SpecE30

..and a ton of power steering fluid drained out of it. I just checked the reservoir and it's pretty low. Anyways, is this something that I need to replace ASAP or can I do it after Putnam?

Also, how the hell do I get these tie rods off? It seems like there's these metal tabs that are hold it to the power steering rack but I don't want to hammer the crap out of them unless I'm supposed to.

Thanks.

Actually, no one really runs power steering anyways, right? It's not going to hurt anything if I run it without fluid, will it? How about the power steering pump? I could just get one of those block off plates from silence and be done?

Also, I think I'm just going to drop the power steering rack to change the tie rods since I don't have a ton of space under my car.

Lose the PS.

I did my first DE with the lines removed and the holes where the banjo bolts were located sucking air. I would just pull the power system and get all the fluid out of the rack. Then zip-tie a rag around the banjo bolts or something.

Am I going to have any issues with the steering if there's no fluid in the rack? If it works fine then I'm not going to bother with replacing it. If I need to have some fluid in it then I think I'm going to need a new one since this one seems to be leaking a bit. If not then I'll just remove it, drain it, and then use the block off plate and be done.

Opinions?

MrDomino wrote:
There should be a locking plate on the inboard end of the tie rod where it bolts to the rack. Find the bent-over flat, peel it back with a flat chisel, then you should be able to unscrew the tie rod assembly from the rack. Normal left/loosen rotation.

MrDomino wrote:


Mine leaked badly before I removed the power system, drained it, and installed the Ranger caps. I just took the lines off and turned the wheel back and forth until the fluid stopped coming out. The remaining fluid seems to be sufficient and I haven't had any problems or leaks since.

How the hell do I get these front control arms off? I took off all of the nuts and bolts but the damn thing is stuck in the subframe. I've been prying on the damn thing for a couple of hours now and it won't pop out.

Pickle fork + BFH(Big F'in Hammer). I pounded down on the ball joint studs and as a result had to buy new control arms. If you had a sturdy enough nut like a capped lug nut that fit on the ball joint stud you could probably go to town on it with a hammer without wrecking it.

It's not the hub connection that's giving me the problem. It's the middle connection (subframe). I've been using a ball joint remover with a cheater bar and the thing will not pop out. I might try a torch tomorrow.