PSA : For power steering rack replacement

I recently replaced my leaking power steering rack and had a few tips to share with others that would like to do this. I really couldn't find much for tips in other parts of the forums so here is mine!

 

~ This is not for the faint of heart you will get dirty and you will get frustrated.

 

~The Tie Rod ends will come out with a hammer but you will damage the threads and have to buy new one because of the cotter pin nut not going on smooth and it will make your tie rod end ball joints just spin and spin in the grease. Best thing is a tie rod puller but a hammer does just fine

 

~At the only mechanic shop in my town that is certified on working on Subaru's quoted me $960ish for the replacement that includes labor and parts.

 

~MAKE SURE YOU TAKE PICTURES I can not stress this enough. Especially when it comes to the tie rod ends.

 

~ You can undo the power steering lines without taking out a CV axle or your exhaust but it will take you about 200x as long.

 

~YOU WILL NEED AN ALIGNMENT PERIOD. I know most of you knew that already but it will wear out your tires faster than squirrel mating season.

 

~Trust your eyes. This is a rough alignment after you have the steering rack in.

 

~It can take 2 hour or 5 days depending on what parts you broke.

 

~If you think there is no more air in your power steering lines, think again.

 

~The LGT steering ratio is 15:1 which is 2.8 turns to lock unlike the 2.5i 3.2 turns

 

~The rack I got was $221.52 with no core charge thanks Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PGTQAS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Little side note, I need to get rid of my old one maybe shoot me an offer if someone wants it as a core charge.

 

Feel free to ask questions, I just finished mine and the car feels great to drive again!

The 2015+ STI rack fits and is a higher ratio too...

The 2015+ STI rack fits and is a higher ratio too...

 

That is true but I couldn't find one for around $200 which is all I could afford at the time.

Tip for hammering out the tie rods from the hub: Leave the old castle nut partially on so that you are hammering against the castle nut and not the threads on the tie rod.

 

Also, if you ever have an issue where you are trying to tighten down a nut on a ball joint, if often helps to place a floor jack under the ball joint. This seems to prevent the ball joint from spinning in place.

^^^^^^^ I learned the hard way but, having new tie rod ends are pretty sweet.

Always smack the reciever in those tapered joints with a hammer if you don't have the correct tools. You will not damage the threads.

Another hint is to put the nut on the threads to protect them in case you miss with the 3 or 5lb hammer. Learned that lesson the easy way...before I wacked the threads

Hey Tw33k is this steering rack still working well?

Some More hints:

 

Fluid: Never ever use off the shelf "Power Steering" fluid. It's too corrosive for Japanese cars and will destroy the pump and seals. Use dealer fluid, or ATF. I killed my high pressure line, pump and steering rack by using store brand power steering fluid on my Nissan. After rebuilding the rack I discovered the culprit...

 

You can Rebuild the rack: There are ~$50 rebuild kits available on RockAuto. Rebuilding it is not too difficult, but will take some time. On one of my Nissan's, I only needed to replace the right outer seal, I was able to do it with the rack still in the car.

 

Centering the Steering rack: With inner tie rods installed measure from the outer most point of the inner tie rod to the steering rack where tie rod attaches. Keep in mind the boots do get in the way and might need to be removed to do this accurately.

 

Centering the two outer tie rods: Install the outer tie rods, find a reference point on the inner tie rods, then measure from that reference point to the outer tie rod's beginning. I do this all the time when I had both tie rods off right before doing a front end alignment.

 

You can do your own alignment: Just get some toe plates, they are fast and easy to use. You can also do strings, but that takes a while to setup.