Hi, everyone, I am removing my steering rack so I can take it to the rebuilder. It looks to me that to get the rack away from the steering column you have to disassemble the mounting structures with the rack in situ, then the rack will move far enough away from the column to separate from it. Is that correct? It looks to me like pulling the steering column away is not an option because the bearing supporting it above the rack is bolted to the LOWER surface of a steel plate, that is on the side of it closer to the rack as opposed to the steering wheel side. So you can't just unbolt it there and move it away. Is that correct? Jim O Image Unavailable, Please Login
Two things make it possible to separate the column downshaft from the steering rack 1) the mid-point union collar near where the steering column passes through the spare tire fiberglas tub horizontal 2) the steering column extension spline. Open the front bonnet, remove the spare tire and trim panel just aft of the tire well that goes over the brake booster/etc. Follow the steering column from where it continues forward from the dash area and you'll find the shaft union collar. Recalling from memory I believe it is a 10mm wrench/socket that fit the securing nut & cap bolt. You'll also need a wedge or pry to widen the collar away from the splined areas. Once freed you should be able to move it further up and away enough to separate the column from the rack below. PS - I assume first you have removed the lower union collar just above the rack spline attaching point as seen in this photo. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=138637869&postcount=48 You are dealing with some tight tolerances and even tighter working spaces but it can be done
I found what you describe-- my car has what appear to be 13mm castellated nuts w cotter pins on each side of the U-joint. Do you loosen both of them and just try to slide things closer together? Don't need to actually remove the U-joint? Thanks, Jim
Jim- I did this job to mine & it is a pain to do. You have to at least loosen the nuts as far out as they go and then take a thick screwdriver or a wedge and really split the collar apart as wide as you can. You can then move the rack backwards and pull it free (after then removing the nuts). It can be done but its a pain. You should then pack it off to John Haller to be fixed.
Which nuts and collar are you referring to, the collar where the shaft attaches to the rack or that plus the collars on each side of the U-joint in the front bonnet area? Where is John Haller located? Do you have his phone number? Thanks, Jim O
To remove mine I had to unfasten both nuts and collars; shown as TAV 29, items 1 & 2. First, I removed the collar shown on TAV 29, item 1 attached to the double spline input shaft of the rack. Once loosened, I'll bet you find what I did - that the movement upwards does not clear the double spline input shaft. Secondly, I then went upstream to the steering column shaft to the U-joint collar shown on TAV29, item 2 but also had to remove the mid point mount, item 17. The motion allowed by the sliding extension of TAV 29, 3&4 permits raising the shaft far enough away from the steering to remove TAV 29, item 1 from it.
On your car was the TAV 29, item 17 bearing mounted on the rack side, or the rear side of the it's mounting plate? On mine it's on the rack side, so unbolting it will not allow me to move the steering column further rearward. Or do you just pull it thru and likely destroy the bearing? I thought that if I removed the upper and lower most nuts I could pull the rack a bit rearward and slide out the the entire mounting structure, which would then allow the rack to pull away from the steering column. But the entire structure is fastened with bushings that will not slide out of the structure. Jim O Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
