Issues After rack and pinion installed (lights on dash and steering wheel upside down) HELP (1 Viewer)

[casper9292]

I have my rack and pinion done by a cheap mechanic because I didn’t want to spend too much. They installed it without centering it and also broke my clock spring :-( now do I need to have somebody take out the rack in order to correct the steering wheel or am I able to correct the steering wheel by taking it off being that I have to access the steering wheel when replacing the clock spring… also damaging the clock, make the check engine VSC and 4lo lights appear? I am aware that the airbag light is on which would indicate that the spring is broke. Please let me know what I should do. :-( but only paid $100 bucks to get the rack in so even with getting the spring clock ($150 used) put in. I’m still doing ok lol

 

[bloc]

No, you can’t just turn the wheel on the steering shaft.

Our rigs have a complicated gearbox between the steering column and rack called a VGRS that varies the gear ratio depending on how fast the vehicle is going and far away from center the wheel is turned. This box has limits, as does the clock spring. Not getting the shaft into the rack indexed correctly probably caused all this and needs to be fixed there or you’ll continue to have problems.

Installing a steering rack is a really big job, and anyone desperate enough to do it for $100 shouldn’t be let anywhere near a car that will carry people inside it down the road at 80mph. You have no idea what else they didn’t do correctly.. are the bolts that hold the thing to the frame secured? Over torqued? Stripped? Same question for the steering shaft clamp bolts. And tie rod ends. And hydraulic fittings. Etc.

Unless you have access to the factory service manual and can undo their dangerous work, you need to try to find a competent mechanic that is willing to do so.. it may not be easy to find one.

 

[Sandroad]

I agree with @bloc this is a complete redo job with a shop that knows what they are doing. It’s dangerous to drive it like this because of all the unknowns, so don’t be tempted. In addition, someone completely screwing up this work probably didn’t use decent parts and may have installed a questionable used rack. Steering is not a place to have questionable parts, so if the good mechanic you hire recommends new/better parts, buy them.

 

[Sandroad]

@linuxgod just replaced his steering rack and here is his post:

New steering rack this week. $2790 after tax. oof. Dealer wrote it up as 9.4 hours of labor, and I'm sure they spent every bit of that. I'd had a popping noise I'd hear when when parking and I'd added more fluid to the power steering reservoir than I would expect given how slow the leak was previously, so sadly at 150k it was time. Noise is gone though the steering is noticeably stiffer.

 

[LX4x4]

I believe you have to secure the steering wheel when the rack is removed, otherwise it can spin and wreck the clockspring. Am I right?

 

[04UZJ100]

 

[radman]

Is this a joke?

Someone quoted you $100 for a whole rack?

And you paid them after seeing the steering wheel was upside down?