[Cloud9...68]

Well, my old nemesis, the power steering rack, has bitten me again. I was finishing re-assembling it in preparation to mount it on the cross-member while the engine is still out of the car, and I had to remove the main assembly that goes inside the tower casing which supports the pinion gear in order to get the rack into position to allow me to attach the tie rod axles. As I was pulling the assembly out (it's a very tight fit), two bad things happened:



1. Seven of the rollers that fit in the needle bearing race that goes underneath the pinion gear assembly went flying out. Unfortunately, after about an hour of scouring my garage floor, I was only ably to find six of them.



2. The top o-ring that fits around the assembly broke.



Here are some pictures:



   

Bearing race with the missing roller



   

The same race in position in the tower casing. A large washer goes on top of it



   

Broken o-ring



So, I'm looking for guidance as to the best way to recover from this, with the boundary condition that I'd like to stick to my plan to install the engine in the car on Sunday. So,



- Will the rack function without any noticeable problems if I just put the race with the missing roller? What about removing the roller on the opposite side, or possibly even one at 12:00 o'clock, 3:00 o'clock, 6:00 o'clock, and 9:00 o'clock, to balance things out? Am I over-thinking this?

- If the consensus is that I should replace the race/roller, any idea where I could find either the tiny roller (Grainger? McMaster-Carr?), or the race? The PET doesn't show a separate part for the race.

- I'm not sure the o-ring is available separately, and I don't want to buy a whole new rebuild kit for one o-ring, so I'm planning to re-use one of the old ones, which I've kept. Anybody think this is a horrible idea? Anybody happen to have a spare? Any alternatives?

- Finally, how difficult is it to install the steering rack with the engine in the car? I really want to install the engine on Sunday, because my neighbor is available then, and I'm going out of town next weekend, and the longer I wait, the hotter it's going to get here in central Texas.



Thanks; Monstrous4banger, I know you are the guru of all things power steering rack related - thoughts?

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[94SilverCab]

Just my $0.02



First, I'm so incredibly impressed that you have been able to see this through. By now, I would have a huge pile of broken parts.



Second, I watched Pete change racks (3 times on Anchorman's car), with the motor in, so I'm absolutely positive it can be done. I held the flashlights and turned a few "dumb bolts", otherwise I could not repeat the procedure.



Best of luck in getting completed,



Jay

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[kwikt]

That really sucks Cloud!!!!! If you need a seal I believe I have one but no bearing. Did you call Travis at Rennbay. He probably has one laying around his shop. You might also try a local bearing supply company, you may get lucky I would still assemble everything and last thing install the rack. It really is not that difficult. I have done it a few times already. Hey, you can always get a rebuilt one from Autozone then...............

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[Cloud9...68]

Thanks for the encouraging words, guys.



kwikt - do you really think one missing roller will make a difference? If so, I agree that it makes sense to install the rack after I get the engine back in. Heck, since I don't have the front suspension on yet, I could even suspend the engine from the top with the hoist, yank out the cross-member, and install the rack onto the cross-member off the car. And thanks for the suggestion to contact Rennbay - I'll do that on Monday.

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[Monstrous4Banger]

Hey Cloud, I would give Travis a call and see if he would be willing to sell you just the replacement parts. Ive been dealing with him oh, bout 10 years now. Im pretty positive he would, but of course I cant speak for him. Thats where I would start, and we can go from there.



Yes you can definitely install the rack with the motor in. Its the only way Ive done it personally. Pretty sure the factory installed the motors through the bottom with the rack out, and suspension. I cant see it being any more difficult really.



I dont have any spare rebuild parts around right now, and all that stuff is packed into storage at the moment because Im moving out of state. If there is anything I can do to help just LMK.



Steve

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[Eric_Oz_S2]

I wouldn't install it with 1 missing roller. You run the risk (probably small) that the race or bearing holder may fail without a roller bearing to bear against.

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[Monstrous4Banger]

Yeah I wouldnt either. Might as well do it right the first time. Youll be kicking yourself later, if you have to pull it again. If you cant find replacements.....you gotta be able to find a roller some where.

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[tamathumper]

I'd perhaps go get a big sweeper magnet at Harbor Freight, Sears, or maybe even Home Depot or Lowes, and try to find that last roller?

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[kwikt]

Replace the bearing Cloud. Rest assured. What is the dimension of the bearing(id, od, thickness)? I'll look around. In the mean time install the motor!!!!!!!!!!!

