SO.... is there really no way to fix the steering rack issue on the H3?

[Chook]

Just got back from getting the fix done............ Seems what we need is very close to the Australian GM Holden Rodeo aftermarket kit where some of the parts fit perfect and 1 or 2 of the parts need machining. The end result is shown in the photos below.

Warwick @ Ultimate Power Steering has taken upon himself to make up a kit for the H3, he has taken photos, video, measurements of our problem & fitment and said the H3 kit should be ready in one month.

I know this kit will work for Aussies (& South Africa) as we have Right Hand Drive vehicles but not sure if this will work for USA (Left Hand Drive)

 

[alrock]

Wow, very nice. Great resource you have there

 

[Chook]

This looks like the Rodeo Kit he used and modified for my H3. New kit won't require modification.

http://www.superpro.com.au/find-superpro-parts-for-my-vehicle/part/SPF2484K

 

[Hunner]

If the drivers side is what they modified because of somehow the depth is different or size that could be.
I bet the pass side is the same. I actually think I have a reversed bracket I ordered that came by mistake. I use that in the center. It as I have posted was a reverse of the regular one.
That bushing may just be the same only of better material than the black rubber.
Interesting.

 

[H3slate]

Wow!! Any chance us Northerners could buy a kit when it's ready?

 

[Chook]

Wow!! Any chance us Northerners could buy a kit when it's ready?

Looking at the superpro image it looks like the bush is symmetrical so as long as our racks are the same there should be no difference between Left Hand Drive & Right Hand Drive.

Another option would be to see if there is another vehicle in the USA that uses the same rack then see if there is an aftermarket kit for that vehicle.

The kit here may take up to 1 month so have a look around locally and see what you can get there. If you can't find anything in the USA and the Aussie kit is released here you may be able to buy it direct as he sells online (but shipping is not cheap or fast which is why if you can find a local solution it will be better for you).



Says this kit fits the following vehicles

HOLDEN (GMH Australia)	Colorado	First Generation
HOLDEN (GMH Australia)	Rodeo, Brava	RA
ISUZU	D-Max	First Generation

 

[Chook]

Maybe you guys can confirm if the rack is the same (the only difference being LHD/RHD)

Below is a picture of our rack "Mando Corp GMT345-RHD" if you can check yours & see if it is the same but -LHD looks like we have the same rack.

 

[Hunner]

I would guess it is a different rack in that the steering connection is on the other side but similar other wise.
That image looks like the many I have posted of that.
I guess we will see what the masses say.
The last ones I got with 16mm tie rods are
Mondo GMT 345 (no designation of left hand drive)
Part 25885237
but of course for left hand drive

 

[Chook]

The.parts look symmetrical so it looks like it will work for LHD as well as RHD.

I contacted Warwick @ ultimate power steering and he said once the kit is made it will be on his website & those in the USA will be able to purchase using Paypal.

 

[backcountryislife]

Well... I think I'm trading mine in for a rubicon or a RZR now. After this time only making it 1 hours on easier terrain, I'm done. I can't take it anymore. This time it didn't break, but it was moving about an inch, no idea why... I'm just so sick of being out of commission.

I waited for about a month for parts, got the wrong stuff once, got broken parts twice, finally got it all put together & I've got a truck that lasted an hour. I've been pretty bitter around here for a while, and I'm tired of being bitter, I just want a truck that's fun to go wheeling, not something that I have to solve all it's problems, on a 6 year old machine.

 

[Hunner]

What have you got your torsions turned up to?? 24??
What is the condition of your ball joints and a-arm bushings after all this wear?

 

[backcountryislife]

What have you got your torsions turned up to?? 24??
What is the condition of your ball joints and a-arm bushings after all this wear?

I'm at 24... the lowest I can go without rubbing. I tried a little lower & I rub all the time.

Ball joints look good, a arm bushings I'm not sure about.

Honestly, if it weren't for the rack, I'd be in love with this truck. I is a blast, is smooth, comfy, does great offroad... it's a great truck, with a POS rack design. This time I think it may have been installer error, but I'm just so frustrated now that I just want out. I've had nothing but negativity for 2 months because of this thing, I've spent tons of time trying to figure out how to fix this, I did everything I could think to do, and after 2 months off, and 2000+ dollars in the hole... It lasted an hour.

