like I said being my first time doing a rack I didn’t even think about the splines on the rack being in position. And just little dumb things that extended the hours. I can laugh now but the top bushing bolt was hard to start... couldn’t get my fat hand between everything. so I taped the nut in a box wrench. Worked great. Tightened it all the way down and couldn’t get the wrench out because the bolt extended too close to another chunk of engine or something! Whatever it’s done... if it’s still leaking I will just laugh cry.

 

Sometimes you have 2 choices
Either laugh or cry. Usually laughing makes you feel that little bit better - no matter how much you want to cry

Cheers
Steve

 

Wait,,,, spread the PINCH and just turn the steering wheel slowly until the space on the post on the top of the wrack and pinch bolt holes line up???? I know that that is not welcomed info now, but... Yeah, for the next dude, I think that's the ticket... I don't believe removing the whole of the wrack is absolutely necessary...

 

Oh and... Brother, I promise I don't mean to be *that guy*... I am not usually the one who sprinkles doubt and fear...

I would really say keep an eye on it OR BETTER, feelers out. The tower suffers an incredible amount of heat due to its proximity to the exhaust... The washer that goes into that space might need to be of a variety that can withstand that kind of temperature... I felt I aught to throw that out there. Keep an eye on it,,, specially in the warmer months.

 

I was very cold and tired and probably not thinking great, but isn’t the pinch groved like the rack? So it needs to come off to get it back in the groves? I hope that’s the way it was. Ha

 

From what I remember,,, and it's been a while (but pain teaches and sears the memory) that the PINCH of the structure, the actual clamping section coming off the column, is perfectly round with the "eye" that receives the bolt. The eye is situated in such a way that the bolt CAN'T go thru unless the grooooove in the post lines up with the "eye" exactly (I'm sorry I don't know the proper terminology). The "eye" is set deeper than the actual outer circumference of the post but perfectly with the notch ... In that,,, the pinch WITHOUT the bolt placed will actually turn around and over the post UNTIL the locator bolt is driven home,,, securing/determining the position of the connection... If that makes any sense?

I don't think it would have been best practice or case senerio to turn/spin the pinch over the post MUCH (could strip and such) but I think for the process of locating and sending home the locator bolt it would have been okay... That's with the pinch-er section opened up a bit wide.

Lol,,,, did that make ANY sense at all?

 

i get what you’re saying. Like I said this is my first rack and pinion job. I didn’t try to open the pinch up but I know with the pinch closed up like mine was it’s definitely not moving because of the splines. It’s like that child’s toy where you can only put the blocks through the proper shaped hole. 🧐