Help needed - steering rack reinstall
 

I just removed my PS rack to replace with a depowered rack, and put in new tie rod ends while im at it.

However, when attempting to reinstall the rack into the car, I can't for the life of me get the damn steering shaft back into the splined hole coming out from the firewall. I removed the u joint from the rack and attempted to get it back in that way, but it kept moving on me when i would strike it with a hammer. The shaft itself seems to be stuck inside the u joint so I cant separate the two to try and simply hammer just the shaft back in first.

What do you guys typically do to get the rack back in?

Your steering no longer likes you...

--take the bolt out that clamps down the U joint and carefully wedge a screwdriver or such in there. If that doesn't loosen things up, you'll need to loosen everything up to get a better angle on the spline and u joint.

Ahh, my intermediate shaft was stuck into the u-joint on the rack as well. Besides loosening it up with a screw driver and spraying it with liquid wrench I pulled the u-joint off the rack side, this one should come off easy since its covered in grease and the boot. Then clamped it in a vice and used a big punch and hammer to hammer the intermediate shaft out. Also good fucking luck getting the intermediate shaft back into the collapsible section of the column with both plastic pieces.

Lol! Did you clamp the u joint or the intermediate shaft in the vice? I clamped the intermediate shaft and tried hammering the u joint off the shaft after soaking it in kroil, still no luck. I might need to use some heat.

As far as getting it back into the column..idk why its so hard.

I clamped the u-joint and hit the shaft out.