Thedriftbadger

You can bend the lines into place, they aren't as fragile as you think, just be careful.
The little steering column thing, i don't know what you're talking about, but anything that's going to be turning and moving something else is going to have some kind of key or tooth or something that needs to engage. Make sure your rack is centered and wheel is centered and i bet it will go right in.

Do you have the rack up in the car? Or are you trying to connect shit before you get it installed? Just bolt it into the car, don't connect anything else until everything is lined up and ready to go, then put it all together.

I don't know what else to tell you. It shouldn't be that hard. Do you have a friend that can come help?

immasonlowery

i had a super loud annoying squeaking like that aswell... went away when i got new coilovers !

aga

on your own you will never manage to center the steering wheel, you will have to have a friend holding on to the steering so you can work it underneath... and anyway you ll have to get it aligned anyway... i fitted my steering as best as i could but in the alignment shop we had to take it out of the rack again and put it in straight as it was off by a couple of teeth.

Mikester

^^True^^

Much easier when removing/reinstalling the same rack b/c you can make corresponding marks to line it back up when reinstalling.

Getting the lines on is a bitch working around the steering boot; just did this not too long ago. Try taking the rack back loose and maneuvering it to fit/tighten the lines; then go from there. You can also loosen up the bracketing for the lines to give yourself a bit more wiggle room to get them started. Whatever you do, DO NOT cross-thread them when installing...

As far as getting the column to slip into the knuckle, take it loose on both sides & try putting it on the column, then onto the rack. You can also loosen the front member a bit to give yourself a bit more room to put everything together (I did this)... then tighten it back up once the column and rack are started into the knuckle.

Great advice above- get a friend to help... Makes things easier & less frustrating... plus there will be a person to bounce ideas off of... You got this dude~

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acslater9

Thanks for the suggestions, I got the rack on and installed which I'm very happy about.


There's just one problem....I told my helper to put it straight (the steering wheel) and when we got the rack put in one of the wheels would go straight the other would go to the left

I tried to drive it then got scared because I didn't have control of the steering and was afraid of crashing.

I need to take it to an alignment shop but can't because It's scary to drive the car.

Any options? And please don't tell me that I have to take it out again and do it all over!

Mikester

^^Disconnect the tie rods from the front spindles and turn the steering wheel until the rack is where it should be when the wheels are straight; then reconnect the tie rods and adjust them until the tires look fairly straight when sitting on the ground by eyeing it. After that, you may need to take the steering wheel off to re-center it and the turn signal canceller, but you can have the alignment shop do that.

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acslater9

When you mean tie rods you mean the inner or outter? Or both?

Mikester

Dude... Think about it lol.

Outer.

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acslater9

Sorry, I just don't want to screw it up.

acslater9

So I went to sears to get it aligned and they told me I couldn't because my steering was off. He said something about my steering wheel would go 3 circles to the left and 1 to the right when the wheels are straight. He explained to me what to do but I was so lost honestly.

Can someone here explain it to me please. He said I would have to take the steering column off and turn my steering wheel till its straight then rotate it till you have even turns (2 turns the the left and right)

Can someone explain to me how to do this exactly. Thanks

240knockout

FUCK...I am mid swap and have already put in power steering fluid in my resevoir and thus the system. How can I ensure that I get all this fluid out?

Any particular ATF I should by...or does any work.

Also, just to be 100000% sure....ATF = Auto trans fluid right?

acslater9

Best way is to unscrew the fluid lines and turn the steering wheel left and right till It all comes out, I did that and It worked for me.

The best ATF to use is Dexron III/IV, they both work. I bought Dexron IV and I'm having no problems at all. It also says to use this type in the owners manual.

ATF= Automatic transmission fluid, yes

Thedriftbadger

Dex III always.

Mikester

I use Royal Purple Dex...

I told you, you need to center the rack so the steering wheel will turn an even amount of times lock to lock.

The good news is that even though you are tired, frustrated and stressed out; you are going to have a thorough understanding of your steering system all said & done.

You don't need to take the PS fluid out of the system to do this... maybe just what's in the reservoir. You can suck it out with a Mityvac. UNLESS you didn't use the correct fluid... in which case you may as well drain it completely.

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acslater9

Alright so tell me If this is good enough, I did the steering column thing and I got the steering wheel to become straight here are the turns that I've counted.

1 full circle and 3/4 turning the steering wheel left.
1 full circle and 1/2 turning the steering wheel right.

Does this sound good enough to get an alignment?

And yes I already know tons about the power steering It's good learning even though It's very frustrating.

KiLLeR2001

What that tells me is you need to get both so they are 1 full turn and 5/8th's turning. If you add (3/4 + 1/2) and divide by 2, you get 5/8. But there are instructions on how to do this in the Factory Service Manual (FSM).

http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/240sx/91-94/ST.pdf

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Thedriftbadger

It has to turn the same amount both ways lol. Come on dude use your head. There's no "good enough" when it comes to the system that decides which direction your car goes. That shit better be perfect.

Mikester

Dude- don't listen to ^^him^^

Just get into NASCAR where only left turns are important and you'll be fine

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acslater9

Its finally finished!

After all the blood,sweat, and tears (Mostly crying LOL) I got it done.

Please take this into consideration when choosing a place to get your car aligned, Never Go To Sears! They suck ass. They told me I needed to have my steering wheel straight in order to get a alignment done, bullshit. I went to Mcgee auto repair and they told me I needed an alignment(Note I did not have my steering wheel straight) and that was it they did it.

I honestly want to thank everyone who contributed to helping me. Most importantly Mikester,Killer2001, and Thedriftbadger. You guys are awesome people!

Maybe you guys can help me when I start another thread about putting my 5 speed tranny in

Anyways Thanks! I hope this thread helps anyone that has the same problems as I did!

Mikester

Maybe you can search and find the 1,000,000,000,000,000 threads already in existence that cover it in great detail

Glad it worked out for ya dude~

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AlexLubin

If your car squeaks when you turn the steering wheel left or right,then it could be many different things. It could be the joints problem. It could also be the alignment problem. You should have it checked out as soon as possible to a auto repair shop to fix your problem otherwise it become more worse.If you live in area San Mateo, CA then Luxurati Inc. will be the best option for you .they offer a wide range of auto repair services including Tires change,breaks,shocks,alignment,suspension,ac service etc