Why do i have play in my steering wheel after doing the manual rack conversion and putting in new inner and outer tie rods? I can move my steering wheel an inch or so each direction before it starts actually turning the tires. Anyone know what might be the source of this?

p.s. The manual rack conversion seems to have done nothing to help my steering at all. Still just as much a bitch to steer as ever. Except now i have play in my wheel...

 

You're saying that going from looped lines to a manual rack didn't make your steering any easier??

I doubt that.....Keep in mind the nature of how things work inside that rack, you used to just turn the wheel and not realize how much the wheels were actually turning, you just felt the power steering working

When you convert to manual, you aren't (or shouldn't) be ruining anything that controls steering wheel vs wheel movement.....now, you do need to realize that if you have loose wheel bearings you could have extra play....

To tighten up the play a bit try adjusting the tension adjustment on the rack, tighten it up a bit.....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You're saying that going from looped lines to a manual rack didn't make your steering any easier??

I doubt that.....Keep in mind the nature of how things work inside that rack, you used to just turn the wheel and not realize how much the wheels were actually turning, you just felt the power steering working

When you convert to manual, you aren't (or shouldn't) be ruining anything that controls steering wheel vs wheel movement.....now, you do need to realize that if you have loose wheel bearings you could have extra play....

To tighten up the play a bit try adjusting the tension adjustment on the rack, tighten it up a bit.....</TD></TR></TABLE>

I didn't have looped lines, my power steering was just taken completely out. And yes, converting my rack to a "manual rack" didn't help the easiness of turning the wheel. And what exactly are you telling me to adjust? I don't know what part you are talking about.

 

Did you convert your rack to manual per my writeup? There is a tensioner on the back, take a look at my writeup

So you ran the rack completely dry for a while?? That should function much like the manual rack except there is no lubrication inside at all....which explains your steering wheel play....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by snowblind7x &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I didn't have looped lines, my power steering was just taken completely out. And yes, converting my rack to a "manual rack" didn't help the easiness of turning the wheel. And what exactly are you telling me to adjust? I don't know what part you are talking about.</TD></TR></TABLE>

gutting the rack wont make it feel like you have power steering again. You would only notice a difference from looped to gutted if you initially ran with it looped then ran with it gutted.

gutting it just makes it "easier"

 

Is there any way of putting a thick oil in for lubrication w/o disassembling the whole thing?

I was thinking you could unhook all the hoses on the rack, and turn the wheel lock to lock to pump up some of the fluid out. Then add some oil, or not, and plug the rest back up like it was, but with some air in it. Or if you didn't plug the ends, but put looped them so as to prevent any hydraulic or pneumatic pressure from building. Loop the VSS, and drive the **** outta it. ??? or no?

Just a thought. I've never messed with the system, but I "think" I understand the "concept" lol. now my idea gets demolished.

 

you could maybe get some into the extremeties, but the point in dissasembling it is to get the seal off the piston and greasing the whole rack, which you could never do without tearing it apart....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Did you convert your rack to manual per my writeup? There is a tensioner on the back, take a look at my writeup

So you ran the rack completely dry for a while?? That should function much like the manual rack except there is no lubrication inside at all....which explains your steering wheel play....</TD></TR></TABLE>

but it didn't have any play until after i did the manual rack conversion.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B.Rabbit &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">gutting the rack wont make it feel like you have power steering again. You would only notice a difference from looped to gutted if you initially ran with it looped then ran with it gutted. gutting it just makes it "easier"</TD></TR></TABLE>

so you're saying just ripping out the ps and running it dry is just as effective as gutting it? I shouldn't feel any difference between the two? Then what's the point of gutting it to turn it into a manual rack? Why doesn't everyone just rip everything out...?

 

Because after you guy it and convert it all to manual you can lubricate the inside but not have to deal with the seal on the piston making a seal with the cylinder it rides in and increasing the steering effort needed....running the rack dry is a very bad idea altogether

Now, if you didn't have a problem before you did it, but now you do, don't you think you did something wrong?? There is nothing about the conversion that should mess up how much the pinion moves the rack when you turn the wheel, that is the only way you can have play, unless you don't adjust the tensioner correctly

I suggest you take a look at my writeup, and check your tensioner

 

Ijust ripped everything out and I didnt even bother with looping the lines on my 5th gen. I've been running for over a year now like that with no play whatsoever.....

 

your rack is just eventually going to get rusty and ruined inside....I really don't recommend doing it that way....get some lube in there

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Because after you guy it and convert it all to manual you can lubricate the inside but not have to deal with the seal on the piston making a seal with the cylinder it rides in and increasing the steering effort needed....running the rack dry is a very bad idea altogether

Now, if you didn't have a problem before you did it, but now you do, don't you think you did something wrong?? There is nothing about the conversion that should mess up how much the pinion moves the rack when you turn the wheel, that is the only way you can have play, unless you don't adjust the tensioner correctly

I suggest you take a look at my writeup, and check your tensioner

</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah i used that write up to do the conversion. Forgive my ignorance, but i still am confused about what you're telling me to adjust. I don't see anything in your write up that is referred to as "the tensioner".

 

Its the thing on the back, with the huge locking ring nut, and the big thing in the middle with like a 12mm head on it to tighten it.....underneath is the spring and the metal thing that rides the rack as it moves

tighten that

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Its the thing on the back, with the huge locking ring nut, and the big thing in the middle with like a 12mm head on it to tighten it.....underneath is the spring and the metal thing that rides the rack as it moves

tighten that</TD></TR></TABLE>

i have 4ws so mine isn't a 12mm head. In fact, they made it so you can't even get a socket onto it at all due to the first 1/4 inch of the bolt being completely circular. I rigged up my own ft lbs torquing method with a 10" crescent wrench and torqued it down to about 3 lbs. I hope i don't have to tighten that even more, it already seems that my steering may be even harder to turn than it was before the manual rack conversion...

 

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

i have 4ws so mine isn't a 12mm head. In fact, they made it so you can't even get a socket onto it at all due to the first 1/4 inch of the bolt being completely circular. I rigged up my own ft lbs torquing method with a 10" crescent wrench and torqued it down to about 3 lbs. I hope i don't have to tighten that even more, it already seems that my steering may be even harder to turn than it was before the manual rack conversion...</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

oooh ok....well i don't really know a whole lot about how the 4ws works, so I cant really be sure, but is there not some completely different parts on that rack??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bb4ever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">oooh ok....well i don't really know a whole lot about how the 4ws works, so I cant really be sure, but is there not some completely different parts on that rack??</TD></TR></TABLE>

no thats the thing, the only different part is that where you have a 12mm bolt with a lockring around it i have a much larger hollow bolt with a lockring around it as well. Mine has a larger bolt so a 4ws sensor can fit through it. Other than that everything was the same and i followed your write up. And you may be right, i may just need to tighten that bolt i'm just concerned because i know the more you tighten it the harder it wil be to turn the wheel and after doing this conversion i think the steering may have even become a little harder.

 

i dont rly know what to say man....it worked great for me....

all I can say is that running it dry is always going to be easier to turn....now that you have grease in there you increased the friction inside....

make sure your wheel bearings are in good shape though:
jack the wheel that you want to test up in the air
try to jiggle it horizontally and vertically
if it jiggles, and the steering wheel isn't moving, then you need wheel bearings

 

aww whack. I thought doing that conversion was going to make the steering easier for me. I didn't know it was just meant to make it easier for looped lines.

 

But on the bright side, someone did a back to back dyno w/ and w/o the belt and made ~3 hp, I believe more. The number is burried deep in another thread. Plus the weight reduction.

So long as you fixed the play in the wheel its not the end of the world.

 

Yea it does seem to free up some good hp....go check out my recent untuned dyno in the dyno thread.....I made about 195hp with my pretty simple setup...