fchanes

I am about to do a steering rack replacement on a 93 Camry V6. I was going over the Haynes manual and was wondering if it is necessary to remove the steering knuckle arms from the knuckle or can they be left on and just back off the tie-rods. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Brian R.

Disclaimer - I am posting this information as the best available to me. I am not responsible for omissions, typos or changes in procedure unknown to me. In general, I am not responsible for misinformation of any kind - follow at your own risk, partly because I cannot reproduce drawings that make this procedure more clear and understandable.

Anyway, I hope some of this information is useful to you...

Here is the procedure:
1. Remove RH and LH front fender apron seals - 2 bolts
2. Disconnect RH and LH tie rod ends at hub
3. Disconnect intermediate shaft - place matchmarks on the intermediate shaft and the control valve shaft - 2 bolts
4. Disconnect tube clamp - remove nut
5. Disconnect pressure feed and return tubes - Special tool?
6. Disconnect stabilizer bar - 4 bolts and 2 nuts - Don't remove bar
7. Remove HO2 sensor and disconnect electrical connector
8. Remove PS gear assembly - 2 set bolts and nuts - lift up stabilizer bar and remove the bolts - remove the gear assembly from the LH side of car - Don't damage the turn pressure tubes.
9. Secure PS assembly in vise - gentle on the vise
10. Remove 2 turn pressure tubes - Special tool? - remove 2 O-rings
11. Remove RH and LH tie rod ends and lock nuts - place matchmarks on tie rod end and rack end - loosen lock nut
12. Remove RH and LH clips, rack boots, and clamps - don't damage boots - mark boots "LH" and "RH"
13. Remove RH and LH rack ends and claw washers - hammer and screwdriver - don't hit rack if you care about it
14. Remove rack end with two wrenches (one is 24 mm) - mark LH and RH rack ends - remove washer from rack end
15. Remove rack guide spring cap lock nut
16. Remove rack guide spring cap, rack guide spring, rack guide and rack guide seat - Special tool on cap? - Remove seat from guide, remove rack housing cap
17. Remove self-locking nut by holding control valve shaft - don't damage shaft if you care
18. Remove dust cover
19. Remove control valve housing with control valve assembly - place matchmarks on valve housing and rack housing - remove 2 bolts - remove gasket from rack housing
20. Remove control valve assembly - wrap serrated part of shaft with electrical tape to prevent damage to oil seal lip - press out the valve assembly (from side with taped shaft) with the oil seal - press on valve housing with soft cover on blocks (shop rag) - don't drop valve assembly - don't damage oil seal lip
21. Remove oil seal from control valve assembly
22. Remove rack housing No. 2 bracket and grommet - place matchmarks on bracket and rack housing - use screwdriver to pry a part of the clamp of the bracket - remove grommet from bracket
23. Remove cylinder end stopper - turn stopper clockwise until the wire is visible through the service hole - then turn stopper counterclockwise to remove wire through hole
24. Remove steering rack and bushing - use brass bar and hammer to tap out rack with the bushing - remove bushing from rack - remove O-ring from bushing.
25. Remove oil seal from assembly - special tool?
26. If necessary, replace oil seal and any bad bearings in control valve housing - coat new seal lip with PS fluid - press in seal in correct direction - coat new bearing with molydisulfide lithium grease - press in bearing
27. If necessary, replace O-ring and teflon rings on steering rack - coat O-ring and teflon ring with PS fluid - don't damage teflon ring groove - expand new teflon ring by hand - don't over stretch teflon ring - carefully seat teflon rings with tapered end of special tool

Brian R.

Assembly -
Coat steering rack - inside of cylinder end stopper and bushing, bearings, control valve assembly, rack guide spring cap, spring, and guide with molydisulfide lithium grease
Coat all O-rings, oil seals, and teflon rings with PS fluid

When installing oil seals, be sure they don't get reversed.

