Managed to Break Steering Rack Bracket Bolt, Need Advice

[Soul Shinobi]

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2009/10/steering6-1.jpg
Picture not mine, from here (https://sl-i.net/FORUM/viewtopic.php?t=867).

OKAY. My car is rather rusty; a '98 with 200,000+ miles and the previous owner let it sit, on a pile of salt, under a waterfall, or something.

I managed to get the first three steering rack bracket bolts out using a ton of PB Blaster over the course of two days. I used the technique of loosening bolts as much as possible (I'm not very strong), spraying PB on the freshly exposed threads, then tightening the bolt to get the PB up in the nut, and repeating that about four times per bolt. I also sprayed PB up on the back side of the bolts. In short: I'm not an idiot.

The Problem:
The last bolt, the rearward driver's side bolt (pictured, top) was the most difficult. After much effort I eventually tried my impact gun, and after about 270 degrees the welded captive nut on the back side of the support that the bracket bolts to broke loose, leaving the bolt 1/3rd loosened and free spinning. Since the bracket on the driver's side is recessed into a groove in the steering rack it's held quite well with only one bolt being tight, in fact I've driven over 50 miles today with it like that and it feel fine, in fact I can still feel the benefits from the passenger side bushing being replaced with the Whiteline one.

My Plan:
Now I know you may be temped to say "Just don't even mess with it further," but I really want to actually fix it and replace the second bushing. After some brainstorming with a friend I decided that the best thing to do would be to remove the screwed up bolt, either with a dremel or cutting torch. Then after replacing the bushing, there are two options, either support the bracket weld it right to surfaces it mates to above it, or, cut a hole where the was then weld a new one in from the bottom. The first of those is easiest I think, but more permanent. I don't know if another friend of mine can get his gasless MIG welder in there, or if I'm better off taking it to a shop. My concern with taking it to a shop is that they might insist on taking way more apart than is needed to replace the bushing.

What do you think?

[d1giPhux]

If i'm getting what your saying.. there is a welded nut to the back of that.. and the bolt on the top broke the back side.. leaving both the bolt and nut just flopping around there?

If so.. why don't you just cut the bolt.. and then pull that braket off.. or whatever they are held to.. and get a replacement one.. or weld a nut on the back. If thats not the case.. cant you just put a nut back there with a new bolt?

If i'm reading that wrong.. and your saying whatever its held to is permanently welded to the car.. i would maybe consider pulling the bracket off completely.. fixing the back.. and re-welding it to the car?

I don't know much about this install.. but thats how i see the situation.

[Soul Shinobi]

If i'm reading that wrong.. and your saying whatever its held to is permanently welded to the car.. i would maybe consider pulling the bracket off completely.. fixing the back.. and re-welding it to the car?
Yes, the nut that broke free was welded to the back side of a small support welded to the crossmember, the bracket bolts up to that small support. I'm trying to avoid dropping the whole steering rack, let alone breaking factory welds to get to the back of that small support to weld it back together like they did at the factory.

[d1giPhux]

Can you get your hand back there? If so.. just use a nut / bolt that will fit through there and hold.

or can you not get to the back of it?

edit..

so where that nut was.. was that on the crossmember i'm assuming? can you get to where it was from the bottom.. or is it like inside the crossmember. Or where is it located?

[Soul Shinobi]

It's inside a small support welded onto the crossmember. There's an opening around the top of the side of it, but it's small; there's no opening above it. I could slip a nut into the hole but even if I could thread into it there's no way I could get something in there to hold it in place while I try to tighten it. I'm considering removing the power steering lines, that may give me more room, but I'm afraid I'll break a fitting.

[d1giPhux]

Could you make some crazy tool to hold a nut in place while you screw the bolt down? Thats the only way i really see possible.. unless you wanna air chisel the weld off the support piece on the crossmember and re-weld it after you fix the back with a new nut or something? You probably only really need to hold the nut till its hand tight.. after that it should hold itself while you tighten down the support bracket. However.. getting it off in that situation would be another story of probably cutting bolts again.

or like you said.. you could drill all the way through the crossmember, then get a special bolt from http://www.mcmaster.com and a good nut from there as well (get a couple of each).. and thread the bolt all the way through the crossmember and attach the nut on the bottom of the car?

