De-powering the steering rack, plus more to come on rebuilding wrx parts

[metalmaker12]

Power steering will make it turn even faster, not sure that is safer. A na build with abs would be safer man

[longislandwrx]

Agreed, power steering may dampen the kickback slightly, but there's still a mechanical link. When you have sticky tires, firm bushings, stiff shocks/springs and a light car all that energy is going to be transferred to the wheel.

Also as Wayne said, the R&T test was before several suspension changes, so perhaps FFR was able to tune some of the harshness out.

[RM1SepEx]

Why de-power the steering rack?

The Motor Trend teaser article referenced in Dave's thread says the following ... "On Gingerman’s occasionally ragged track surface, the Factory Five tramlines and hunts out imperfections with an alacrity that is something alarming. Kickback through the steering wheel can be violent."

It also says ... "This isn’t a car for novice drivers."

It seems to me that the power steering may be safer for a young driver. Since I am building this car with/for my teenage son, I want to make it reasonably safe for him to drive. I plan to install the anti-lock brakes, keep the power steering that was on the donor, and perhaps add the Racelogic Traction Control System.

I actually might think you will find the opposite to be true. My daughter much prefers her Miata with the depowered rack. Power steering makes it too easy to steer and "darty" when driving at speed etc... the manual steering gives you much better feel and feedback with the road.

As far as traction control and ABS I would suggest that you and your son do some driver training... for a teen the StreetSurvival.org program could be a life saver.. The 818 power to weight mid engine, low polar moment of inertia all will make it a very capable machine but along with those traits comes the ability to go wrong very quickly.Develop skills to leave "novice" far behind!

Beyond that many organizations provide driver skills programs, my wife and I have been very pleased with BMW CCA programs. Practice will dramatically improve performance and confidence. We all have traction control built in... don't push the gas pedal down so far! LOL

My family practices skills every chance we get, so I'm going for raw performance, manual steering, no ABS, thin bottoms on shoes for better pedal feel.

[Hazelwwp]

I sent my son to the 3-day "Advanced Teenage Driving" course at Bondurant driving school in Phoenix over spring break in March. He had a blast but I am not aware of any road course near where we live so that he can practice what he learned. There is a course near Indianapolis about 4 hours away but it is private and I cannot afford a $15,000 per year membership.

After returning from Phoenix, I bought him a Porsche Boxter so he can get used to a mid-engine car but it doesn't have a lot of power.

[Silvertop]

I sent my son to the 3-day "Advanced Teenage Driving" course at Bondurant driving school in Phoenix over spring break in March. He had a blast but I am not aware of any road course near where we live so that he can practice what he learned. There is a course near Indianapolis about 4 hours away but it is private and I cannot afford a $15,000 per year membership.

After returning from Phoenix, I bought him a Porsche Boxter so he can get used to a mid-engine car but it doesn't have a lot of power.

You don't say exactly where you are from, but in the Midwest, Road America at Elkhart Lake Wisconsin and Blackhawk Farms near Rockford Illinois both have Track Day events.

[Mechie3]

There is a course near Indianapolis about 4 hours away but it is private and I cannot afford a $15,000 per year membership.

Putnam Park? You can go there with other clubs and don't need a membership to do so.

[timmy318]

You don't say exactly where you are from, but in the Midwest, Road America at Elkhart Lake Wisconsin and Blackhawk Farms near Rockford Illinois both have Track Day events.

Located in Owensboro, KY!

[RM1SepEx]

StreetSurvival.org

Date Venue Location
06/08/13 Maryland Driver Training Facility Sykesville, MD
06/09/13 Wright State Univ. – Nutter Center Dayton, OH
06/15/13 OLD VISTEON PLANT Connersville, IN
06/15/13 Saratoga Auto Museum Saratoga, NY
06/15/13 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Denver, CO
06/15/13 Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA
06/22/13 Keesler Air Force Base Biloxi,, MS
06/22/13 Sun Motor Cars BMW Mechanicsburg, PA
06/22/13 Tire Rack South Bend, IN
06/22/13 Milton Frank Stadium Huntsville, AL
06/23/13 Campgaw Ski Area Mahwah, NJ
07/13/13 Monroe Community College Rochester, NY
07/13/13 Tire Rack South Bend, IN
07/27/13 Dakota Co. Tech. College Rosemount, MN
07/28/13 Nassau County Veterans Memorial Col Uniondale,, NY
08/03/13 Shelton State Community College Tuscaloosa, AL
08/17/13 Milwaukee Area Technical College, O Oak Creek, WI
08/17/13 Gwinnett County Fairgrounds-Sugarlo Lawrenceville, GA
08/17/13 Tire Rack South Bend, IN
08/18/13 Milwaukee Area Technical College, O Oak Creek, WI
08/24/13 Faith Christian Assembly Melvindale, MI
08/24/13 Family Arena St. Charles, MO
09/07/13 Fresno Fairgrounds Fresno, CA
09/14/13 New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) Loudon, NH
09/21/13 Kansas Speedway Kansas City, KS
09/21/13 Toledo Express Airport Swanton, OH
09/22/13 Portland International Raceway Portland, OR
09/29/13 Family Arena St. Charles, MO
10/26/13 Richmond Raceway Complex Richmond, VA
11/16/13 Gwinnett County Fairgrounds-Sugarlo Lawrenceville, GA
11/23/13 Camarillo Airport Camarillo, CA

[GUNS]

Here' the pinion shaft from my 02, can anyone tell me where I need to weld this bad boy?

