Wiscon_Mark
08-02-2005, 09:21 PM
Taken from ScoobyMods, written by Kastle
The steering rack bushings are designed to keep the rack from banging around in the clamps that hold it to the engine crossmember, but they were designed to reduce noise, not for function. The stock mounts are soft rubber, which eliminates any noise or vibration, but flexes under load, which means not all the force it produces turns your wheels. Hardened bushings help eliminate this flex. I doubted this effect with the first set of bushings, assuming it was a "placebo" effect- I tried putting just one hardened bushing on and driving the car this time around. I am convinced they work- you can "feel" the difference between left and right turns- one end was crisper, the other a bit looser, due to bushing flex. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me.
This is the second time around I've done this bushings (I found a set even harder than my first set) and it never gets easier. The passenger side is uneventful, but prepare for an epic battle on the driver side- the power steering lines get in the way on you. The actual process is quite simple- all you will need is a 14mm socket wrench and a razor knife or pair of small cutters. Lets start shall we?
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering1-1.jpg
Alright then- the bushings. There are two distinctly different bushings for the steering rack- one is rounded, one is square. The square one goes on the driver side of the rack, the rounded one on the passenger side.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering2-1.jpg
In this picture, you are looking at the passenger side of the steering rack. The two red dots mark the 2 14mm bolts that hold a bracket which holds the steering rack to the engine crossmember. Remove them.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering3-1.jpg
While you are removing the 2 14mm bolts, you may notice a small nub of rubber protruding from the bracket. The arrow in this picture points you to it. This is actually part of the stock bushing and is not needed- you'll find one on the driver side bushing as well. Using the razor knife or cutters, clip it off and your life will be much easier.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering4-1.jpg
With the two bolts out and that rubber nub cut off, slide the bracket down the steering rack towards the driver side of the car. You should be able to tug the steering rack down a little bit and slip the stock bushing off. It is hard to see because I broke the one I took a picture of, but the bushings (stock and new) have a cut in them (you can sort of see the cut in the bushing on the left in the first photo on this page) so that it can be pulled around the main tube of the steering rack. Mine stuck to the rack a bit, and a flat head screwdriver was used to help pull it off.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering5-1.jpg
You have been waiting patiently, and here it is: the stock rubber bushing. I broke it removing it, which gives you some idea of how soft the bushings are. They make nifty napkin rings when you do not break them! Once you have the stock bushing out, replace it with the hardened bushing that is more rounded in shape. Open up the cut in the new one, slip one edge over the main tube, and "roll" it around the tube. It should go right around with a bit of coaxing. Once it's on, you can slide the bracket back over and reinstall the 2 14mm bolts tightly- having the whole rack free is actually more trouble than having one end fixed.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering6-1.jpg
This is the driver side bracket- again, 2 14mm bolts hold the bracket in. As you can see from the photo, the power steering lines make life tricky. After I had the bolts removed, I actually had to pry the power steering lines down just a little bit in order to get the bracket to move- I pushed it over the little bump and off towards the driver side front wheel. From here, just pull out the stock bushing out like before, and replace it with the bushing that is shaped like a square. Replace the 2 14mm bolts tightly and you are done!
My thoughts on the bushings have changed, now that I experimented with them. When I had just straight replaced them, I didn't appreciate the difference they made, but when I did only one and drove the car aggressively, I could truly feel the difference the one mount made over the stock bushing left on at the other end of the rack. If you have the time to play around like that, I suggest you do so for the experience alone. I haven't noticed any more noise or vibration in the cabin, nor do I notice any odd sounds out of the steering rack or the pump. I cannot imagine why the softer mounts were used in the first place.
A bit of an edit (by North Ursalia) :D It has come to my attention that some people have a great deal of trouble getting the driver side bracket and bushing off- it has alot to do with how the car was put together I believe. If your bracket/bushing won't slide right off like mine did, follow these few extra steps and you should be able to finish up this modification. Firstly, directly next to the driver side bushing, you will find where the steering colum comes down into the steering rack. Follow this upwards until you find the clamp that holds the rod on the rack to the steering column. A photo for reference:
Carefully mark where the edge of this clamp is on the steering column just in case. You want to put it back in the exact same spot, and just as disaster prevention, if the rack should come completely off the steering column, you want to know where it was- it should not come off, but do this just to be safe. In addition, do not turn your wheels or your steering wheel while the clamp is loose- it could come off. The clamp is held tight by a 12mm bolt- loosen it, but don't remove it completely. You want to slide this clamp down just a bit- 1/2 an inch will be plenty. With that done, turn your attention to the engine crossmember, and the metal plate you find there.
This is the metal plate you find on the bottom of your engine crossmember (this is your front jacking point when using a floorjack), and more specifically, two of the 12mm bolts that hold it in place. The front two have free nuts on top, so you need a 12mm socket and a 12mm open or box end wrench to get these two off.
These are the rear two bolts that hold the plate up. These have captive nuts on the far side, so you only need your 12mm socket to get these two off. There is a metal and rubber dampening plate on top of this jacking plate, so it's going to weigh about 5 or 6 pounds heavier than you thought it would- don't drop it on your head or foot. It's function is unknown, but many people take it out for weight savings- I chose to leave it out because I didn't want to put the thing back in there! At this point, you should have plenty of room to be able to pull hard power steering lines out of the way to remove the bracket, and the rack should be low enough that you have room to put your new bushings in.
