I already took the whole rack apart and did the manual rack conversion but i have a couple questions before i put everything back in my car. I know the rack guide adjuster bolt is supposed to be torqued to 2.9 ft lbs but i don't have a torque wrench. I noticed that tightening the bolt just by hand made the pinion harder to turn. Can 2.9 ft lbs be reached by hand tightening or is it beyond that? And i may be able to get my hands on a torque wrench but i don't have a socket big enough to fit the adjuster bolt (it's not 14mm for me since i have 4ws). Does anyone know what size that bolt is on 4ws models? It looks like it's gotta be atleast in the 30's...And my next question...are the snaprings for the pinion super important? I was only able to get the 1 really small snapring back on but not the other 2. They're really a pain in the *** to get back on. Will it be ok to run it without the 2 snaprings?

*edit* i just noticed that the adjuster bolt is completely round on top for about the first 1/4 inch or so and then it turns into a normal 6 sided bolt. So i wouldn't be able to get a socket on there anyway would I...?


Modified by snowblind7x at 10:53 PM 8/13/2006

 

2.9 ft lbs is just barely hand tight............... I've never seen a torque spec that low.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 98vtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2.9 ft lbs is just barely hand tight............... I've never seen a torque spec that low.</TD></TR></TABLE>

so you're saying probly not even as tight as i can with my hand?

 

you will have trouble ever getting an accurate 2.9 ft-lbs of torque off unless you have a digital wrench or use a very well calibrated inch lbs wrench and divide by 12

use all the snaprings, i dont care how long it takes to get them on, the last thing you want is to lose control of your steering all of a sudden....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mgags7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you will have trouble ever getting an accurate 2.9 ft-lbs of torque off unless you have a digital wrench or use a very well calibrated inch lbs wrench and divide by 12

use all the snaprings, i dont care how long it takes to get them on, the last thing you want is to lose control of your steering all of a sudden....</TD></TR></TABLE>

any advice on getting those 2 snaprings on? I tried for quite awhile...I just really couldnt do it...

 

make sure they arent bent in any way and that theres nothing in the grooves, and that the pinion is seated correctly in there, make sure the little pinion cage isnt holding it up

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mgags7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">make sure they arent bent in any way and that theres nothing in the grooves, and that the pinion is seated correctly in there, make sure the little pinion cage isnt holding it up</TD></TR></TABLE>

pinion cage? And did you have any ideas on how i could tighten that bolt as close as possible to 2.9 ft lbs without getting a torque wrench cause im definetly not gonna buy one of those since i'll probly never use it again...

 

dude just buy a damn torque wrench and then return it...but if not, just turn it as hard as youcan with your fingers...thatll get it close

you HAVE to use those snaprings. buy a snapring pliers from sears, i have one and it works great. oh and make sure those snaprings are installed with the tapered side facing out. look at them closely and youll understand what i mean

 

You can rent them at autozone and youd be surprised how little you can actually tighten. we coulndt even get above 15 inch/lbs with our hands in class....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by my9thtry &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You can rent them at autozone and youd be surprised how little you can actually tighten. we coulndt even get above 15 inch/lbs with our hands in class....</TD></TR></TABLE>

a torque WRENCH not a ratchet like an actual tourque crescent wrench or whatever?

 

umm a tourque wrench is a ratchet with a guage that tells you how tight you making the nut?? is that what your trying to ask?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by my9thtry &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">umm a tourque wrench is a ratchet with a guage that tells you how tight you making the nut?? is that what your trying to ask?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, i mean cause the bolt i need to adjust doens't fit a socket i don't think. It's round like the top 1/4 inch of it then is six sided after that. So i think i would need like an actual wrench. They have torque wrenches like that for rent?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by snowblind7x &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

No, i mean cause the bolt i need to adjust doens't fit a socket i don't think. It's round like the top 1/4 inch of it then is six sided after that. So i think i would need like an actual wrench. They have torque wrenches like that for rent?</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

make something up. Use sand or someother device you will know the weight of and then adjust the lever arm from there to acheive the correct torque spec.

If you need help with the math someone will help.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by M@ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">make something up. Use sand or someother device you will know the weight of and then adjust the lever arm from there to acheive the correct torque spec.

If you need help with the math someone will help.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have no clue what you're talking about...

 

Physics lesson #1:
Torque = force x distance(of the lever arm prependicular to the direction of the force)

so say you need 2.9ft-lb you could use a 2.9lb force with a lever arm of 1' or you could use a 1 lb force with a 2.9' lever arm. You can use any combiation of forces or lever arms so that when you multiply them you get 2.9ft-lb.

Or you could just say screw it and use the ol' finger tight method. I don't think 2.9lb-ft is tighter then finger tight.

 

yea m@s gpt tje idea, measure how long your torque wrench is from the axis of rotation to where to will be hanging the weight(in feet), then divide 2.9 by that number

that will give you the weight necessary to apply 2.9 ft-lb, but remember thats at a completely horizontal angle, so get it to where you think is tight enough, or just short of it, and then hang the weight on there, if it turns any when you put it on, tighten a little more, then return the wrench to horizontal, keep going until it doesnt move, just dont make huge adjstments, its gonna be a fine line....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mgags7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yea m@s gpt tje idea, measure how long your torque wrench is from the axis of rotation to where to will be hanging the weight(in feet), then divide 2.9 by that number

that will give you the weight necessary to apply 2.9 ft-lb, but remember thats at a completely horizontal angle, so get it to where you think is tight enough, or just short of it, and then hang the weight on there, if it turns any when you put it on, tighten a little more, then return the wrench to horizontal, keep going until it doesnt move, just dont make huge adjstments, its gonna be a fine line....</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks