2G Manual Rack Solution

[mnetwork]

I just replaced my rack and forgot to center the wheel also. I wound up putting the old rack back in place as I didn't move the whee too much (I knew it was a little off, but not that much). I turned the wheel all the way to the left and had my friend show me a pic of his wheel all the way left. I mimicked that on the steering wheel, turned the new rack all the way left manually and installed. I centered the wheel and rack perfectly this way.

 

[DECODER22]

Just an update.....Took the car to the local firestone for an alignment.....They put it on the rack hooked everything up, lowered it back down and said we can't align it....

Well when I installed the rack it took me 4.5 hours....but I didnt put it in correctly....I must have forgot to lock the wheel or something ....Well lets just say the rack needed to be pulled off AGAIN. This time I wasnt the one pulling the rack out fixing then reinstalling it....

But overall it cost me 525 to get everything in check....170 for a LIFETIME alignment and the rest in labor cost to pull and redo the rack....

Yeah I know overpriced but I didn't feel like yanking the rack again, plus I work between 70-80 hours a week so not much time to do jack....

But since everything is almost back to spec it felt so so so much nicer than when the rack wasnt in right.....

I love the feeling now and really glad I did this mod granted it is a bit hard when at a standstill but the moment your moving I can turn it with 1 hand....I am not the strongest guy in the world but I can hold my own with these cars per se.....Props to decoder for the rack.....

To give a clue how bad the rack was out of alignment, imagine lock to lock is say 3 turns of the wheel so dead center is 1.5 or in the middle.... the wheel was on the left 2.0 per se.....

I could only turn the wheel left one turn but right twice.....plus the wheels were pointing to the left quiet a bit

im glad to see you got everything working

 

[JFZERO ECLIPSE]

im glad to see you got everything working

Yes sir...glad I went with the rack, much more postive feel of the wheel. More room in the engine bay as well, you can actually "feel" the road every curve every twist everything....

 

[EclipticalGS]

I just got done rebuilding mine, took about an hour and a bucket of red grease. I locked it to the right, along with my wheel and my alignment so far looks good, but cant drive my car yet. Ill let you know how it goes.

 

[DECODER22]

I just got done rebuilding mine, took about an hour and a bucket of red grease. I locked it to the right, along with my wheel and my alignment so far looks good, but cant drive my car yet. Ill let you know how it goes.

did you weld the torsion bars????

 

[eclipsh]

Does anyone know who makes the steering rack or components for Mitsubishi?

 

[Gamble97]

Anyone in Chicago have this done so I can try it out?

 

[DECODER22]

i told you to call me my personal cell is 773-503-2285 if you come by the shop you have to go there after 4pm between mon-sat im out of town till this weekend shoot me a pm and well set something up so you can come look at it or pm me your number

 

[Gamble97]

What is the trick to getting the rack/pinion off? Everything is loose and I can't get it to separate from the pivot knuckle. It came off about 1/2" but now the rack hits the sub frame.
Sway bar is loosened, all the bolts are off. I still have yet to pull the tcase and downpipe but they are not in the way.

 

[JFZERO ECLIPSE]

Did you follow my write-up?

You should take your t-case and exhaust off....also 1 problem you might be having is the lines built onto the rack are probable hitting the subframe...I had to pull the rack to the driverside to get it out...not exactly straight down.

 

[Gamble97]

I got it out, I took off the bolt for the rear mount and the one that holds the tranny up. Unbolted the sway bar completely and the 2 front bolts on the downpipe. I left the downpipe and tcase in there and was able to get it out. This is by far NOT a fun job and a bi***, so I hope I never have to take this rack back out.
I got the new one in but haven't drove the car more than 10feet to get it in the garage, I'm going to try and get an alignment tomorrow.

 

[99gst_racer]

Anybody try one of these racks with a welded center diff? Right now, my diff only becomes noticable at full lock in reverse. But if the diff makes this modification much worse, then it may not be for me.

 

[Gamble97]

So this is pretty bad the alignment didn't help but it rainning outside made it a little easier to turn. Would lighter wheels make it easier?
Taking a turn past 25mph, it feels like a welded diff the wheel fights you all the way though and seems to "hop"
Even the guy at the alignment shop said something is wrong because it shouldn't feel like that.
The gs-t I felt seemed much easier than mine.

 

[JFZERO ECLIPSE]

I dont understand what your cars problem is but I know its not a complete pita to turn...only at a dead stop and maybe 1-5 mph you got to use some muscle....

Over 5 mph i can turn my wheel with just my palm but i still prefer to use 2 hands due to the steering wheel giving me some lovely feedback....

 

[DECODER22]

bring the car by ill check it out ill put it on the lift and make sure everything is installed right

 

[99gst_racer]

So this is pretty bad the alignment didn't help but it rainning outside made it a little easier to turn. Would lighter wheels make it easier?
Taking a turn past 25mph, it feels like a welded diff the wheel fights you all the way though and seems to "hop"
Even the guy at the alignment shop said something is wrong because it shouldn't feel like that.
The gs-t I felt seemed much easier than mine.

Any luck getting it to work better yet?

 

[Gamble97]

My work schedule has been so crazy I haven't had time to look into anything, I am getting stronger, but this is killing my elbows after a nice long drive.

 

[99gst_racer]

Is anybody else offering this service? I've been trying for two weeks to buy one from DECODER22, but he doesn't seem to be interested in taking my money. I've never once got a call back, and now he's just ignoring my calls and text messages. So, I'm officially giving up on him.

I might explore with doing these modifications myself. That way I can save some money and avoid dealing with a poor seller. Another option would be electric power steering. I guess I have some research to do.

 

[eclipse1999]

im very interested in buying, any updates?

 

[99gst_racer]

im very interested in buying, any updates?

Good luck.

You might find it easier to read through the Miata Mod page and attempt this modification yourself.

 

[Gamble97]

Is anybody else offering this service? I've been trying for two weeks to buy one from DECODER22, but he doesn't seem to be interested in taking my money. I've never once got a call back, and now he's just ignoring my calls and text messages. So, I'm officially giving up on him.

I might explore with doing these modifications myself. That way I can save some money and avoid dealing with a poor seller. Another option would be electric power steering. I guess I have some research to do.

The toyota mr2 was the only car with an electrical pump as far as I know.

 

[99gst_racer]

The toyota mr2 was the only car with an electrical pump as far as I know.

I picked up one of the Renault Clio electric pumps from Israel and a brand new rack. It was expensive, but should make for a kick-ass steering set-up. It's going to be exactly like gixxerdrew's PS set-up on his 2G.

 

[Gamble97]

PM me some stuff on dsmlink, we will talk.

 

[Hubbard 0]

Mini Coopers and I believe the Cobalt SS/Ion Redline had Electric P.S. pumps.

 

[99gst_racer]

The Mini pump has a splined shaft built into it to connect directly to the steering column, and that makes it very impractical to use universally. The Renault pump is 2 lines and 2 wires and is mounted remotely. It's the easiest solution for a custom application. I haven't seen one of the SS/ION pumps yet.