[Soul Shinobi]

I think you're right, slipping a nut in is still an option. I make a hole just for a tool to hold it. I've used and love McMaster Carr, but there's a local place Bel-Metric that can get me similar things, I may hit them up tomorrow after noon since I'm free the rest of the day.

[d1giPhux]

What are you making the hole in so that you could slip a tool in? If your talking about making a hole in the crossmember, or the support.. you don't want to make it too weak. I would assume. Or I'm just not understanding exactly how it looks. If you can do it.. give it a try.

The other option.. is like i said.. if you can go all the way through the crossmember.. and attach the bolt on the bottom side of the car.. that would be very easy to do as well. You could even use a tap to thread the holes and such for the bolt you get. Keep us updated.

[Soul Shinobi]

SO, UPDATE:

I cut the free spinning bolt's head off with my Dremel, which was much easier after my friend educated me about using soft cutters for hard things and vice-versa, switching from the diamond disk to the more consumable ceramic ones helped a lot.

After a lot of power steering line bending I wiggled the bracket off, straight onto my face. Then I tried to removed the old bushing, man what a bitch. I had to loosen the other side of the rack a bit and loosen the steering universal joint (after marking it in case it came all the way off! It was much easier to get to from below btw) to drop the rack enough so that I could get a screwdriver around the inside of the bushing enough to pry it from the heavily oxidized rack. Then it was a royal bitch to slip the new bushing on even though it was greased. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to pull it through once I got it most of the way, the polyurethane seems rather resilient to being tugged on with pliers.

Retightened the other rack bracket then pried the u-joint back into place and secured it to bring the rack back up. Now I had to solve the issue of securing the bracket when there's no captive nut on one side.

Before I put the bracket on I tried to removed the old captive nut with 3/4ths the bolt stuck in it using a magnet through the opening near the top. I could get a hold of it, but the hole was just too small. I slipped the new nut I got through the hole and was able to position it perfectly where the old one used to sit after a lot of work. After a lot of thinking and a couple phone calls I decided that it really couldn't welded in place through the bracket. I applied some JB Weld between the nut and support with a right angle pick.

And that's where I am, that was last night and the JB should be hard now, I just need it to hold the nut long enough for me to get the treads started. I may have to make a tool to hold the nut in place while I try to tighten the bolt. My main concern is how easily I can thread into the bolt, I don't want to break the JB since it may not be holding well, and I don't know if any JB got in the way of the bolts path, impeding threading it in; in which case I'd definitely have to make a tool.

[d1giPhux]

Once the bolt gets threaded onto the nut.. shouldn't be too much of a problem tightening it down I would assume. If that doesnt work.. what do you think will be your next idea? Drill all the way through the crossmember or what?

[Soul Shinobi]

I would have to remove the engine to do that, I'll try to avoid that. I may be able to cut an opening in the side of the small support that the nut it in (might take a looong time to but I think it's possible) and maybe hold it in place with the box end of a wrench that I'll just cut off and leave in there. It's hard because there's so little room, and so many lines I could cut by accident.

[Soul Shinobi]

Alright, we left off with nothing left but to bolt it back together after the JB Weld cured. This afternoon I gently threaded the bolt in until I was sure the first couple thread were in. Then I removed it and put Loctite on the threads; this brand new high quality nut and bolt go together so cleanly that I'd worry about them wiggling apart, and I certainly have no plans to touch the rack again.

I threaded the bolt right up to the bracket and began to tighten it carefully, and it went all the way up without a hitch. Because the nut I got had a serrated flange, and I tightened it when it had tension on it from the bracket pulling on the bolt, the nut dug in and let me tighten it all the way right up to 48 ft-lbs final torque (spec is 43 +/- 9).

I'm so relieved. As for having Whiteline steering rack bushings, I have to say there isn't much more feedback, but my tires are crap so that could change. However, there is definitely a lot more response, the wheels act MUCH quicker to steering input.

And then he drove off happily ever after.
*closes book*
The End.

[AussieDan]

Nice work! Glad to hear a little creative engineering did the trick :wink:

[Soul Shinobi]

Thank you. More so, patience and positive thinking. :grin:

[d1giPhux]

Good job man.. knew it would work out for ya!