Scotty,
I just replaced the leaky rack and pinion in my 98 Isuzu Amigo with 4 wheel drive and V6 engine.
After a very painful 4-day experience replacing what I initially thought would be a 1/2 day job, I completed the job, only to find out that although the unit is working well and without leaks, the steering wheel is now turned 90 degrees to the right on the straight position.
There is a small gearbox that turns the rotation from the steering column into a 45 degree reverse output shaft that feeds into the actual rack and pinion.
Even though the spline has only one possible position that it will go in, the resulting steering wheel alignment is now 90 degrees off.
Does this little gearbox has a different input/output ration than 1?
Could this be the problem, and if not what can I do to solve the issue?
Sincerely,
Arthur Rico
Wilmington, NC
If reinstalling the coupling to the steering rack in the correct indexed position doesn't work, maybe the steering wheel could be removed, rotated 90 degrees counter clockwise and reinstalled. But it sounds like something was done wrong here. Does the steering have full range of motion left and right as it is now? What instructions did you follow to do this job?
Usually after replacing worn components your steering wheel can be off by a little or drastically.
Regardless, get an alignment check, this is the case when replacing any steering components to fix this & prevent a plethora of other issues.
If the wheel is still off, make sure your wheels are straight then follow the steps for removing the airbag & loosen the retaining nut for the wheel, rotate the wheel until it is back to normal & hold it still while tightening, reassemble.
If there are splines on the shaft & corresponding cuts in the wheel, pull it loose (you may need a steering wheel puller, never use a hammer or prybar) then get it as close as possible to straight.
Thank you so much!
For instructions I followed the Hines repair book on the vehicle (not very thorough though, with more information on older steering ball bearing gearbox units), some of the YouTube video, and lots of trial and error to pull out the old unit, since it did not come out at all easy: I had to unbolt the engine mounts to the frame and lift it up about 1.5 inches (all it would allow to move without removing the transmission). I also had to remove the inside tie rods and hydraulic LinkedIn the unit itself to pull it out.
I followed the reverse order to reassemble.
Also: it now has a small slow coolant drip that I figure happened with the slight move of the heater pipes, and one of the O rings slightly moving out of place. Once the alignment issue is fixed I will run it for a while. O rings being the way they are, with a small pressure and lubrication reposition themselves sometimes. I am not looking forward to removing the intake manifold if I can avoid it.
Lines to the unit, not LinkedIn (stupid autocorrect!)
As it turns out I did the installation correctly. What I figured out is that one of the previous owners probably messed with the rack and pinion unit itself, perhaps as a result of the leak, or resulting in the leak, who knows. In any event: perhaps the input shaft was reinstalled in the wrong position, and he/she “fixed it” by removing and repositioning the steering wheel. I found out that the coil unit for the airbag and horn were not in the center range position; and luckily did not get damaged by running out of range.
All fixed and with the steering wheel in the correct position now.
The minor coolant drop remains. If it stops in the next few days with build up pressure it will save me having to remove timing belts and all. If not, perhaps a stop leak product will do the trick.
Any thoughts?