Engine cradle has to come down for Rack R & R?

[RobertsnewQ]

Just wondering... manual doesn't mention it, search doesn't turn up anything.

[maxnix]

Don't think so, but did you search for "rack" in the text body of the archived messages?

[RobertsnewQ]

Yep, and I found one post that suggested that it did (but the person was also doing mounts, which of course it has to come down to do), and several others that suggest not.

Not much help.

[elwesso]

Yeah the rack is held in, youd have to drop the crossmember. It shouldnt be that bad of a job, idont see how you could get the rack out, and then back in witout dropping it...

Remember to replace those rack bushings......!

[DAEDALUS]

It looks like you can unbolt the clamps from the bottom and then have just enough room to pull the rack out to the rear between the cradle and the engine. It kind of looks like it was designed with removal in mind, the way the lines aren't in the way once they're unbolted, and that there's easy access to all bolts and the steering linkage from the bottom and sides. I may have 100% certainty this weekend and I'll post back if I can get to it. The amount of sag in my mounts might make it difficult.

[elwesso]

I would think that you would want to at least support the engine or jack it up a little or something.....

The problem I see is the grooved area for the rack bushing on the drivers side... Its grooved all the way around and I dont see how you could get it out.

[FarFetched]

is this for G50 or Y33?If Y33, you don't have to drop cradle, just lower it 2-3 inch....It is so easy (Nissan engineers are among smart ones) to reach to everything I'm not sure about G50. Soak everything(bolts/studs/nuts - not yours of course ) in PB BLASTER, you'll love R+R procedure!Cheers!

[RobertsnewQ]

is this for G50 or Y33?If Y33, you don't have to drop cradle, just lower it 2-3 inch....It is so easy (Nissan engineers are among smart ones) to reach to everything I'm not sure about G50. Soak everything(bolts/studs/nuts - not yours of course ) in PB BLASTER, you'll love R+R procedure!Cheers!

G50 - It looks like I don't need to drop it, although the sagged mounts might make it more difficult than it COULD be.

The rack seals are just "wet" at this point, not dripping, so it might be a few months before I do it. I'm trying to find a local rebuilder so that I don't have to give up my 77,000 mile rack for a rebuilt with unknown miles on it.

Damn car - it sat so much that every rubber part on it is rotting away. That's one of the things I hate about southern ca. The smog just eats rubber.

[maxnix]

Damn car - it sat so much that every rubber part on it is rotting away. That's one of the things I hate about southern ca. The smog just eats rubber.

Yes it does. Why age trumps even perfect maintenance after a while.

Do understand that OEM pinion is machined to 10,000ths of an inch standards. Rebuilts are not.

[RobertsnewQ]

Do understand that OEM pinion is machined to 10,000ths of an inch standards. Rebuilts are not.

Rebuilds don't replace the pinion. If you're lucky they resleeve the shuttle valve area and sometimes polish the rack ends, but they don't replace any internal parts if they can get away with it. That's why I'm looking for a local rebuilder to reseal my rack. I'd rather have my 78k mile rack redone than risk getting someone else's 150k++++ rack.

[DAEDALUS]

Wes was right, at least for my car. It's pretty obvious I won't be able to squeeze it out of there without lowering the cradle a little. But this is a car with over 200k on the engine mounts. When I bolted up the transmission cradle with a new mount, the transmission moved up about 1" from the stand, so I would expect at least as much displacement with new engine mounts, which might provide enough extra clearance. Chance are, though, that a car with a leaking rack doesn't have new mounts either.

I'll see if I can fingale the engine out of there after lunch.

[RobertsnewQ]

Well, I was under there yesterday, and I'm pretty sure I can get mine out without dropping the cradle. It looks like there is JUST enough space to get it out. Maybe if I drop the transmission mount at the same time and raise it up...

Incidentally, my mounts are probably almost as sagged as yours - as I mentioned above it's age more than miles that destroys rubber here in smogland.