It's been a long time coming. This is my second 4th gen, and I had to replace the radiator core support on my first one many years ago. After some 13 years on my I30, its radiator core support was rusting away slowly. Additionally, my steering rack has been leaking for some time. You need to remove the crossmember to remove the steering rack, but because the rad support was so rusted we were worried that we wouldn't be able to get the bolts back in after we removed it. So basically we (my mechanic and I) had to do the steering rack at the same time we did the radiator core support.

I like to auto-x my car, and had read a thread Kevlo made a long time ago about upgrading to a 97-99 SE steering rack, as it's quicker than the 95-96/97-99 GLE/GXE rack. However, Kevlo's car doesn't have ABS; mine does. This greatly increased the complexity of the job.

I knew this was the only time I was going to have easy access to many suspension parts, so I ordered new:
-ES sway bar, control arm, subframe and sway bar end link bushings (I already had ES bushings in my car but some were cracked and some were binding after 4 years and a poor initial install)
-97 SE rack (comes with inner tie rods), o-ring
-outer tie rods
-end links

Due to previous installs done by less than stellar mechanics, three of the four bolts that hold the crossmember were stripped, so I ordered new ones, but one or two had to be hand-fabricated as the re-tapped holes were too big for the OEM bolts. Thank god I have the best mechanic in the world or else this never would have been done correctly. He did mention that he will never install a steering rack in a Maxima as it's one of the worst jobs he's ever done.

Anyways, after some 20+ hours of work, my car is on the road again and good for another 13+ years. I say + because we sprayed the core support with 3M rubberized undercoating to help it last that extra little bit.

The car feels really good, but still not quite as good as my buddy's car (97 SE). I have more suspension work than he does, so I've been wondering if the PS pump on a 97-99 SE is different that on base cars. It's also possible mine is just worn out, but it just doesn't feel as tight as his does. Not only is it not as tight, but it feels a little heavier than his does as well.

Does anybody know if there are different power steering pumps on 4th gens?

I only drove it a few miles home, and as there is still salt on the road from the snow a few days ago, I didn't push it very hard, but I can say it definitely feels tighter than before. I will post a more thorough review when I push the car a little harder.