Pain in the neck, steering rack removal
 

I'm swapping steering racks, and, for the life of me, I cannot separate the rack from the steering column.
I've removed the bolt (above the U-joint), sprayed with Kroil, pried apart the flange, tapped with the pry bar and a hammer, and, no go.

I think the sudden stop I experienced about a month ago had more impact than I initially suspected.

Please, suggestions.

Did you unbolt the rack from the two mounts? The whole thing will tap off easily when this is done. You can't just drive off the coupler. Or, you can clamp on the shaft and drive it upwards in to the collapsible section.

Did you remove the bolt that clamps the shaft to the rack? Once that's removed, pry the two sides apart some and give it a tap. It should slide off.

Put a large flare nut wrench on the upper part of the shaft. Smack it with a hammer, driving down towards the front. It's probably not been apart since the car was put together, and it just needs a little persuasion.

First two responses, yes, I've done that.

Thanks, Rog! I'll give it a shot tomorrow. Not a lot of room to swing a hammer, though.

Ha! You think this part is tough, wait until you try to put one back in.

Hint: if it is P/S, hook up lines before bolting rack in place.