[metalmaker12]

Undo the snap ring and remove the bearing, clean the shaft and weld along the shaft twist seem, if I get time I will take mine apart to show you. Do you have a tig setup?

[GUNS]

Undo the snap ring and remove the bearing, clean the shaft and weld along the shaft twist seem, if I get time I will take mine apart to show you. Do you have a tig setup?

Thanks for the quick reply. My buddy has a MIG and stick welder. I'm not an expert on welding, but I'm assuming those will work as well?

[Mechie3]

Stick would be a terrible idea, MIG might work. I'm not (anything close to) an expert welder, but TIG generally provides the most precise weld for a small area like that.

[metalmaker12]

You could maybe mig short arc it with a stitch method, but you kinda should just tig it. Ask around someone must have one, worst case you could send it to me and I would send it back

[GUNS]

Thanks for all of the help guys. I'm dropping my tranny off at my local shop to have my LSD installed and while I'm there I'm going to have them TIG weld the twist seam. My only question is which part is actually the twist seam? I took the snap ring out and pulled it apart the bit and circled what my best guess as to which part the twist seam is. Is this correct, or am I out to lunch?

[metalmaker12]

Guns, you have to take the pinion shaft completely out, the seam is in the lower section, I been busy stripping other donors, I will try to go take it apart tonight and send you pics

[07FIREBLADE]

Post the pics up here for everyone to see plz.

[michael everson]

Why is it I cannot seem to get my rack apart? I have the pinion out and the large nut but cannot remove the rack. Its a 2002
Thanks Mike

[RM1SepEx]

you have to gently push it out with a press... I think it was earlier in this thread.... been a loooong time man!

[michael everson]

Never mind. Figured it out.
Mike

[AZPete]

Mike, can you let us know the answer, please?

[taco20]

Hey does anyone have a steering rack pinion for an 05 Sti rack? I broke the bearing trying to press it off. Should have read the hole post before trying to press it off. lol Anyway if anyone has a spare hit me up. Thanks

[Rasmus]

Just wanted to thank Mechie and Freds. The above two photos do wonders for knowing exactly what to do to lock this in with a MIG welder. Now I don't have to worry about overheating a bearing race. Thank you.

[Rasmus]

Here's how I (MIG) welded up the steering rack quill based on Mechie and Freds discovery. Six plug welds altogether. Before pulling the trigger I used a drill press to sink a millimeter or two into the inner shaft on each of my 6 holes. I wanted better penetration and didn't want to worry about a surface weld shearing off the inner shaft. That outer shaft, with the hydraulic rings, is a case/tool hardened steel. Unless you've got super expensive bits don't try to drill or widen the holes on the outer shaft. You'll just break your drill bits.

[metros]

Looking for some help fellas. I've got my steering rack almost completely apart, but I can figure out how to get the actual main shaft out of the steering rack body. What step am I missing?

[Xusia]

Turn the end cap in picture 2 until you see the end of the retaining clip in the slot seen in picture 1. Use something small to get under the leading edge of the retaining clip (I used a small regular screwdriver), and simultaneiously twist the end cap so that the leading edge of the retaining clip is forced out through the slot. Keep rotating the end cap until the retaining clip is all the way out.

[metros]

^^^Thanks - that helped a lot. Now that I've got the rod out I'm assuming all 3 of these pieces are the seal that I should be removing? Most pictures in this thread only show one piece.

[Xusia]

Mine didn't look like that. What year & model is the rack from?

Assuming those parts are "stuck" in that position (i.e. not slid down from somewhere else), then yes, they need to be removed. I used a grinder with a cut-off disc. I didn't want to damage the rod, so I was very careful and stopped before I reached the rod. I repeated the process on the other side. This weakened it enough that I was able to break it the rest of the way off. I hope that makes sense.

Also, are you welding the quill (rotary valve)?

[metros]

That's why I was asking. I haven't seen any others have more than one seal. This is from a 2002 wrx. It does have a koyo sticker on it though. Maybe one of the previous owners replaced the rack at some point.

I'm not planning on welding my rack. For some reason mine doesn't have any movement at all. It actually feels like one solid piece.

[Xusia]

If it was powered, it's not a solid rod. It's a valve that sues a torsion rod, which is very stiff, so you'd have to put it in a vice in order to feel the play. All that said, NO ONE who has left it unwelded has indicated they actually felt that play with the rack installed in the car. You'll be fine leaving it alone.

