achervig

In the vise, lever bar pushing up on the rod from the floor jack. Closest thing to a press I can manage.
While my engine is out I figured I'd depower the PS rack using the Flyin Miata method, and I'm at the point where I should be able to pull the valve out, only it ain't coming out.
Mine is a 96 and frankly this job has not been much like the Flyin Miata instructions suggested. Supposedly it's supposed to slide out after taking off the drivers side tie rod, draining the fluid, and unscrewing the big cap (which not every rack has I guess).

In the pic attached I've tried pushing the rod and valve out using a lever bar, my bench vise, and floor jack. Nothing doing. I guess I can go hunt down a shop to press it out but at this point I'm wondering if I'm off the mark with my disassembly.

Anybody done this job on a 96 or similar?

Scaxx

Mine wasn't that hard, everything came out without the need for a press. They changed steering rack manufactures around a lot so try this guide as well Project Miatabusa Part 5 - De-Powering the Steering
My steering rack was a mix of the flyin miata guide and this one, don't remember what year the rack was though, it was just one of my spare ones I had lying around.

achervig

Thanks. I did find that one recently and was bummed when he said , "The valve won't come out . . . No problem, let's just throw it in the press".
I don't have a press, guess I'll be off searching for a shop willing to do it without charging me an hour of labor.

achervig

I paid $40 to have a shop push the rack out for me, and the rest of the job has gone pretty much as the Moto IQ guide suggests.

Just a word of warning to other folks like me who read the Flyin Miata guide and decide to do the depower the hard way. Not all racks are as easy as the guide suggests, and the FM guide leaves out some key "how to's" such as getting the inner tie rod off and welding up the slack in the pinion. This job hasn't been technically difficult, just a real pain to deal with, and it has taken me much longer than I was led to believe it would take from reading FM's guide and other posts. I think the earlier years have the easier racks. At this point I kinda wonder if the best bang for the buck is just to loop the lines and forgo all this rack disassembly nonsense.

acedeuce802

iTrader: (1)

I had issues with my late model rack where the large nut on the housing seized and broke. Everything else was fine for me. I think this is one of those things that isn't all that hard, but if you need to get to work the next day, you should probably have a spare rack just in case something like this happens.

I also agree that the Moto IQ write up was more complete and better to follow.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

Remove the fluid and loop the lines.
You guys are making work for nothing.

nbfather

I can't think of what could be holding the rack in?
A little lube on the dried out O rings and ours just slid right out?

Everything else was a royal pain in the a$$!
As we were removing the the first rack bushing I noticed that something was destroying the threads? Upon closer inspection our rack had been staked by a gorilla and I had to tune that up with a dremel before proceeding.
No mention of that issue or that the NA/NB are quite different on any of the how to write ups and videos I looked at.
Not a big deal, but a ham handed or unobservant guy might run into issues.

Glad to see you got it back together!

Jamie

Alejo_NIN

iTrader: (2)

i have a properly depowered rack for sale...if you interested