The steering rack bushings are designed to keep the rack from banging around in the clamps that hold it to the engine crossmember, but they were designed to reduce noise, not for function. The stock mounts are soft rubber, which eliminates any noise or vibration, but flexes under load, which means not all the force it produces turns your wheels. Hardened bushings help eliminate this flex. I doubted this effect with the first set of bushings, assuming it was a "placebo" effect- I tried putting just one hardened bushing on and driving the car this time around. I am convinced they work- you can "feel" the difference between left and right turns- one end was crisper, the other a bit looser, due to bushing flex. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me.
This is the second time around I've done this bushings (I found a set even harder than my first set) and it never gets easier. The passenger side is uneventful, but prepare for an epic battle on the driver side- the power steering lines get in the way on you. The actual process is quite simple- all you will need is a 14mm socket wrench and a razor knife or pair of small cutters. Lets start shall we?
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering1-1.jpg
Alright then- the bushings. There are two distinctly different bushings for the steering rack- one is rounded, one is square. The square one goes on the driver side of the rack, the rounded one on the passenger side.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering2-1.jpg
In this picture, you are looking at the passenger side of the steering rack. The two red dots mark the 2 14mm bolts that hold a bracket which holds the steering rack to the engine crossmember. Remove them.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering3-1.jpg
While you are removing the 2 14mm bolts, you may notice a small nub of rubber protruding from the bracket. The arrow in this picture points you to it. This is actually part of the stock bushing and is not needed- you'll find one on the driver side bushing as well. Using the razor knife or cutters, clip it off and your life will be much easier.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering4-1.jpg
With the two bolts out and that rubber nub cut off, slide the bracket down the steering rack towards the driver side of the car. You should be able to tug the steering rack down a little bit and slip the stock bushing off. It is hard to see because I broke the one I took a picture of, but the bushings (stock and new) have a cut in them (you can sort of see the cut in the bushing on the left in the first photo on this page) so that it can be pulled around the main tube of the steering rack. Mine stuck to the rack a bit, and a flat head screwdriver was used to help pull it off.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering5-1.jpg
You have been waiting patiently, and here it is: the stock rubber bushing. I broke it removing it, which gives you some idea of how soft the bushings are. They make nifty napkin rings when you do not break them! Once you have the stock bushing out, replace it with the hardened bushing that is more rounded in shape. Open up the cut in the new one, slip one edge over the main tube, and "roll" it around the tube. It should go right around with a bit of coaxing. Once it's on, you can slide the bracket back over and reinstall the 2 14mm bolts tightly- having the whole rack free is actually more trouble than having one end fixed.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2005/08/steering6-1.jpg
This is the driver side bracket- again, 2 14mm bolts hold the bracket in. As you can see from the photo, the power steering lines make life tricky. After I had the bolts removed, I actually had to pry the power steering lines down just a little bit in order to get the bracket to move- I pushed it over the little bump and off towards the driver side front wheel. From here, just pull out the stock bushing out like before, and replace it with the bushing that is shaped like a square. Replace the 2 14mm bolts tightly and you are done!
My thoughts on the bushings have changed, now that I experimented with them. When I had just straight replaced them, I didn't appreciate the difference they made, but when I did only one and drove the car aggressively, I could truly feel the difference the one mount made over the stock bushing left on at the other end of the rack. If you have the time to play around like that, I suggest you do so for the experience alone. I haven't noticed any more noise or vibration in the cabin, nor do I notice any odd sounds out of the steering rack or the pump. I cannot imagine why the softer mounts were used in the first place.
A bit of an edit (by North Ursalia) :D It has come to my attention that some people have a great deal of trouble getting the driver side bracket and bushing off- it has alot to do with how the car was put together I believe. If your bracket/bushing won't slide right off like mine did, follow these few extra steps and you should be able to finish up this modification. Firstly, directly next to the driver side bushing, you will find where the steering colum comes down into the steering rack. Follow this upwards until you find the clamp that holds the rod on the rack to the steering column. A photo for reference:
Carefully mark where the edge of this clamp is on the steering column just in case. You want to put it back in the exact same spot, and just as disaster prevention, if the rack should come completely off the steering column, you want to know where it was- it should not come off, but do this just to be safe. In addition, do not turn your wheels or your steering wheel while the clamp is loose- it could come off. The clamp is held tight by a 12mm bolt- loosen it, but don't remove it completely. You want to slide this clamp down just a bit- 1/2 an inch will be plenty. With that done, turn your attention to the engine crossmember, and the metal plate you find there.
This is the metal plate you find on the bottom of your engine crossmember (this is your front jacking point when using a floorjack), and more specifically, two of the 12mm bolts that hold it in place. The front two have free nuts on top, so you need a 12mm socket and a 12mm open or box end wrench to get these two off.
These are the rear two bolts that hold the plate up. These have captive nuts on the far side, so you only need your 12mm socket to get these two off. There is a metal and rubber dampening plate on top of this jacking plate, so it's going to weigh about 5 or 6 pounds heavier than you thought it would- don't drop it on your head or foot. It's function is unknown, but many people take it out for weight savings- I chose to leave it out because I didn't want to put the thing back in there! At this point, you should have plenty of room to be able to pull hard power steering lines out of the way to remove the bracket, and the rack should be low enough that you have room to put your new bushings in.