"whatuptkhere" (whatuptkhere) 10/09/2017 at 00:01 • Filed to: miata, mx-5, power steering rack, power steering, steering rack, steering

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I’m depowering a steering rack for my Miata build. It’s not going well.

I’ve started reassembling the rack on the bench, but it’s way too tight. It feels all bound up and is very difficult to move, and I haven’t even fitted the preload device yet which is for adjusting the drag on the rack.

I went with a bit of a different method to lock up the slop in the pinion. I twisted the top of the pinion relative to the bottom, and filled the gaps with steel wire, before lathering it all up in JB Weld. I suspect that by twisting it and locking it, rather then just locking it, I’ve essentially set it up in a warped fashion and that’s why it’s not smooth.

Tonight, disassembly and investigation. Hopefully I don’t have to burn all the JB Weld out.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > whatuptkhere 10/09/2017 at 00:16

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I’m going to be depowering a rack soon. This has me worried lol

whatuptkhere > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru 10/09/2017 at 01:20

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A: Don’t do what I did.
B: If you get the pinion welded, make sure it’s done in a way that won’t warp the pinion. You’ll want someone who’s pretty switched on (or lucky) to do it.

Rock Bottom > whatuptkhere 10/09/2017 at 12:17

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Forgive my ignorance, is there a down-side to simply looping the lines on the rack and calling it a day? Without opening it and modifying anything?

whatuptkhere > Rock Bottom 10/09/2017 at 17:27

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Yeah. You’ve still got seals on the rack and you have to push fluid around every time you steer.

Additionally, there’s a torque-wrench style device built into the pinion, that introduces some slop in the steering.

whatuptkhere > whatuptkhere 10/09/2017 at 17:28

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Well, I fixed it. I disassembled the rack and realised that during asssembly, I’d damaged the rubber seal right next to the pinion housing and the rack was jamming up against the spring that had popped out of it.

Cleaned everything up, assembled it again, and it’s a beauty. Can’t wait to get this on the car.

Rock Bottom > whatuptkhere 10/09/2017 at 20:24

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Ah neat, so you can remove that extraneous hydraulic “stuff” for improved feel and feedback then. Super cool. Do you pack the rack with grease then and call it good, or does it need some periodic maintenance?

whatuptkhere > Rock Bottom 10/10/2017 at 00:40

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Yeah, so you basically take the rack apart, cut a hydraulic seal off the rack (metal), lock up the pinion if you so choose to remove ALL the slop, clean everything, and reassemble.

It then requires no more maintenance than any other rack. Though, as you’ve modified it, you may want to periodically inspect it just for safety’s sake, making sure that there’s no foreign material that could jam the rack, and that your pinion mods are still holding up.

Rock Bottom > whatuptkhere 10/10/2017 at 01:14

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Super cool. I temporarily un-powered the rack in an old Saturn like 15 years ago. I was really just curious. I looped the lines, mounted a short serpentine (to skip the pump), and drove it for about a month. I decided it was a junk idea in that car so I re-powered it and never gave it another thought. You make me feel... soft.

whatuptkhere > Rock Bottom 10/10/2017 at 03:20

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Yeah, I mean, this is a build I’m fairly committed to. I’m ready to put up with a lot for better track performance. If it was just a daily I’m not sure I’d bother.

Rack, coilovers and sways go in this weekend... hopefully...

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Rock Bottom 10/10/2017 at 08:20

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I’ve done the same thing in my Neon. I REALLY like it haha. But it was not done by choice, moreso necessity because my power steering reservoir had a gaping hole in it. I finally got a new reservoir and the replacement lines but I have been hesitant to install. Just because I kind of like how much steering feel there is with my depowered rack. Makes me want to try this on my Miata.