I purchased my replacement rack and pinion from Rock Auto and returned mine for a core refund which is nice. I also installed new outer tie rods since mine were originals.
I refilled the power steering resevoir with OEM power steering fluid from Nissan.
I followed the FSM steps below.
REMOVAL
1. Set vehicle to the straight-ahead position.
2. Remove tires from vehicle with a power tool.
3. Remove undercover from vehicle with a power tool.
[*] I removed the subframe after this step to get it out of my way. Here is a pic of the bolt locations that will need to be removed. I think they are 14mm bolts - 8 total
4. Remove lower side fixing bolt of lower joint.
5. Remove cotter pin (1), and then loosen the nut.
6. Remove steering outer socket (2) from steering knuckle (3) so as not to damage ball joint boot (4) using the ball joint remover (suitable tool).
CAUTION: Temporarily tighten the nut to prevent damage to threads and to prevent the ball joint remover from suddenly coming off.
[*] I removed this bracket using a 10mm socket on the right side. Made it slightly easier to work down there.
7. Remove high and low pressure piping of hydraulic piping, and then drain power steering fluid. Refer to PS-39, "HYDRAULIC LINE"
8. Remove steering hydraulic piping bracket from front suspension member. Refer to PS-39, "HYDRAULIC LINE" .
9. Remove power steering solenoid valve harness connector. Refer to PS-21, "COMPONENTS" . This is the solenoid valve and the connector is to the right of the valve you see. Unfortuntely, I didn't get a direct pic of the connector. You will have to remove the solenoid valve after you remove the rack. Be careful when removing the bolts since if they are original bolts they might be seized on their after 15+ years.
10. Remove rack stay (2WD) or front cross bar (AWD). Refer to FSU-8, "Components" , FSU-26, "Components". I did this after step 3 to make it easier to reach places.
11. Remove mounting bolts and nuts of steering gear assembly, and then remove steering gear assembly
from vehicle.
[*] Each of these bolts has a nut above it. The right nut and bolt are easier to remove than the left side. I think the nut was 18mm and the bolt was 16mm. Those numbers might not be right but I do remember that they were really large size bolts. so you'll need a ratchet and wrench to get these off due to the tight space.
[*] Right side bolts that need to be removed
[*] Nut access for the right side bolt
[*] Left side bolt that needs to be removed - the nut can be reached from a thin gap coming from the front side of the engine. Sorry I didn't get a picture of this.
Once all the bolts and lines are disconnected you should be able to wiggle it out.
Don't forget to remove the solenoid valve and reuse the bolts to install to your new rack prior to installing on your vehicle.
Installation is reverse order of removal.
INSTALLATION
Installation is the reverse order of removal. For tightening torque, refer to PS-19, "COMPONENTS" .
When installing lower joint to steering gear assembly, follow the procedure listed below.
– Set rack of steering gear in the neutral position.
NOTE:
To get the neutral position of rack, turn gear-sub assembly and measure the distance of inner socket, and then measure the intermediate position of the distance.
– Align rear cover cap projection (A) with the marking position (B) of gear housing assembly.
– Install slit part of lower joint (C) aligning with the projection (A) of rear cover cap (1). Make sure that the slit part of lower joint (C) is aligned with both the projection (A) of rear cover cap (1) and the marking position (B) of gear housing assembly.
After installation, bleed air from the steering hydraulic system.
Refer to PS-8, "Air Bleeding Hydraulic System" .
Perform final tightening of nuts and bolts on each part under unladen conditions with tires on level ground when removing steering gear assembly. check wheel alignment. Refer to FSU-
6, "Wheel Alignment Inspection" , FSU-24, "Wheel Alignment Inspection" .
Adjust neutral position of steering angle sensor after checking wheel alignment. Refer to BRC-6, "Adjustment of Steering Angle Sensor Neutral Position"