• The site migration is complete! Hopefully everything transferred properly from the multiple decades old software we were using before. If you notice any issues please let me know, thanks! Also, I'm still working on things like chatbox, etc so hopefully those will be working in the next week or two.

Rack ???

Bills1997GTP

Bills1997GTP

New member
Do I gotta replace the whole rack it looks like it snapped at the subframe, how does that even happen??? All I was doing was parking my car and BOOM both my tires are in a different direction, but if I move it forward it's ok but as soon as I back it up the tires are crooked again its a 2004 pontiac Grand Prix gtp.. I'm more then fed up with this scrap car... Do I gotta buy a whole new rack or what ?

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/...3-B1F1-416661C2FF70-1081-000000E446450338.mp4

excuse my scarcastic country like tone in my voice lol
 
Last edited:


Wow..Never seen that before. How many miles? The inner tie rod may have separated from the rack or something. I'm thinking a replacement for sure.
 
02NavyBlue said:
Wow..Never seen that before. How many miles? The inner tie rod may have separated from the rack or something. I'm thinking a replacement for sure.
Click to expand...

Ive never seen this either, it's driving me crazy thinking about how this could happen, the tie rods are fine and so is the sub frame, the rack just snapped for no apprent reason ... It just touched 150k btw
 


used from a junk yard runs around 75.

i wont lie, the job kinda sucks, its not that theres so much to take off, but most of its in tight places. dropping the sub frame a few inches is also a big help.

worst part is getting the intermediate shaft back on the rack. aqnd lock the steering wheel, and leave it locked while you have the rack out, dont unlock it till your ready to put the shft back on, then have a friend wiggle the wheel slowly left and right till you get the shaft on the rack.

also park the car with the wheels as straight as you can, lock the wheel, then get the old one out, and make the new one line up like yours, so the little nub for the shaft is at the same position, will help getting the shaft back on.
 
not really. get the alignment done asap if the steering wheel is off.

once you got the new one in and everything is hooked up, fill the pump, then turn the wheels 10 times lock to lock, fire it up, turn it 10 times lock to lock again, do this while the front wheels are still off the ground.


when the shaft is off the rack, you leave the wheel locked so you dont break the clock spring. so dont go spinning the wheel like a little kid at the play ground lol
 
Our impala doesn't either. Take the key out completely and on jack stands the wheel turns back and forth with full range. You will want something to keep the wheel from turning. A bungee cord or something. They do make an official steering wheel lock tool but it's for alignment machines.
 


its pretty simple, put the car on jack stands, take front tires off, knock off the tie rods to the knuckle, take the 11 mm bolt out of the column shaft to the rack, its under the boot. then take the lines off, 18 mm line wrench, you can get them from under the car, driver side.

then put a jack under the middle back part of the sub frame, then back the rear sub frame bolts out 2 inches or so, then lower the sub frame with the jack, dont let the frame hang on the bolts, let the jack carry the weight. then take the 2 mount bolts out, then slide it out the d/s wheel well.
 
Ok few more questions, sorry I'm trying to get as much info as I can

1) is there a difference in power steering fluid brands ?
2) estimated work time
3) sould I buy it new or used, I've been told that it's kinda a big risk buying it used and I might regret it
 


if you can afford new get a new one.

used go for around 75 to 100, just make sure its boots are dry, the ones that cover the inner tire rods.

fluid is fluid, i used store brand fluid.

and doing this job took me 4 hrs, all by myself, zero help till i needed to get the shaft back on the rack, having someone wiggle the wheel back and fourth is a big help.

i also backed up on car ramps, then jacked the front of the car up and put the front on jack stands, im a big guy (not fat, tall, long arms dont work well under a low car lol )
 
So I went under the car 20 minutes ago to get a better look at my rack... Only to find that my rack was ZIPTIED to my sway bar and the ZIPTIE snapped while I was parking ... It was still hanging around the rack which explains the bang noise that I was hearing when I went over a bump .. The whole time I thought it was a sway link ... I coulda died at any moment that I was on the highway smh
 
Thats weird. When I changed the sway bar on our impala there was a zip tie going from the rack to the original sway bar. It was already broken but was going around both. I didn't think anything of it though. The car is holding up fine. Are you sure that's not just there from the factory with a different purpose?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top