[banditsc]

The pump reseal is really easy...

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[bombfactory]

Yes, resealing the pump is a snap. It'll take you 20 minutes.



Question: Are the rebuilt racks available from AutoZone genuine ZF racks, or some generic equivalent?

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[Cloud9...68]

"The pump reseal is really easy..."



"Yes, resealing the pump is a snap. It'll take you 20 minutes."



I'm tearing up with joy <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> . Please let my experience be comparable to yours, after the rack re-seal nightmare.



Speaking of which, I thought of another possible option to maybe make lemonade from this lemon. I'm wondering if I should use this opportunity to convert my steering to manual. I plan to remove at least 150 lbs from the car, hopefully over 80 of which will come from forward of the midpoint. Since I plan to use it primarily as a track car, it seems like going to manual steering might be a cost-effective option for me at this point.



I know this has been discussed to some extent in other threads, but I have a few quick questions:



I'm concerned about the slower ratio of the manual rack (the slower ratio make sense, given the increase in effort from the loss of power assist). Is there any way around this? Is it possible to somehow use the power rack components without the power assist,e.g. by simply plugging the lines? Or does this unit rely on the ATF fluid for lubrication? Or is there an aftermarket manual rack that fits as a bolt-on replacement for the existing rack? I have the crossmember off the car, making this the ideal opportunity for any fitment modifications that may be required for an aftermarket rack.



If I go the manual rack route, I could return the power steering pump reseal kit, the expensive high pressure line, and possibly sell the power rack, assuming I can find a way to complete the re-seal project. Hmmm... I'm liking this idea better all the time, although I have a feeling someone will soon post a response that will quickly deflate my enthusiasm...

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[banditsc]

[quote name='bombfactory' timestamp='1299863791' post='106463']

Yes, resealing the pump is a snap. It'll take you 20 minutes.



Question: Are the rebuilt racks available from AutoZone genuine ZF racks, or some generic equivalent?

[/quote]





Yes, they are ZF racks. They are the only ones that made racks for our cars, so all the rebuilds and cores out there will be ZF.

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[bombfactory]

Thanks Bandit. I think I'm going to go the AutoZone route, rather than attempt the reseal myself. You really can't beat 200 bucks. I assume there's a core charge involved - you have to give them your old rack, right?

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[banditsc]

Yep, they take your old rack once you get it off the car and give you your core charge back.

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[Cloud9...68]

"I think I'm going to go the AutoZone route, rather than attempt the reseal myself."



Smart man! I wouldn't wish what I've gone through on the rack re-seal on Moammar Khaddafi!



I think I'll make a trip to Autozone myself, to inquire on the availability of an inexpensive manual rack that might fit my car. I did a search on the manual rack conversion idea, and the water is very muddy on this one. I don't like the slower ratio of the 944 manual rack, and the conversion kits are very expensive. One would think it wouldn't be too difficult to take a "generic" manual rack (with a reasonably quick ratio), have some adapters machined for the 968 tie rods, and figure out a way to attach it to the cross-member. The challenge might be getting the existing steering shaft to fit into the new rack's box, as I can't imagine the splines would come close to matching, and who knows how close the location of the new rack's box might even be to the standard one's. My arm and wrist muscles will definitely be up to the task of turning a manual system after the workout the re-seal project has provided!



Not to get too far off topic, but one thing that could sway me on the manual rack conversion idea is the availabilty of a fiberglass hood for the car. I know this has been discussed to death, and that the quality of fiberglass hoods is highly variable at best, but does anybody have any recent insight into this? The stock hood seems ot weigh a ton, and replacing it with a lightweight one (along with relocating the battery to the back, and a few other things) would go a long way toward making manual steering tolerable.

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[banditsc]

http://porschehybrids.pbworks.com/f/944+...eering.pdf

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[Cloud9...68]

Banditsc,



Thanks; this is a very thorough and helpful article that would help make the conversion much more affordable than buying the complete kit from Paragon, although the latter approach would definitely be simpler.



But I keep coming back to what might be an untenable problem - if I'm going to be tracking the car, I don't want a slower steering ratio, and increased turns lock-to-lock. But unfortunately, I would think any manual steering rack would tend to have a relatively slow ratio (other than maybe one off a 911... hmmm...) because of the direct correlation between steering speed and effort.



I wonder if anybody has ever tried grafting an old 911 manual steering rack onto a 944... But of course, anything having to do with a 911 is likely going to have a significant price premium. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/mad.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



OK, maybe I should start posting questions/comments about manual steering conversions on the various threads that already exist on this subject.

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[Lear35A]

There would be very little tolerance to changes in the rack size, mounting location or angle of the steering shaft. Quite tight quarters in that area. I have faith you'll get your rack back together.

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[tamathumper]

If you're still working on getting that seal out, how about trying the following:



1. Take a board or block of wood large enough to span the end of the housing, and drill a small hole in it.

2. Buy a long bolt that will pass through that hole and that reaches down into the housing, just past the seal.

3. Drill a hole in a short metal bar, or better yet two, that you can pass through the seal and bring up tight behind it.

4. Put the bars on the bolt and place it head-side down into the cavity, behind the seal.

5. Pass the bolt through the block of wood and put a washer and nut on the top of it.

6. Grab the end of the bolt with vise grips to keep it from spinning, and start turning the nut.

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[rxter]

It is clear that $ and logic are not in play here. This has become personal. Its the seal, or its me.





Did I get that about right?

