Looking for guidance on steering rack replacement

[waldojim42]

Well, I feel like a noob already... Seeing the posts about you guys bullet proofing, and upgrading to 2500 racks kind of makes me feel stupid.

I have an '07 H3 that needs the rack replaced. I snagged up the 16mm replacement that is on Amazon, Mondo branded, new rack with tie rod ends. I know - nothing as decent as you guys are using. This is for an OEM-style repair rather than an upgrade.

After getting the skid plates off, I can readily identify all the mount points, and bolts that are coming off. But how in the hell do you guys reach the power steering lines going into this thing? Until I get an idea for how I am doing this, I don't really want to start tearing it apart.

Also, any tips or tricks to make life easier installing this on the H3?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[alrock]

Slide the diff back. Remove the four bolts that hold the prop shaft in and secure the shaft to the frame. Undo the center crossmember bolt and the two side bolts. Support the diff with a jack and slide it back inches or so. Helps a lot with the room. Not necessary, but can make the job easier.

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

 

[4speedfunk]

I call b.s on the 2500 rack upgrade. Until I see pics...it never happened.
On the rack replacement...use hammer blows on the tie rods. A pickle fork will ruin the boots. I highly recommend the Outfitter Design mount kit, and I also recommend installing it on a brand new rack.
Mondo is the factory GM brand (they outsource it).
Whatever you do...TIE OFF THE STEERING SHAFT SO IT CANNOT TURN. Failure to do this can cost hours and hundreds!

 

[CaseyS]

Tie the steering wheel or do you need to tie the shaft somewhere else? Is there a way to ensure your new (or used in my case) rack is centered before installing?

 

[Bigunit]

...or you can get one of these GM steering column anti-rotation pins https://www.amazon.com/OTC-OTCJ42640-Steering-Column-Anti-Rotation/dp/B000Q6S8MA

 

[Bruces]

...or you can get one of these GM steering column anti-rotation pins https://www.amazon.com/OTC-OTCJ42640-Steering-Column-Anti-Rotation/dp/B000Q6S8MA

thats what I used. Nice peace of mind and cheap tool to add to tool box

 

[waldojim42]

Well ****. I did the work this weekend after the first reply and before seeing this mentioned about the steering wheel. It didn't move much when it was disconnected though, less than 1/2 a turn anyhow. And was easy enough to realign afterwords.

I ended up taking off all the lines on the rack, rather than unbolt the diff. Partially because I was already having problems by the time I got that far. I broke my 10mm socket (chinesium pos) then the bolt on the stabilizer control bar. Right now stabilitrack is complaining, only started complaining when I tried to give it a little gas trying to trailer it. Fairly certain it doesn't like the control bar being loose. Got it down at the shop now to get that bolt tapped out and replaced, then the truck realigned. All in all, it wasn't a bad deal replacing it, but damn was everything rusted solid.

 

[Lunesta2]

Well ****. I did the work this weekend after the first reply and before seeing this mentioned about the steering wheel. It didn't move much when it was disconnected though, less than 1/2 a turn anyhow. And was easy enough to realign afterwords.

I ended up taking off all the lines on the rack, rather than unbolt the diff. Partially because I was already having problems by the time I got that far. I broke my 10mm socket (chinesium pos) then the bolt on the stabilizer control bar. Right now stabilitrack is complaining, only started complaining when I tried to give it a little gas trying to trailer it. Fairly certain it doesn't like the control bar being loose. Got it down at the shop now to get that bolt tapped out and replaced, then the truck realigned. All in all, it wasn't a bad deal replacing it, but damn was everything rusted solid.

The stabilitrack code could be because your steering wheel moved and was not put on straight again. I replaced my rack a few months ago and ran into this problem. I just reset the code and turned the steering wheel till the code came on again. The code will come on when you exceed a value in one direction. Then I disconnected my steering link again and turned the wheel the opposite direction and reconnected it. Reset the code and turn the wheel side to side again. If the code comes on again try repeat. I had to do it twice till I found the center position again.

The only solution you will find on this forum is to buy the sensor and pull the steering wheel. Its expensive and not needed.

Side note I did not move my differential or disconnect anything but the steering rack and tie rods when I replaced it. It took me maybe an hour.....put a jack under the outer tie rod bolt and put pressure on it. Then hit it with a big hammer and it will pop right out.

 

[4speedfunk]

The H3 has no column ignition lock, and no stops on it. So it is free to rotate un-limited in either direction, and the only thing that stops it...are the travel limits on the knuckles. Disconnect the rack...and the steering wheel will spin un-limited in either direction. Very bad things happen if this occurs.

You can tie the wheel to the brake pedal, if you don't have the lock-pin tool. The H3 uses a steering shaft clamp with flats, rather than splines...so it can only be bolted-up in 180-degree increments. If you tie the wheel to the pedal before you start...it should stay within the "center" range and make for a quick and simple rack swap. But if the wheel gets spun with the rack disconnected...it can be quite an ordeal to get it back to center. There are two different electronic doodads that can effected, if the wheel gets off-center.

The first is the Steering Wheel Position Sensor. This is basically a tiny ABS tone ring and pick-up, that sits at the base of the steering column (right above the brake pedal). This sensor tells the puter the angle of the wheel, and it needs to be sitting at its center point (or close to it), to work properly. If not...the puter will freak out, because it thinks your are correcting for a skid, when you're actually driving straight down the road....this will induce a Stabilitrac error code. This sensor can be re-centered either manually, or by doing the trial & error method that Lunesta2 described. Pulling the steering wheel alone will get you nothing...the sensor is located at the very end of the column and you must pull the entire column out to access it. And no...the dealer CANNOT reset it via the OBDII port.

The second doodad, is the smart switch inside the column. This switch houses the wipers, washers, cruise control, etc. Inside this switch is a small ribbon cable that spools up left & right whenever you turn. This cable is also responsible for maintaining a hardwired connection the airbag and horn circuits (inside the rotating wheel). This cable is very fragile and it only has enough length to spin 2.5 turns in each direction from center. Go past that...and you'll have even more problems than just a Stabilitrac light. Lunesta2 got lucky...it is very easy to "over-spin" the wheel and snap this cable. If this happens, you will lose the horn and usually get an Air Bag warning light. The switch must be replaced (and re-centered). You can do this by pulling only the steering wheel but, the entire system must be re-set to center...this includes the front wheels (rack), the SWP sensor, the smart switch, and the steering column itself. For this reason...all of these components have a "lock-pin" that must be installed in each, to guarantee that none of them rotate while working on them. Only after you get the column re-installed...you can then pull all the lock pins from each component. Its that easy!

Long story short: Always tie off the wheel, anytime you are working on the rack.

 

[Lunesta2]

Yea I didn't even know not to move my wheel when I did it. I got lucky I didn't break that ribbon cable because my girlfriend even spun my wheel when it wasn't connected.