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[MB968]

Cloud, that's a bitxx. I hate it when I spend more time looking for things, tools, parts etc. than doing the work. I agree with the others, long term you'd regret not doing it right. That said in a pinch I'd be willing to install it with the missing roller until I could get the part. If I understand the purpose of the part in the design, I don't see it would do harm to run it for a while without the one roller. But, under no circumstance would I leave it that way for any length of time or do any aggresive driving with it in that condition.



That part is not that uncommon as bearings go. You should be able for a few $'s to replace the whole thrust bearing package. Take it to a local industrial bearing supplier who should be able to supply you with a replacement. Here are a few numbers for my FAG bearing catalog. I'm sure they aren't the correct part, but if you Google them you should be able to get to the FAG parts catalog. For one designed for a 25 mm shaft the part number is AXK2542; the "25 refers to the id of the cage assembly, and the 42 refers to the od of the cage assembly.



Good luck

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[Cloud9...68]

MB,



Thanks for the tip. When you say the pat is not that uncommon, and could possibly be found at a local industrial bearing supplier, I assume you mean the entire bearing race, pictured in the top two photos in my first post, and not just one of the little rollers (although this would do the trick, too), right?



Since my car is morphing into a track car, the majority of its driving will be hard, so it seems that I need to get this taken care of before I get ready to fire it up. Plus, this part is enough of a pain to get to that I don't want to remove it multiple times.



My big fear is that the missing roller is lurking somewhere in the rack gear mechanism, lying in wait to get jammed between the gear teeth just as I've entered a 60 mph sweeper <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



My lesson learned regarding this project? If you've never touched a wrench in your life, and feel a sudden urge to pull your 968 engine and rebuild it yourself, go for it! But if you're a seasoned mechanic and feel like tackling this innocent-looking little steering rack, fight the urge, using any means necessary, legal or not, head to your local Autozone, and pick up a rebuilt one.

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[MB968]

Yeah, I'm talking about the complete thrust bearing assembly as shown in the top picture.



And, I completely agree with your last comment. It's easy to take on too much when you know "I can do that". The real question we should always ask ourself (which I don't do often enough) is "should I do that". Just because I can doesn't mean I should.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, maybe I've just had bad luck, but the steering rack rebuild has definitely body-slammed me onto a concrete floor. By far the hardest, most frustrating task I've taken on in my take-the-car-to-pieces-and-convert-it-to-a-track-car project.

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[Cloud9...68]

Here are the dimensions of the bearing race from which I lost a roller:



O.D. = 46.5 mm

I.D. = 30.0

Roller length = 4.75 mm

Roller diameter = 2.0 mm



I'm hoping this provides some additional info to help me track down the part I need. I hope MB968 is right, and that I can find the bearing assembly locally somewhere, but I'm concerned about the fact that it's very metric (nice technical term there...). I'm hoping I can find just a replacement roller somewhere, but a google search didn't turn up anything. I also emailed Rennbay.

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[MB968]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1333299802' post='124285']

Here are the dimensions of the bearing race from which I lost a roller:



O.D. = 46.5 mm

I.D. = 30.0

Roller length = 4.75 mm

Roller diameter = 2.0 mm



I'm hoping this provides some additional info to help me track down the part I need. I hope MB968 is right, and that I can find the bearing assembly locally somewhere, but I'm concerned about the fact that it's very metric (nice technical term there...). I'm hoping I can find just a replacement roller somewhere, but a google search didn't turn up anything. [/quote]



Cloud we've been using metric bearing, etc., etc. in the US for a few decades now. They are pretty much the norm. My FAG bearing catalog lists a thrust needle roller and cage assembly with a 30mm ID, a 47mm OD, and a roller diam of 2mm. This looks like your part; the FAG number is: AXK3047. My catalog is many years old, but it lists a Dallas FAG Bearing office: 214-783-6681. Hopefully the number is still good. They should be able to tell you if there is a dealer in Austin that has the part. Or, you need not use FAG, SKF or several other brands will sell the identical part if you go to your local industrial bearing supply house.

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[Cloud9...68]

MB - Thanks! That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. I'll give them a call.

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[Cloud9...68]

Woo-hoo! My local Grainger can get the bearing by tomorrow, for $6 plus tax. Thanks again, MB968, for finding the part number for me. And Rennbay can send me a couple of the teflon o-ring-like seals that go around the pinion assembly (thanks, Monstrous, for reminding me about them - Travis is a good guy).

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[MB968]

Great news, glad it worked out.

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[Monstrous4Banger]

Glad to hear you got it figured out. Keep us updated.

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[tamathumper]

Wow! That's awesome!



Bearings are one of those things where it's almost "who you know"... You can get lost in GlobalSpec for a long time looking for something yourself, but a person who works with them all the time turns right to the page.

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