Ok, I called Advanced, CarQuest, and Pepboys looking for a new steering rack. Every time I tell them no power steering, they tell me that in their computer, every 88-91 civic in there says power steering. This is starting to **** me off. I'm running a DOHC ZC in my DX, but I still have the stock DX rack. Does anyone know why their computers are coming up power steering? Thanks.

 

probally because all they sell is the power steering replacement, you might have to goto a junkyard to get a new rack, whats wrong wtih your rack?

 

My rack has a lot of play in it. You can take the steering wheel, and turn it 1/4 of a turn left and right and hear "clunk" every time the rack hits the support. Could the nut on the steering column come loose and make it do this, or do I need a new rack?

 

how are your tie rod ends? 1/4 turn each way is a lot though but check ball joints first as well.

Vince

 

The ends are fine, and ball joints are fine as well. I just had both ends and both inners replaced in the past 6 months. The actual rack is what is banging. Could this be from the nut on the steering column coming loose?

 

Is the nut holding your steering column loose? It's pretty easy to check just right under the carpting in the car. How about the bolts holding the rack to the frame. Have you checked them? Torqued to spec?

Vince

 

if you rack is loose, you can adjust it... underneath is a big nut. In there is a spring and plastic piece that puts pressure on the shaft that rides the pinion... Simply remove that, put another spacer and retight.... Should be good for a while....


fs

 

Try checking the two bolts that hold the steering rack up, it can also cause the steering wheel to feel loose. If you look under the car they will be on the drivers side where the rack starts going up to the wheel, its the only two bolts in the area you cant miss them.

 

and while your at it i would get some es bushing for it and be done with it!

 

I'm doing the ES steering rack bushings tonight...hard to do? I've got he Big 1.5" radius bushing that goes under the U clamp on passneger side (correct?). And 4 smaller bushings that i guess get stacked under those 2 bolts holding the drivers side as described above?

Correct me if i'm wrong...

Vince

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by filthy_shovel &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if you rack is loose, you can adjust it... underneath is a big nut. In there is a spring and plastic piece that puts pressure on the shaft that rides the pinion... Simply remove that, put another spacer and retight.... Should be good for a while....


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

Is the big nut under the steering column in the car, or under the car, by the rack itself?

 

On a manual steering rack, the nut should be underneath or next to the pinion... Where your steering column bolts to the rack itself...

Get under the car and ask someone to turn the steering wheel, you will see the shaft, a steering knuckle (looks like a u-joint) then the pinion... remove the nut with a pipe wrench or something...

What happens on manual rack is the following:

the pinion (a gear) rides on a shaft (rack - linear gear) When you turn the steering wheel, the pinion pushes on the rack and makes your wheels turn... Now that pinion must be snug up against that rack to work properly. This is accomplished using a high tension spring and plastic bushing to constantly apply pressure and since it is a spring, it is self adjusting until the spring is maxed out. Then you need to put in shims behind the spring (washers)... That's it...

There are not many parts in a manual rack that can go wrong... When you rebuild one, that is usually what you do...

Now, if you have freeplay in other components, this will not fix it, but will make it better, good luck

fs