Steering rack issue

[BlueWeim]

I have searched and cant come up with anything.
2000 LC and it needed a steering rack. I put the rack in along with new tie rod ends. got it all bolted back together and adjusted. Cycled the steering for over 20 minutes in the garage still on jack stands making sure I didnt have any leaks and worked the air out of the lines. Put the tires on and let it down. pulled out of the garage and the steering locked to the left.

The ujoint on the steering column is against the oil dipstick tube. Somewhere something has shifted. Dont see how the rack could shift having the two offset bolts on driver side and then the ubolt on the pass side but it has... my first thought was oh sh!t i forgot to put the bolts back in the motor mounts, but I did remember to do that.

I was tired and irritated and got it back in the garage and called it a night. Its been irritating only having 45 minutes or an hour every night to work on it.
So I figured I'd ask here and see if anyone else has any ideas before I take everything apart again.

Thanks

 

[BlueWeim]

Forgot to put this in there, what makes me think it is the mounting bolts somehow is the fact that once i dreadfully/painfully forced the wheel to get it off the dipstick tube it turns right with no issues, but the second it turns back left it locks against it again.

 

[DirtDawg]

Can you put up some pics? You sure you got everything in the right holes? Lol

 

[BlueWeim]

Yea I will try to this evening. Ill have to figure out how. ha

I checked all my mounting last night and it all seemed right, but I was also working in the dark in the driveway where I stopped it originally and madder than hell so I could have easily missed something. but from the looks of things the whole rack has shifted towards the passenger side about an inch. And it has to be something loose on the rack because with no resistance from tires on the ground it all cycled fine and never got in a bind but the second i put the resistance of the tires turning on pavement it bound up.

 

[duggy]

The rack has 2 bolts that hold it against the subframe vertically so there definitely should not be any lateral movement in the rack. Did you attach these 2 bolts?

 

[DirtDawg]

I'm with @duggy ^ id go take another look and make sure everything is where it's supposed to be.

 

[BlueWeim]

Positive those are in place that's why I was doubting it moved sideways. I checked those last night

 

[BlueWeim]

But moving sideways was all I could come up with unless the engine moved toward the driver side.

Gonna check passenger side motor mount when I get home

 

[DirtDawg]

If you can confirm the rack is in the correct location then that only leaves one other variable: the engine isn't where it was. I'd double check the motor mounts as you mentioned.

 

[BlueWeim]

Had time to look at it. Goes to show working on cars when your tired, irritated, and it's dark gets you nowhere. I forgot to put the two metal washers on top of the rubber bushings and it was causing it to flex forward and backwards and hit the dipstick tube.

Looming forwArd to driving it.
It went in the garage bone stock with 186k miles. Came out with a 2" OME with HD springs and shocks, Slee upper control arms, new tie rod ends, new lower ball joints, new steering rack and going to have the alignment and new tires done tomorrow hopefully if I can get away from work in time. Still need to put the slee diff drop on as well.