 

[cbetts]

A body lift might be a better solution to keep the tires from rubbing the inner fenders.

The H3 was not designed for competition rock crawling but there are still things you can do to improve it. I hope you hang in there.

 

[backcountryislife]

You know... I take it easier than the other IFS guys I go out with, I'm running harder stuff, but I'm not hammering on the truck by any means.

Maybe I've got a crossmember that was wallowed out in the first place or something??? I don't know why I'm having more problems than other folks, aside from how often I go out.

When I first got the truck I was asking about what rims I could buy that would work for the 3, and I ended up with rims that stuck out a bit more than others, so I had to lift more to get rid of that. I still rub at full turn with the front downhill... but no big deal. A lift would help, but I've just been so irritated that I can't fix this problem, that I'm just bitter.

 

[backcountryislife]

OH.. btw, I should mention that in my horrendous day on sat, when the rack broke loose for whatever reason, we think the hunner sleeve is the ONLY reason we don't have a broken steering rack... so a big THANK YOU to Hunner for saving me from being out another $250!! Quite seriously, I may be bitter, but it was cool to see in action the sleeve keeping the rack from being able to slide far enough to break it. Very cool.

 

[Hunner]

I hope the sleeve did help.
I'm only asking questions to help us decide what else to do.
When you say it was moving 1 inch do you mean the outer rack tube was separated from the drivers side aluminum gear housing or that the passengers side was moving in and out by that much.
I got lost somewhere that it did not break but was moving an inch, sometimers I guess I'm not following.
Was this with the ABS mounts on the driver's side?

 

[backcountryislife]

I got lost somewhere that it did not break but was moving an inch, sometimers I guess I'm not following.
Was this with the ABS mounts on the driver's side?

Yeah.

The whole rack was moving, including the drivers side. I don't understand how that could have happened.

I'm not sure what the problem was, and didn't have time to mess with it, I just dropped it off & let him take it.

 

[cgalpha08]

Maybe this has been addressed but why not just weld the rack to the cross member? I know this would make it a pain to replace but it wouldn't move, theoretically

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

 

[reaper]

So I did a little search on custom built racks... I found Unisteer. What about replacing our rack with a custom built rack from these guys that's one piece? The OEM rack *IS* a POS...
http://www.unisteer.com/seach_by_vehicle/pontiac_steering/custom_unisteer_rack_and_pinion.html Custom built rack with a lifetime warranty for $500? Anyone we know with an h3 in Ohio?

Thoughts? I'm thinking about giving them a call...

 

[backcountryislife]

I'd gladly pay $500 for a rack that didn't snap in 1/2 just because it wasn't welded to the darn frame. None of this would be an issue if the rack was just well made.

 

[cgalpha08]

group buy?

 

[backcountryislife]

Just talked to them... no go.

They won't touch a heavier truck on the custom end. They do cars. They'd rebuild ours... but that doesn't fix the structure. At one point someone had sent them one he said & they didn't go anywhere with it.

 

[reaper]

Crud, no dice from Unisteer. They won't really do something for our weight class, they only deal with hot rods and smaller cars.

Grabbed this from ultimatepowersteering for a Toyato Hilux (don't even know what that is... must be an AU thing.) What if we got someone to make something like following (look at that extra attachment brace on the right of the picture):

(source:
http://www.ultimatepowersteering.com.au/toyota-hilux-kun26-4wd-power-steering-rack-3-05-on/).

It would require a little welding on the frame, but that would give a solid passenger side mount for the rack.

 

[backcountryislife]

You must have talked to them right after me!

I don't feel the hilux style mount would completely fix it, as it would allow rotation/ upward force. I feel a clamp style would help more, but IMO, clamping without solid mounting the other side won't solve the problem completely either. If you lock down one side, IMO, you need to lock down both.

I'm not sure what happened to mine, why it started moving, I just don't get it.

 

[silvrzuki77]

Honestly bro, i think its time to look at SAS swap. I really like the ifs for the desert driving i do but reliablity reason the first time mine takes a dump and strands me off to my buddy shop for the swap.