my van got turned down for a bad inner passenger tie rod.i thought id change it til i looked at the shop manual.it seems easier to replace the rack.which remanufactured rack is best?

 

I got a replacement rack from Rockauto for another car a couple years ago. It was a rebuild, but it's been working fine since then. The precision of a newly rebuilt rack really tightened up the feel.

One thing I noticed was that the turning effort was much reduced with the new one, so the old one must have had internal leaks. It had actually started to leak externally as well, but I didn't see that until I started to take it out.

 

I'd be willing to bet they are all rebuilt at by the same company.

 

I just did rock auto, I choose the AC DELCO, the first one leaked at the input steering shaft seal and it did'nt feel right anyway internally. Rock Auto sent me another AC DELCO for free right away, and it is working fine so far.
Very easy to install, you just have to pay for an alignment after. Replace the tie rods while your there also.
You can get new racks but they are pricey.
I think its a crap shoot. Just don't get the cheapest one.

 

Steering gears and steering gearboxes, rack and pinion steering gears and more.


From their website:
We back what we sell with a limited lifetime warranty that covers the part for as long as the owner owns the vehicle, and with labor covered up to $175 for the first year of use in the case of any defect.

 

i checked rockauto first but all their racks required sending back the core and there was nothing i could see about who paid for that.i always try to buy a ford part and they have one.

 

They include a return shipping label, so that is free to you. Just use the same package that theirs came in.

 

There's no problem just changing the tie rod ends.

The hardest part is separating the tapered bolt from the wheel casting. Placing a jack under the casting to support it after unscrewing the castle nut till it's level with the top of the bolt and striking it sharply with a big hammer should pop it loose with one blow.

Jack up the frontend before starting this project and measure and mark the center of the tires. When you're screwing the tie rod back into the rack and pinion, make sure the measurement is the same before locking the jam nut.

No rocket science necessary.

 

There are various ways to measure the toe settings on your car. The simplest is to draw a reference line on the floor down the center of your vehicle and then measure the distance between it and the front and rear edges of the tires on each side. Use an easy spot on the tires, like the edge of a tread. Record these numbers before you disassemble the old tie rods, and try to set to these numbers with the new ones. When you make a setting change, you need to roll the vehicle forward and backward a few feet to relieve tension on the tires to get an accurate reading.

 

What is the toe in supposed to be?

 

The procedures I outlined was to allow you to get to as close to original settings as possible after you change the rack. It will let you drive to your local shop for alignment without chewing up your tires, or veering off the road.

I don't remember Ford's alignment specs, but I recall it was pretty broad. I prefer as little toe-in as required to maintain steering stability, after adjusting caster and camber. I prefer as much positive caster as possible, which helps steering stability and straight line tracking. And then as little static negative camber as required, again, to maintain stability.

 

Article No. 93-23-24

• SUSPENSION—FRONT—ALIGNMENT SETTINGS

•SUSPENSION—FRONT ALIGNMENT—SERVICE PROCEDURES—1994 MODEL SERVICE PARTS USAGE

http://www.thedieselstop.com/faq/949...les/932324.pdf

 

I got a remaned one for my 1992 before I sold it, at Auto Zone, replaced it myself, no issues. Yes they want the core to rebuild it.

 

i ended up just replacing the inner tie rod end.it was easier than i thought.

 

You da man. Get the Aero back out on the road and represent.