[55ikagan]

Hi Everyone: 55ikagan here: I am in the process of replacing my rack/pinion on my 1987 toyota camry le. I am not a mechanic and I am wondering if anyone out there is well versed in the removal and installation of this type of part. I looked at a video of a 94 toyota camry replacement but I don't know if that is the same as my car. It looks involved but the shops are asking for 4-5 hours of labor to put this in. I am just hang with that. I would appreciate any feedback on this issue you could give me. I would like to try this myself. Thanks in advance for your time and knowledge.
55ikagan

 

[TheFlyingDutchman]

Hmm generally it's:
Center the steering wheel and lock it there somehow, disconnect tie rods at rack or knuckle, drain the power steering and disconnect the lines, disconnect the steering shaft from the rack, and then a few mounting bolts or brackets to the subframe or body. Then you can usually pull the rack out sideways. Sometimes you have to lower or remove the subframe a bit I'm not sure how it is on the gen 1.

The most important part is to make sure both the rack and steering wheel are centered when you reconnect the steering shaft. To center the rack just make sure that either end is sticking out equally. Center the wheel BEFORE you completely disconnect the old rack, and then don't turn it until you are ready to attach the new one.

It can be a bit of a messy job but not too bad IMO. Of course YMMW.

Afterwards you'll need to bleed the air out of the power steering and get an alignment.

Hopefully someone with gen 1 know how will chime in.

 

[Phil_Bleach]

1987 is Gen 2 my friend

 

[55ikagan]

Hmm generally it's:
Center the steering wheel and lock it there somehow, disconnect tie rods at rack or knuckle, drain the power steering and disconnect the lines, disconnect the steering shaft from the rack, and then a few mounting bolts or brackets to the subframe or body. Then you can usually pull the rack out sideways. Sometimes you have to lower or remove the subframe a bit I'm not sure how it is on the gen 1.

The most important part is to make sure both the rack and steering wheel are centered when you reconnect the steering shaft. To center the rack just make sure that either end is sticking out equally. Center the wheel BEFORE you completely disconnect the old rack, and then don't turn it until you are ready to attach the new one.

It can be a bit of a messy job but not too bad IMO. Of course YMMW.

Afterwards you'll need to bleed the air out of the power steering and get an alignment.

Hopefully someone with gen 1 know how will chime in.

 

[55ikagan]

Hey: Thanks alot Flying Dutchman: I know it may sound easy to you but I just want to make sure I don't miss anything. Do you if the 94 toyota camry is the same as an 87 in regards to the rack and pinion. It sure looks like it. Just curious!
Again! Thanks for the info!
55ikagan

 

[TheFlyingDutchman]

1987 is Gen 2 my friend

Shhh, you didn't see anything

Hey: Thanks alot Flying Dutchman: I know it may sound easy to you but I just want to make sure I don't miss anything. Do you if the 94 toyota camry is the same as an 87 in regards to the rack and pinion. It sure looks like it. Just curious!
Again! Thanks for the info!
55ikagan

Big thanks @Phil_Bleach! 55ikagan, this thread should be of some help: Thread.

Jimnist ended up removing the NS Xmember and the exhaust, but the BGB seems to suggest this isn't necessary. It claims it will come out the driver side.

There are two brackets holding the rack to the body - one bolt & one nut each. Torque is 43ftlb. Torque for the universal joint bolt is 26ftlb. Torque for the tie rod end is 36ftlb.

If you haven't undone a tie rod end before here is what you'll want to do. Raise, support, remove wheel. Remove the cotter pin and hang onto it. Remove the castle nut but then thread it back on a good amount (you want some space between the nut and the knuckle). Now, grab a sledge - I use a five pound - and SMACK the knuckle where the tie rod end goes.

Frank is almost giving a good example here, but don't be Frank, put the nut back on a bit. Also, get your hand out of there. (Not a Camry).

If that makes you nervous you can rent one of these.

Say it with me - don't be Frank, put the nut on.

The tie rod end will pop out of the knuckle, then you can remove the nut and the tie rod end. Repeat for the other side. Go to the store and find a cotter pin that is the same as the one you took off. Buy two. Throw away the old ones. Or buy a kit of cotter pins if you plan on working on your car in the future.


Otherwise its pretty straightforward. I'm not sure how similar the rack setup is on the 94 vs. the 87, but it should be similar enough that its a good reference for the procedure. Just don't expect the bolts to be in the same places. I'll upload a picture from the BGB when I get some more time.
Sure thing on the help! Goodluck

EDIT: One last thing! You might want a special wrench to undo the power steering lines. If its giving you trouble, you'll want to rapidly apply pressure to the wrench to try and loosen it. You could also tighten a tiny bit then try to loosen. If they're not coming just go buy the special wrench, it'll be cheaper than replacing the lines or reflaring them.
You don't need Snap-on.

 

[71Corolla]

R&R the following components, easy. 0

If possible separate the inner/outer tie rods by loosing the nuts instead of trying to separate the outer tie rod from the knuckle. If the nuts are too tight don't force or you risk rounding them off.

 

[TheFlyingDutchman]

If possible separate the inner/outer tie rods by loosing the nuts instead of trying to separate the outer tie rod from the knuckle. If the nuts are too tight don't force or you risk rounding them off.

Agreed! If you can get them loose, count the rotations to undo the outer tie-rod and write it down. Then, when you install the new rack turn it into the tie-rod the same number of rotations. The alignment should be close enough to drive to the alignment shop and will make their job easier.

 

[55ikagan]

Hey TheFlyingDutchman and 71Corolla: Sorry it's been so long. I tried to remove the old rack/pinion w/o a an impact wrench and damage my bad shoulder. I had to stop. While healing I realized it might be a good idea to try and stop the leaks that caused it to go bad in the first place. The 87 had been running rough so I took of the throttle body to clean it and when I re-installed it now I have a air hose from the back of the idle speed sensor. It came loose and I am getting a hissing noise and no accelerator response. I don't see where that hose plugs into. Do you know where it goes? It's really hard to see it down there. I tried to feel around for a hole but couldn't find it. Any thoughts would be a help. Thanks

 

[TheFlyingDutchman]

Iirc it's a pipe which attaches to the manifold and supplies vacuum to the power steering. 173410 is your tube

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[55ikagan]

Thanks The Flying Dutchman: I was able to locate the pipe and reconnect the tube and also adjust the throttle cable to allow the accelerator pedal to move freely again. It's all a learning experience. Thanks again for your help. Now I go after the leaks. Bye for now!