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2G How to depower steering rack / manual rack conversion

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Here I'm going to show you have to depower your steering rack or convert it to a manual rack.
I did a lot of research, looking at every tuners thread, Facebook, YouTube, etc and the information is very scattered and no one has a complete thread that's easy to follow with good pictures so I've decided to create my own tech article.
The red arrows will point to the part that we're working on in the picture and the white arrow is the direction in which the part needs to go.
I'm not going over how to remove the steering rack from your car or remove the tie rods so you'll have to find another article on that for now.
I plan on doing another conversion soon and will do a video to make it even easier to follow.
Do this at your own risk as I am NOT responsible for any damage done to you or your car.

Here is a discussion thread for the article:
https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/depower-steering-rack-manual-rack-conversion-discussion.529793/

So here we go..........
Here is my rack right after being removed from the car- it's dirty, covered in oil, and just not something you'd want to work on.
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I cut off my hard lines and looped them to keep water from getting in while I pressure washed it.
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After it was dry, I removed the tie rod & tie rod ends as well as removed the fittings.
ENSURE ALL FLUID HAVE BEEN DRAINED HERE.
After moving back and forth probably more than 20 times, it built pressure and launched fluid onto my face, ceiling, walls, floor, tools, etc...
You get my point, BE CAREFUL.
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Mark the hex/housing so when you tighten it, you won't over torque it.
Here you'll need to find something that fits into the hex, for me- this was my solution.
After breaking it loose I realized the hex plug didn't unscrew but the outer portion does so you might be able to get a crescent wrench on it.
The tie rod bolts also fit into it if you weld 2 together and just use a socket to remove.
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After the plug has been removed, you'll remove this spring.
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Remove this guide... thing?
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Now place your rack into a vice and use a flathead screwdriver to break this retainer loose.
You're trying to spin it all the way around to get the retaining pin out.
You can also use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove this.
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My pin broke and was only able to remove half of it.
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If this happens to you, stick the pin back in and rotate it in the opposite direction to break it free and hopefully be able to remove it.
If not, you're not going to be able to take it apart.
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After you get the retaining pin out, use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the retaining ring.
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Now to remove the next piece, you need to push the shaft all the way to the opposite side and back to you.
This will push the next seal/bearing out.
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Remove the 24mm plug on the bottom of the rack.
There should be marks for where to retighten to but if not, mark the cap/housing so you know how tight it needs to be when you're done.
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Mark the shaft/nut so you keep the same torque when tightening it.
Remove the 17mm nut holding the pinion in place that's below the 24mm plug you removed.
Either rotate the shaft all the way to one side to hold the pinion still or put a hose on the pinion shaft and hold it still with a pair of pliers.
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Remove the 2 12mm bolts securing the pinion housing and pull it off.
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Remove the pinion from the housing.
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Remove this seal and set it to the side.
I also cleaned the grease off the shaft at this time.
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Now you should able to remove the shaft from the rack housing.
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Here it is removed completely.
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Wrap the shaft with a cloth or something that will keep you from damaging it and put it in a vice.
Mark 4 spots across from each other to make the cuts.
This is the piece that needs removed.
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BE CAREFUL.
Safety glasses, steel toed leather boots, flame retardant suit, hat to protect my hair, leather gloves, bottle of eye wash, and shaft secured in the vice.
There's also some whiskey if you mess something up and need to drink away the pain.
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Cut the seal/bearing thing as close as you can get without making contact with the shaft.
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After you make your cuts, hit it with a hammer to break it loose.
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After it's removed, there's probably still a retaining ring left on the shaft.
I made a cut opposite of the opening where the white mark is the bent it back and removed it.
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Once it was removed, I started cleaning off all the old grease with a tooth brush and mineral spirits.
Do NOT use a wire brush on this!
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Here it all all pretty.
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See next post for the next steps.
 
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Remove the retaining ring on the pinion.
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After removing the retaining ring, remove this seal/bearing thing.
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Remove this o-ring.
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This is what your pinion should look like now and this is where you should weld it.
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Although it’s not required per say, here is a video comparing the amount of slop you’ll have by not doing so.
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Here is the shaft after being welded.
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I also welded all the plugs shut instead of buying plugs.
The sizes are 4x M14 and 2x M16.
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Clean up the rack and install all your plugs.
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Insert the shaft into the rack.
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Install the seal onto the pinion that you removed earlier.
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Grease the gear side of the shaft and the pinion.
I used a little too much at first and had to clean it up and use less this time.
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Insert the pinion into the housing and push in the seal to seat it into the housing.
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Put the pinion/housing onto the rack and install the 2 12mm bolts.
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Tighten the lower 17mm nut to secure the shaft.
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Here’s how I held it in place.
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Pull the shaft to its lock on this side.
Use oil, wd40, or a small amount of grease and lube the bearing/seal and install it.
Push the seal all the way against the housing and let the shaft help you guide it into the rack.
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Here it is fully seated.
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Install the retainer.
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Here it is fully seated.
Notice the retaining ring groove and hole to install the retainer ring.
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Insert the retaining ring.
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Use a pair of needle nose or flathead and rotate it to lock it in place.
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Here it is installed.
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Insert the guide and spring back into the rack.
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Install the hex nut and tighten it but not too tight as this will cause the steering to be harder as it puts pressure on the shaft.
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Install the 24mm plug.
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Test your rack and make sure everything is moving smoothly.
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Congratulations, you’re done- now have fun installing it:)
 
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