Tmckinl1 Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 I keep finding that this little DL seems to be a bit of an anomaly. I've had issues with parts before, so no big surprise here. I ordered a manual steering rack and was going to install last night. Upon inspection I see that the new rack has a flanged connection to the steering linkage. Unfortunately my old manual rack has a splined shaft and yoke set up like a power steering unit. I'm guessing that I will need to find a different linkage to make this work. Am I missing something here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robm Posted September 13, 2017 Share Posted September 13, 2017 Did you see Djellum's warning in your T-belt thread? I bet you got an EA81 rack there. Parts lists for the early years of the EA82 and late years of the EA81 have several mistakes like this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmckinl1 Posted September 13, 2017 Author Share Posted September 13, 2017 Just saw that, I bet he's correct. I'll have to do some more research Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djellum Posted September 14, 2017 Share Posted September 14, 2017 its near impossible to find a manual rack, and even if you see them listed they are the EA81 style (least every time I have tried). replacing the power rack or pump is super easy and they are still plentiful so I wouldn't swap if I were you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmckinl1 Posted September 15, 2017 Author Share Posted September 15, 2017 Thanks for the input. Just to be clear, I'm not swapping out a power unit. It's a manual rack, but has the splined input shaft. May have to install a power rack, just not sure if I could run that like the old manual or would I have to go ahead and source a PS pump, brackets etc and convert to power steering. I would really rather stick with the manual, less things to break or go wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 15, 2017 Share Posted September 15, 2017 A power rack without a pump works fine but is harder to steer than a manual rack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvdrt Posted September 15, 2017 Share Posted September 15, 2017 Why are you changing the old rack anyways? You can clean them and rebuild them very easy. There is nothing to them, and if its loose they can be adjusted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djellum Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 Id try to find a rebuild kit. probably just a set of bushings or bearings (though I havent pulled one apart myself). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmckinl1 Posted September 17, 2017 Author Share Posted September 17, 2017 Not sure why I didn't think of the rebuild route. Probably just caught up in my RockAuto spending spree. I figured the $140 I'd spend would make things go quicker compared to the rebuild. I've had the car in to get an alignment (eating the outside of both front tires) and the shop said the rack was too far gone to get it aligned. While under the car I saw that both boots were completely gone but the thing is the steering response doesn't seem that bad. There doesn't seem to be excessive free play at the steering wheel and the car doesn't really wander down he road. Anyone have a source for rebuild kits for manual steering rack with splined shaft input? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvdrt Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Well I haven't seen a rebuild kit. It only has 1 bearing in it, and the outer seals are literally the boots. There is a nut by the where the steering linkage goes that you unscrew and that acts as a tensioner. I just took the steering shaft out, cleaned everything and repacked that bearing. Put it all back together and adjusted the tension with that nut and it was good. Its actually very easy to repair one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.