushings as well.

~Alex

 

there aren't any that I am aware of.

 

Oh, I thought you said there were. I wonder if 240sx bushings would fit. Or 4th gen bushings?

~Alex

 

Don't bother with poly for the rack bushings alex,the oem rubber bushing lasted 10+ years,just replace them with rubber ones and be done,no sense in complicating an already complicated procedure(replacing them are a biatch).

 

not that I saw when I just looked earlier.

 

You're referring to the rack and pinion mounting bushings right? (moog k9900)

Is there any other rubber stuff related to steering that can also improve steering? Ive got the engine and tranny out of the car so I wanna do as much as possible now. Inner and outer tie rods and control arms are all new.. Has anyone changed the little round bushing between the steering rack and rack n pinion? The one that's cracked in the video..

 

steering rack IS rack and pinion

 

next day it doesn't rain (monday?) i'll fix it. the parts are in a box behind the driver seat, waiting to be installed, as well as that thing... the uh... the tie rod boot, and my grandpa has some grease i can use on the tie rod prior to installing the boot so i should be straight.

 

oh, and for whoever can answer.... if all i'm doing is replacing the bushings can I just undo one side at a time or do i still HAVE to follow the torque-down order. I could support the rack and undo both sides, then replace all bolts in the proper order..

 

damn when i had a beretta gtz the same problem occured but unlike yall i lost control

 

Good to see you wised up and got rid of the dirty domestic.

 

I see you hate quad4's...I remember my friend loved those things ugh. bla bla bla 180hp bla bla bla 4 banger

 

lets keep this thread on topic guys,k

 

SO has anyone actually done this on a third gen? if so whats the difficulty level on a 1-10 level and how long does it usually take with intermediate to advanced skills and the right tools?

 

I think goon9 has done them, but I could be wrong.

 

brian indicated i'll be fine to just do one side at a time, since I won't be fully removing the rack, just installing new bushings. That way it shouldn't put any weird strain on any hoses and stuff.. and will be in approximately the same location as it already was. so at least now its drifting will be to one side or the other, not both. I need to do another tire rotation because the back tires, albeit noisy, have better tread right now, sadly. That should last me until i can do the rest of my suspension work, at which point, i'll actually align it, and get some NEW rubber.

Goon9 has removed and reinstalled every removable part on his car hasn't he? Dedication, baby.. Dedication.

 

Would yall recommend OEM or Moog on the insulator bushings? Im gonna change mine soon as well..

any grease on them, or go on dry?

 

Either one will work fine,and no grease on rubber bushings.

 

crap. couldn't do it today... I couldn't get the car high enough to get under there. For whatever I simply can't ever get much lift on this damn car. I've got some drive-up ramps at my parents' house so I'll go over there tomorrow and HOPEFULLY I won't have to climb onto the engine to get anything from the top... if I do i'm gonna be pissed. Not to mention the rear engine mount is RIGHT in front of the stupid rack mount. But it's not too bad I don't think. Just gotta wear some gloves because if I don't i'll be dizzy from blood loss in no time.

 

you need to buy a real jack..

 

well i have a scissor jack and a hydraulic jack but the hydraulic jack is basically worthless because its max lift is WAY too shallow and the scissor jack, well, I guess I could crank it up a little higher but I would rather have a good floor jack.. it's just that I'm on a fairly tight budget right now since my new job is commission only and I'm still learning how to do it. After I pay my phone bill I've got about $500 in the bank until I start getting more money from the new job... though once I do, it'll be so stupid. I could very realistically be making $150-200/day at age 19.

 

Get some hydraulic jack oil from the auto parts store for about $5-6 and fill up the reservoir on your floor jack. Then you will get the full extension. Also, if you use jack stands, that will make it easier and safer. In the past I have also used scraps of wood 2x4 to stack between the jack and the car chassis to get more height. Then I placed the jack stands underneath to keep it high and safe. Remember to set the parking brake and block the rear wheels when jacking up the front. And......park on a level surface

Good luck!

 

Harbor Freight has a jack that will work just fine

 

i actually stole my parents' ramps and that's a clean 2 foot lift so i'll use them. as for messing with my jack.. ionno how to do that. but the problem is that the jackstand location is lower than the floor jack location i use so i have to pre-extend the jack a ton. wood sounds like a good idea but a new jack in the future is a better plan for me. i'm going to do it this sunday since i got the ramps just before dark last sunday.

 

f**k it. I could only get one bolt off and the rest are inaccessible (member, motor mount, ps rack hoses, and VSS pinion casing were in the way). I'd have to pull the whole drivetrain to get to the other 4 bolts. I give up. why the hell do i fool myself into thinking i can actually fix this damn car while it's still my DD? anything I do on it has to be done in a span of 8 hours, usually less, so i really don't have the temporal ability to leave the car on jackstands for a while, while working on a lengthy repair.

is it any easier to reach the bolts on a 5spd than an a/t? if it is i'll just keep driving the stupid thing like it is until i can do my swap. but there's so many problems that are hard to get to that i'd rather pull the drive train and fix everything and basically be driving a brand newish car (replacing ENTIRETY of suspension, transmission, steering, and exhaust systems)

 

Calm down,step back,breath..

I'll crawl under my wifes vg tomorrow and see about getting you a little how to/write up on how to remove them,along with a tool list..

 

Atleast twice

 

Now thats service. Cant get much better then that jared!

~Alex

 

Correct me if I'm wrong. The bushings you guys are talking about, is that the one that fits around the steering rack and bolts to the body of the car with the bracket? If so, I chaned mine and the steering stills has play.

When I sit in the car and move the wheel gently left to right and vice versa there is alot of play before I can feel and resistance in the wheel, approximately 15-20 degrees. I'm thinking it the rack itself that is bad. Some guys on the org told me it might be my control arms bushings that might have oil on them. I checked them and there is no oil.

 

have you checked all the joints as well (ball, and tie rod)?

 

heh. cool.

my tool list is anything contained in a Craftsman 168pc Mechanic's tool set. my main issue was that while i could get the tool onto the bolt head, i couldn't put any force on it.. and just laying the tool on the bolt head doesn't do a whole lot of good. and perhaps it would have worked if i used a breaker bar (tho i never thought to use my tq wrench) but i don't see how i could stabilize it with a breaker bar.. but my tq wrench, now that i think of it, has a much much longer arm. twice as long as my 3/8" craftsman ratchet.

 

Well,i have a few specialty tools in my little arsenal..So we'll see tomorrow..

 

You cant use a torque wrench to loosen any bolt last time I checked, and you wouldn't want to either as it would throw it out of wack.

~Alex.

 

the kind i have has a ratcheting head w/ bidirectional switch. it's not a rod-and-needle type, it's a clicker.