Disassembly and Assembly

Disassembly





1. Prior to disassembling, measure pinion rotating torque. Record the pinion rotating torque as a reference.
- Before measuring, disconnect gear housing tube and drain fluid.
- Use soft jaws when holding steering gear housing. Handle gear housing carefully, as it is made of aluminum. Do not grip cylinder in a vise.
2. Remove gear sub-assembly, O-ring and shim.
Gear sub-assembly cannot be disassembled. If it is faulty, replace with a new one.
3. Remove tie-rod outer sockets and boots.





4. Loosen tie-rod inner socket by prying up staked portion, and remove socket and spacer.
5. Remove retainer.
6. Use a 2 to 2.5 mm (0.079 to 0.098 inch) diameter drill to completely remove staked portion of gear housing end.




7. Remove end cover assembly with a suitable tool.
8. Draw out rack assembly.
9. Remove rack seal ring. Using a heat gun, heat rack seal to approximately 40°C (104°F).
- Remove rack seal ring.
Be careful not to damage rack.





10. Remove center bushing and rack oil seal using tape wrapped socket and extension bar.
Do not scratch inner surfaces of pinion housing.

Inspection
Thoroughly clean all parts in cleaning solvent or Genuine NISSAN PSF II or equivalent. Blow dry with compressed air, if available.

BOOT
- Check condition of boot. If cracked excessively, replace it.
- Check boots for accumulation of power steering fluid.

RACK
Thoroughly examine rack gear. If damaged, cracked or worn, replace it.

GEAR SUB-ASSEMBLY
- Check pinion gear. If it is worn or damaged, replace as a gear sub-assembly.
- Manually spin bearing. If torque variations or free play are noted, replace as a gear sub-assembly.

GEAR HOUSING CYLINDER
Check gear housing cylinder bore for scratches or other damage. Replace if necessary.

TIE-ROD OUTER AND INNER SOCKETS





- Check ball joints for swinging force.





Tie-rod outer and inner ball joints swinging force "A": Refer to IMAGE ABOVE.
- Check ball joint for rotating torque.
Tie-rod outer ball joint rotating torque "B": Refer to IMAGE ABOVE.
- Check ball joints for axial end play.
Tie-rod outer and inner ball joints axial end play "C": Refer to IMAGE ABOVE.
- Check condition of dust cover. If cracked excessively, replace outer tie-rod.

Assembly





1. Using a heat gun, heat new teflon rack seal ring to approximately 40°C (104°F). Then place it onto rack.





2. Using Tool, compress rack seal ring securely onto rack. Always insert Tool from the rack gear side.





3. Insert new rack oil seal.
- Place plastic film into rack oil seal to prevent damage by rack teeth.
- Do not forget to remove plastic film after rack oil seal is positioned properly.
- Make sure lips of rack oil seal face each other.





4. Install center bushing and rack oil seal with rack assembly.





5. Insert rack oil seal and end cover assembly to rack. Then tighten end cover assembly.





6. Fasten end cover assembly to gear housing by staking.





7. Set rack gear in neutral position.





Rack stroke "S": Refer to IMAGE ABOVE.





8. Install adjustment shims and O-rings to gear sub-assembly.
- Install the same number of adjustment shims as before, regardless of whether or not gear sub-assembly is replaced.
- Discard old O-rings; replace with new ones.
9. Tighten gear subassembly securing bolts to specified tightening torque.





10. Ensure that the rack is centered. Install rear cover cap so that its protrusion is positioned as shown in figure.





11. Install diaphragm spring into gear housing.
- Always install retainer, spring washer and diaphragm spring in that order.
- Make sure convex end (painted white) of diaphragm spring faces outward when installing.
12. Install spring seat retainer spring and adjusting screw temporarily.





13. Install lock plate to rack.
a. Temporarily install spacer ring to rack.
Discard old spacer ring, replace with a new one.
b. Install lock plate to inner socket.
Discard old lock plate; replace with a new one.
c. Apply a coat of locking sealant to inner socket threads. Screw inner socket into rack and tighten to specified torque.
d. Clinch lock plate at rack groove location (at two points).
e. Install spacer ring to lock plate as shown in the image.
Be careful not to damage spacer ring during installation





14. Tighten outer socket lock nut.
Tie-rod length "L": Refer to Image in step 7.





15. Measure rack stroke.
Rack stroke "S": Refer to Image in step 7.





16. Before installing boot, coat the contact surfaces between boot and tie-rod with grease.
17. Install boot bands.
- Securely install boot band to boot groove and clinch the root section of the trapezoidal area.





- Make sure that there is a clearance of 3.5 mm (0.138 inch) or less at the clinched section of the boot band. Refer to the Figure.





- After installing gear in vehicle, make sure that the clinched section of boot band is positioned toward the rear of vehicle (to prevent interference with adjacent parts).

Adjustment
Adjust pinion rotating torque as follows:
1. Set rack to the neutral position without fluid in the gear.





2. Coat the adjusting screw with locking sealant and screw it in.
3. Lightly tighten lock nut.
4. Tighten adjusting screw to a torque of 4.9 to 5.9 Nm (50 to 60 kg-cm, 43 to 52 inch lbs.).
5. Loosen adjusting screw, then retighten it to 0.2 Nm (2 kg-cm, 1.7 inch lbs.).
6. Move rack over its entire stroke several times.





7. Measure pinion rotating torque within the range of 180° from neutral position. Stop the gear at the point of maximum torque.
8. Loosen adjusting screw, then retighten it to 4.9 Nm (50 kg-cm, 43 inch lbs.).
9. Loosen adjusting screw by 60° to 80°.





10. Prevent adjusting screw from turning, and tighten lock nut to specified torque.
11. Check rack sliding force on vehicle as follows:
a. Install steering gear onto vehicle, but do not connect tie-rod to knuckle arm.
b. Connect all piping and fill with steering fluid.
c. Start engine and bleed air completely.
d. Disconnect steering column lower joint from the gear.
e. Keep engine at idle and make sure steering fluid has reached normal operating temperature.





f. Pull tie-rod slowly to move it from neutral position to ±11 .5 mm (±0.453 inch) at speed of 3.5 mm (0.138 inch)/s. Check that rack sliding force is within specification.
Average rack sliding force: 216 - 284 N (22 - 29 kg, 49 - 64 lbs.)
Maximum force deviation: 98 N (10 kg, 22 lbs.)
g. Check sliding force outside above range at rack speed of 40 mm (1.57 inch)/s.
Maximum rack sliding force: 294 N (30 kg, 66 lbs.)
Maximum force deviation: 147 N (15 kg, 33 lbs.)
- If rack sliding force is not within specification, readjust by repeating adjustment procedure from the beginning.
- If rack sliding force is still out of specification after readjustment, gear assembly needs to be replaced.