1. Install steering rack - special tool? - reburr and burnish teeth if necessary - be careful of oil seal lip
2. Install bushing with O-ring - tape end of rack to prevent seal damage - install bushing in correct direction - don't damage oil seal lip
3. Install cylinder end stopper - align the installation hole for the wire of the stopper with the slot of the rack housing - use new wire - turn stopper clockwise 450 +/- 50 degrees - special tool?
4. Test seals with vacuum on fittings - must hold vaccuum for 30 seconds - if bad, check oil seals
5. Install rack housing No. 2 bracket and grommet - align the projection of the grommet with the hole of the bracket - align the matchmarks on the bracket with those on the rack housing - place the bracket in a vise and use the vise to fasten the clamp
6. Install the control valve assembly into the valve housing - protect seal lip by wrapping serrated part of valve shaft with electrical tape - be careful not to damage the teflon rings and oil seals
7. Install oil seal with press - correct direction
8. Install control valve housing with control valve assembly - new gasket on rack housing - align matchmarks on valve housing with those on rack housing - torque 2 bolts to 13 ft-lbs
9. Install self-locking nut on control valve shaft - 18 ft-lbs - Install dust cover
10. Install rack housing cap with sealant on 2 or 3 threads - Locktite 242 or Three Bond 1344 - 43 ft-lbs - stake the 2 parts of the cap with punch
11. Install rack guide seat, rack guide, rack guide spring and rack guide spring cap - apply sealant on 2-3 threads of cap - temporarily install cap
12. Adjust preload - torque the rack guide spring cap to 18 ft-lbs - turn counterclockwise back 12 degrees - turn control valve shaft right and left once or twice - loosen cap until rack guide spring is not functioning - tighten rack guide spring cap until preload on control valve shaft is 6.9 - 12.2 in-lbs
13. Install rack guide spring cap lock nut - apply sealant to 2-3 threads of nut - hold rack guide spring cap and torque nut to 36 ft-lbs - recheck preload as above
14. Install new RH and LH claw washers and temporarily install rack ends - align the claws of the washer with the steering rack grooves - hold steering rack and torque rack end to 45 ft-lbs - stake the washer with brass bar and hammer - don't hit rack
15. Install RH and LH rack boots, clamps, and clips - make sure steering rack hole is not clogged with grease - be careful with boots - tighten clamp by pinching with special tool to 3 mm or less clearance on clamp ends
16. Install RH and LH tie rod ends and lock nuts - align matchmarks on rack and tie rod end - after adjusting toe-in torque to 54 ft-lbs
17. Install 2 turn pressure tubes 7 ft-lbs
18. Install steering gear from LH side of vehicle - don't damage turn pressure tubes
19. Lift up stabilizer bar and install 2 gear assembly set bolts and nuts 134 ft-lbs
20. Install HO2 sensor 33 ft-lbs
21. Connect stabilizer bar bolts (14 ft-lbs) and nuts (29 ft-lbs)
22. Connect pressure feed and return tubes 15 ft-lbs
23. Connect tube clamp with nut 7 ft-lbs
24. Connect intermediate shaft - align matchmarks on intermediate shaft and control valve shaft torque 2 bolts to 26 ft-lbs
25. Connect tie rod ends 36 ft-lbs
26. Install fender apron seals 2 bolts
27. Center steering wheel if necessary
28. Bleed PS system - jack up front of car and turn steering wheel lock to lock and hold at locks for 2-3 seconds (engine off). Check fluid level in reservoir. Lower vehicle, start engine, idle engine for a couple of minutes, turn steering wheel lock to lock and hold at locks for 2-3 seconds and repeat turn and hold several times. Stop engine and check for foaming in steering reservoir. Foaming indicates fluid leaking in system. Check fluid level
29. Check alignment

Good luck - sounds like a special-tools nightmare - seating the telfon seals with a special tool SST 09631-20081 may be critical

Get out your digital camera and take alot of photos as you go.

fchanes

Awesome response!! Thanks. I am only going to replace it with a rebuilt one. I am still unclear on weather to remove the knuckle arms or not. What do you think? Can I just back off the tie-rods?

Brian R.

The instructions say to disconnect the tie rod ends at the hub. That means you leave them alone except for the cotter pin and castle nut that attaches them to the hub.

Print out and read everything I wrote while you're under the car. If you don't understand any part of it, figure it out before you damage the control valve assembly or the rack housing.

Actually, it sounds like you'd save alot of time by replacing the whole assembly instead of just the rack.