Steering Gear: Service and Repair

NOTE: Before proceeding with this removal and installation procedure, review SERVICE WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS found under Steering Service Precautions.

REMOVAL






1. Place the steering wheel in the STRAIGHT AHEAD position. Using a steering wheel holder, lock the steering wheel in place to keep it from rotating. This keeps the clockspring in the proper orientation.






2. Inside the passenger compartment, remove the steering column coupling retainer pin, back off the pinch bolt nut, and remove the steering column coupling pinch bolt (the pinch bolt nut is caged to the coupling and is not removable). Separate the upper and lower steering column couplings.
3. Raise the vehicle, refer to Maintaince for procedure.
4. Remove both front tire and wheel assemblies from the vehicle.






5. Remove nuts attaching both outer tie rods to the steering knuckles. Remove each nut by holding the tie rod stud stationary while loosening and removing the nut with a wrench.






6. Remove the outer tie rod from the steering knuckles using Remover, Special Tool MB991113.
7. Remove the tie rod heat shield.






8. Release the locking tab on the wiring harness connector for the power steering fluid pressure switch before connector removal. Remove the wiring harness connector from the power steering fluid pressure switch.






9. Back out the tube nut securing the power steering fluid pressure hose to the gear.
10. On vehicles without a power steering fluid cooler, loosen the clamp, then disconnect the power steering fluid return hose from the gear. If the vehicle is equipped with a power steering fluid cooler, disconnect the cooler hose from the gear in place of the power steering fluid return hose.
11. If the vehicle is not equipped with a power steering cooler, remove the power steering return hose from the C-clamps on the outside of the two routing clips on the front of the power steering gear.
12. Open the routing clips on the front of the power steering gear and remove the power steering fluid pressure hose from the routing clips. At the same time, if the vehicle is equipped with a power steering cooler, remove the cooler tube from the right routing clip.
13. If the vehicle is equipped with a power steering fluid cooler, remove the two screws securing the cooler to the front suspension crossmember. They are located behind the cooler and can be accessed from above. Allow the cooler to hang out of the way.






14. Remove the bolt mounting the engine torque strut to the right forward corner of the front suspension crossmember.

NOTE: Before removing the front suspension crossmember from the vehicle, the location of the crossmember must be scribed on the body of the vehicle. Do this so that the crossmember can be relocated upon reinstallation against the body of vehicle in the same location as before removal. If the front suspension crossmember is not reinstalled in exactly the same location as before removal, the preset front wheel alignment settings (caster and camber) will be lost.






15. Using an awl, scribe a line marking the location of where the front suspension crossmember is mounted against the body of the vehicle.
16. Position a transmission jack under the center of the front suspension crossmember and raise it to support the bottom of the crossmember.
17. Loosen and completely remove the two front bolts (one right and one left) attaching the front suspension crossmember to the frame rails of vehicle. The right side bolt can be viewed in the mounting bolt figure. The left side bolt is located in the same location on the other side of the vehicle.
18. Loosen the two rear bolts (one right and one left) attaching the front suspension crossmember and lower control arms to the body of the vehicle until they release from the threaded tapping plates in the body of the vehicle. Do not completely remove the rear bolts because they are designed to disengage from the body threads yet stay within the lower control arm rear isolator bushing. This allows the lower control arm to stay in place on the crossmember. The right side bolt can be viewed in the mounting bolt figure. The left side bolt is located in the same location on the other side of the vehicle.






19. Lower the front suspension crossmember using the transmission jack enough to allow the power steering gear to be removed from the rear of the crossmember. When lowering front suspension crossmember, do not let crossmember hang from lower control arms. The weight should be supported by the transmission jack.






20. Remove the roll pin securing the steering column lower coupling to the power steering gear pinion shaft using a roll pin punch. Push the steering column lower coupling up and off of the power steering gear pinion shaft.






21. Release the pinion shaft dash cover seal from the tabs cast into the power steering gear housing and remove the seal from the power steering gear.
22. Loosen and remove the four bolts attaching the power steering gear to the front suspension crossmember. Remove the power steering gear from the front suspension crossmember.

INSTALLATION
1. Install the steering gear on the front suspension crossmember. Install the four power steering gear mounting bolts. Tighten the mounting bolts to a torque of 61 Nm (45 ft. lbs.).
2. Install the pinion shaft dash cover seal over the power steering pinion shaft and onto the power steering gear housing. Align the holes on each side of the seal with the tabs cast into the power steering gear housing.
3. With the steering column lower coupling pushed partway up through its hole in the dash panel, match the flat on the inside of the steering column lower coupling to the flat on the power steering gear pinion shaft and slide the coupling onto the top of the pinion shaft. Align the roll pin hole in the coupling with the groove in the pinion shaft and install the roll pin through the coupling until it is centered.
4. Center the power steering gear rack in its travel.
5. Using the transmission jack, raise the front suspension crossmember and power steering gear until the crossmember contacts its mounting spot against the body and frame rails of the vehicle. As the crossmember is raised, carefully guide the steering column lower coupling up through its hole in the dash panel.
6. Start the two rear crossmember mounting bolts into the tapping plates mounted in the body. The right side bolt can be viewed in the mounting bolt figure. The left side bolt is located in the same location on the other side of the vehicle. Next, install the two front mounting bolts attaching front suspension crossmember to frame rails of vehicle. Lightly tighten all four mounting bolts to a approximately 2 Nm (20 inch lbs.) to hold the front suspension crossmember in position.

