Working on Depowering Steering Rack
 

I am pulling the seals out "FM style." Ran into one small snag. I don't have a socket large enough for the lock nut. Anyone know off the top of their head what it is?


http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/depower/IMG_0090.jpg

Adjustable wrench....channel locks? Be creative.

I don't have a adjustable wrench that large and I am afraid of screwing up the nut with some channel locks.

FWIW, every thread I have read about someone blowing out their steering rack on m.net had done the depower the FM way. Looped lines FTMFW.

Channel Locks. It's not that tight. I did it this way, but I have big channel locks. Grip it tightly with one hand and pop it with the other.

Kinda like ketchup. Both versions.:giggle:

+1

I've been track my FM style depower for a little over a year and i have had no problems. I really dont see how you can "blow out" your steering rack.

Do you have any more info on the blow outs?

Not off hand, I remember reading about them in the depths of m.net a while ago and never thinking twice about just looping my lines as a result. If I get the chance, I'll try to site my sources.

The broken racks are people that didn't torque that nut back on correctly and set the preload on the rack. If you actually listen to directions in the manual and set the preload right, you'll be fine.

i used a 1 5/8 socket came off pretty quickly

Does NA or FD racks work on NB's.

Do you mean the lock nut for the rack pretensioner, the one on the left in your picture? If so +1 just use some vice grips or a big crescent wrench on it. You do not need to tighten the piss out of it. You want to hold the pretensioner bolt anyway while you turn the locknut so a socket would not work.

No problems on my FM style depowered rack either. I did it by the book, and even bought an in-lb torque wrench to check the rack preload.

NA racks will not fit in a NB. No idea about the FD rack.