[metros]

^^^Agreed.

Cutting through those seals was actually pretty easy. A little work on the body of the steering rack and I'll be ready to re-assemble everything in like new condition. One thing I hadn't thought of is how is everyone else centering the rack? Line the center rod up so that equal distances are showing on each end?

[Xusia]

No need. The bracket on the driver's side of the steering rack lines up with the mount on the frame, so physically, it only goes on 1 way. Because previous racks weren't centered, I took great pains to make sure the outer tie rods were the same length and that the rack travel was centered. Then I measured it and it was perfectly centered. So I'm pretty sure they fixed the issue.

If you are talking about how to center the rod inside the rack, that's super easy. Just mount the rack (doesn't even have to be connected to the wheels), then mount the steering wheel (even if just temporarily; and don't boilt the U-joint!). If it's centered, you should have 1.5 turns in each direction before it locks. If it's not centered, you'll have more turns on 1 side and less on the other. In that case, disconnect the steering wheel, turn the pinion by hand as needed, re-connect the steering wheel, and test. Repeat as necessary.

No need to worry too much about the outer tie rods. Those will be adjusted when you get (or do your own) alignment. I set mine to as close to straight as I could - just to make it easier to roll around.

[Rasmus]

For some reason mine doesn't have any movement at all. It actually feels like one solid piece.

Mine didn't feel like it had any movement either. Then i wrapped the pinion in a shop towel and put it in the vise. With a pair of vise grips on the shaft I could get it to twist.

[metros]

Thanks for all the help xusia, that makes perfect sense now that I think about it.

I tried that yesterday rasmus, most I could move it was like a millimeter. Moved just enough to make a noise.

[Rasmus]

most I could move it was like a millimeter.

I couldn't move it much either but assuming that 1 mm was the full movement of the shaft from fully loaded counterclockwise (CCW) to fully loaded clockwise (CW) thats only on an input shaft that measures 18mm in diameter. But, when you multiply that slop out to a full size steering wheel like an OMP Corsica 330 (330 mm diameter) the slop from CCW to CW is ~ 18.3 mm. That's almost 3/4 of an inch of dead input when switching directions in an AutoX slalom. That's almost 3/4 of an inch of dead input when correcting/catching your car as it goes into oversteer.

Unless you meant 1mm of movement from rest to fully loaded going only one way. Then we're looking at ~ 36.6mm of of dead area, and 36.6mm of dead area is like watching the Duke Boys drive the General Lee straight while being filmed in the studio. Like lumberjacks, they sawed at it.

[DMC7492]

Hi Guys, I can vouch in on this one. I installed a steering quickner in a low rider chevy pick up truck. The lock to lock when aligned and on the street was 2 1/4 turns, When driving aggressively the ratio was good, but when trying to drive a period of time as in a cruise, the steering was twitchy. Also steering effort as greatly increased and caused fatigue on a longer drive.
a little bit of input made alot more output. Once the steering shaft is modified with all the ujoints and shortened, if undesirable everything gets replaced.
I liked it before the mod. lighter and more spirited driving.
It looked very similar to this one.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/brn-38050/overview/

[Frank818]

^^^Thanks - that helped a lot. Now that I've got the rod out I'm assuming all 3 of these pieces are the seal that I should be removing? Most pictures in this thread only show one piece.

I have the exact same setup on my 2003 NA.
I have to cut the smaller one on the left side, but what do I do with the large one on the right side? It's totally free playing and slides on the rod. Do I need to put to it back when I re-assemble?

And then the cap on the end I removed to get the rod out, do I need to put it back so that the rod will not get out of the housing?

[RM1SepEx]

all that you need to do is take a utility knife and cut/remove the O-ring. That's the seal.

then you reuse the screw in end cap, it has a bushing in it.

[metros]

Frank - Mine, as pictured, were all stationary and wouldn't move at all. I removed all of them with a grinder. I found the easiest to make a cut 180* apart on either side of the shaft. Then use a chisel to finish the last amount of material remaining from the cut. After that the pieces basically fell off. The endcap gets re-used. When re-assembling be careful because there is nothing keeping the main shaft inside the steering rack any longer. That means if you tip it over to one end then the shaft will slide right out of the rack.

[Xusia]

Frank, if it were me, I'd cut that other piece off as well. I would be worried it would contact the tube body. I don't know that would be a problem, I just wouldn't want to find out.

When re-assembling be careful because there is nothing keeping the main shaft inside the steering rack any longer.

Except the pinion! (once you get it in)

[Frank818]

Ok I see. I got pix, that may help.

This is how my rod was (the big bearing-like is a moving part):

Attachment 27624

This is the sliding part. I don't keep that?


2014-04-05 10.36.12-1.jpg

So how do I put back the end cap if the clip looks like this?

SteeringRack3.jpg


And finally, what do I do with this small ring left from the piston I cut?

2014-04-05 10.53.45.jpg