NOTE: When reinstalling the front suspension crossmember back in the vehicle, it is very important that the crossmember be attached to the body in exactly the same spot as when it was removed. Otherwise, the vehicle's wheel alignment settings (caster and camber) will be lost.

7. Using a soft face hammer, tap the front suspension crossmember back-and-forth or side-to-side until it is aligned with the previously scribed positioning marks on the body of the vehicle. Once the front suspension crossmember is correctly positioned, tighten the rear two crossmember (and rear lower control arm) mounting bolts to a torque of 203 Nm (150 ft. lbs.), then tighten the front two crossmember mounting bolts to a torque of 142 Nm (105 ft. lbs.).
8. Fasten the engine torque strut to the right forward corner of the front suspension crossmember using its mounting bolt. Follow the procedure described found under Engine to properly align and tighten the torque strut and it's mounting bolts.
9. Using a lint free towel, wipe clean the open power steering hose ends and the power steering gear ports. Replace the pressure hose used O-ring with new. Lubricate the O-ring with power steering fluid.
10. Attach the power steering fluid pressure hose to it's port on the power steering gear. Start the tube nut threads into the gear, but do not tighten them at this time. On vehicles equipped with a power steering fluid cooler, reconnect the cooler line to the gear in place of the power steering fluid return hose.
11. Open the routing clips on the front of the steering gear housing and install the power steering fluid pressure hose into the routing clips.
12. On vehicles equipped with a power steering fluid cooler, place the cooler in mounting position and snap the cooler tube going to the gear into the right routing clip.
13. Close both routing clips.
14. Tighten the power steering fluid pressure hose tube nut at the gear to a torque of 34 Nm (25 ft. lbs.).
15. If the vehicle is equipped with a power steering fluid cooler, install the two screws securing the cooler to the front suspension crossmember. They are located behind the cooler.
16. On vehicle's with a power steering fluid cooler, place the hose clamp on the hose far enough from the end to clear the steel fitting on the gear. Do the same for the fluid return hose on a vehicle that is not equipped with a cooler.
17. Push either hose listed in the above step onto the steel fitting, then move and secure the clamp on the hose past the bead on the steel fitting in the steering gears outlet port.
18. Route the fluid return hose along the front of the steering gear, clipping it into place in the C-clamps on the outside of the routing clips on the front of the power steering gear housing.
19. Reconnect the wiring harness connector from the power steering fluid pressure switch. Be sure the locking tab on the wiring harness connector is securely latched.
20. Perform the following to each outer tie rod:
- Place the tie rod heat shield on the knuckle's steering arm, aligning the hole in the shield with the hole in the knuckle and the tangs on the outside of the shield with the outside configuration of the steering arm. The shield should now be facing outboard, away from the power steering gear and tie rod.
- Attach the outer tie rod end to its steering knuckle.
- Start the attaching nut onto the stud of the outer tie rod.
- While holding the stud of the tie rod stationary with a wrench, tighten the attaching nut.
- Using a crowfoot wrench attached to a torque wrench, tighten the attaching nut to 55 Nm (40 ft. lbs.).

21. Install the tire and wheel assemblies back on vehicle. Tighten the wheel mounting nuts to 135 Nm (100 ft. lbs.) torque.
22. Lower the vehicle to ground level.
23. Install the dash-to-lower coupling seal in place over the lower coupling's plastic collar.

NOTE: Verify that grease is present on the lip of the dash-to-coupling seal where it contacts the coupling's plastic collar.

24. Inside the passenger compartment, reconnect the steering column lower coupling to the steering column upper coupling. Install the coupling pinch bolt and tighten the pinch bolt nut to a torque of 28 Nm (250 inch lbs.). Install the pinch bolt retainer pin.
25. Remove the steering wheel holder.
26. While looking under the instrument panel at the lower coupling, rotate the steering wheel back and-forth to verify that the lower coupling does not squeak against the dash-to-coupling seal.
27. Perform the Power Steering Pump Initial Operation service procedure which can be found in Steering, Service and Repair, Service Procedures to properly fill and bleed the power steering system.
28. Check for fluid leaks.
29. Adjust the front toe setting on the vehicle.