Hey yall. I have a power steering rack that I was going to depower. I removed the seal on the rack with a cut off wheel. No problem. There is another seal down inside the rack housing that many people do not remove because its a pain to access. I managed to remove the other seal. What came out was a plastic piece with rubber that fit around the steering shaft and also a very large washer that went around the steering shaft.

My question is, do I need to use the washer? Does it keep the shaft centered in the housing? If so, what holds the washer in place and prevents it from moving down the steering shaft over time? If I don't need the large washer then what keeps the steering shaft centered in the housing?

Thanks for the help. I believe the part number is 32-180A on the parts diagram. Hopefully someone knows what I'm talking about. I've included a pic of what the parts look like, although I think for a 2002 the part number is actually NC-32-180.

 

Here is a picture of the actual parts I'm talking about. In case they do need to go back in, does anyone know the orientation they go in?

 

Isn't that part of what holds the rack inside the housing, can't remember.

 

I think it holds the rack centered or supports the rack. A few articles said it was a seal. While there is a seal (wiper seal I believe, I'm pretty sure that the wiper seal also holds the washer in place. I can not find these 2 parts on any parts diagram or any info on them.