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[Lear35A]

[quote name='rxter' timestamp='1299876764' post='106479']

It is clear that $ and logic are not in play here. This has become personal. Its the seal, or its me.Did I get that about right?

[/quote]

I like the way you think.

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[Cloud9...68]

tamathumper,



That sounds like an interesting idea, and one I just may try. Kind of like a backwards version of the press Eric_K built to drive in the new rear main seal in his clutch/flywheel removal DIY. The concern I have is that the backside of the seal doesn't have much of a lip on it; I can get a pick, or the Harbor Freight seal remover under it, but I'm not sure I can fit a metal bar or small plate under the seal's back lip, especially after all the damage I've done to it in trying to remove it with various picks. But maybe I can; I'll take a look. I'll play around with some different objects to see if there's anything I can come up with that is thin enough to fit under the back lip of the seal, but strong enough to hold its shape under the force I'll have to exert to remove this very tightly stuck seal. In any event, I'm impressed at the way you so clearly understand the nature of the problem I'm facing, and are able to devise a very creative potential solution. You're proof that there are definitely some smart guys in the 968 world.



rxter,



Actually, even though this has been a very frustrating problem, I like to think my sanity, while perhaps hanging on by a thread, is still intact to a reasonable degree. My issue is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with my steering rack. It's just that being 19 years old, I thought it would be a good idea to replace its rubber seals and o-rings. I don't mind spending $200 on something the car needs, or that would make it go faster. But I don't want to throw away $200 to replace something that's in perfrectly good working order until I've exhausted every other possibility. So no, it has nothing to do with being personal (OK, if I owned an automatic weapon, I'd definitely take great delight in blowing about 500 rounds through this wretched seal if and when I finally get it out <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ); I just want my rack back together so I can move on to the next step in this long project I've undertaken.

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[Monstrous4Banger]

I have an extra tower casting here. I got one rack in parts again, so I could refresh my memory. Ive got 2 complete racks needing resealed on the shelf. I havent bothered cause the ones we did in 07' are holding up fine. I could spare whatever parts you need. Just let me know what you want to do. The one I tore apart I already picked the seal out of. If you wanted to, you could even send me yours, maybe I can pick it out. Too bad your not in PHX. Im sure we could get it done. If it refused to come out for some reason, I got spare parts around. Its gotta come out though. Some way. Can you post a pic of what it looks like now that its mangled?

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[Cloud9...68]

Monstrous,



You just made my day! Yes, a new tower casting is probably what I'll end up needing. I say "probably," because it hinges on whether the remaining seals are stuck as bad as the one in the tower casting. If not, and I can get them out, then I'd love to buy your spare, and I'd be back in business. But if they're stuck as bad as this one is, I'll have to buy a new rack, but I'll fight the remaining seals to the death before I throw $200 away on something I don't otherwise need. I will work on the remaining seals (the ones on the main shaft) tonight, so I should be able to let you know either way by tomorrow.



I'll post a picture of what's left of the stuck seal. But the picture should be rated R for excessive violence and gore, because there's hardly anything visibly left of the seal, as I've ripped through the metal ring that helps secure the bottom part of the seal into its groove in the casting in about ten places around the periphery of the seal. And yet, it still won't budge a nanometer!



Yes, I wish I was in Phoenix right now as well. I lived there for 11 years from 1981 to 1992, but have been in Austin ever since. I worked for Motorola (now Freescale), and moved to Austin for the job.

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[tamathumper]

You're proof that there are definitely some smart guys in the 968 world.

I wish it were so. Most of the techniques for removing rusted and stuck parts I learned from the really smart guys over in the Farmall Cub forums at farmallcub.com. When I was restoring my 1952 Farmall Cub and matching Super A, I had to free up parts that hadn't been separated in over 50 years, and which had been stored outdoors in snow and rain that entire time. In addition to generous applications of PBBlaster, I learned how to make my own jigs and fixtures and even an electrolysis tub for rust and gunk removal (which works phenomenally!)

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[Cloud9...68]

Well, it's a miracle: I got the seal to come out. What made the difference was that I went ahead and pulled a similar wiper seal from another part of the steering rack (the shuttle cylinder). This was no picnic either, as I struggled with it for a good hour. But then I finally figured out the trick (I'm a slow learner): I wedged a thin screwdriver between the seal and the plastic ring below it, and propped the screwdriver against the body of the shuttle cylinder to pry it out. Aha! The secret is leverage!



So I retrieved the tower casting, set in tightly into a vice (using a couple of pieces of wood against the vice jaws so as not to mar the casting), and jammed the tip of the large seal remover I had bought from Harbor Freight the night before between the bottom of the seal and the lip into which it was pressed. Then I rapped on the seal remover a few times with the palm of my hand (I didn't even need a hammer as I had expected), and the seal just gave way! Now that I've figured out the best way to do this, I could pop another one out in a matter of seconds! The power of knowledge and experience is boundless.



So, I'm out of the woods as for as the risk of having to waste $200 on a resealed rack. Now all that remains is to put the rack back together correctly, but I've even found a third set of instructions for this job (on Clark's Garage), so between the three, I should have no problem figuring out how the thing goes back together. Like a dog who's just gone on a long run with his owner, I'm very tired, but happy...

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[Monstrous4Banger]

Git er dun!! Yeah leverage is everything, its hard to explain over phone, or typed out though. Now that you see how they come out, it makes doing it not a huge deal. At your mileage it was definitely a good idea. I think the scheduled service interval is 100k. Thats about when they start to go in my experience. It probably would have gone sooner than later. Glad you got em out.

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[tamathumper]

Congratulations!

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