If the steering rack on your car is no longer working properly and is giving you a lot of trouble it should be replaced. Read this post to the end and discover here the steps to install a new steering rack on a Ford Focus.
Ford introduced the Focus with the 2000 model year and the first generation lasted 7 years before the second generation was introduced for the 2008 model year. The original shipped as a sedan, hatchback, and wagon, but the hatchback and wagon fell out in favor. of a coupe with the 2008 production line.
Steps to install a new steering rack on a Ford Focus
If you do your own repairs and need to install a new steering rack for model years 2000 through 2007, follow these instructions.
1- Remove the steering rack
Disconnect the negative battery cable and center the steering wheel.. Remove the lower instrument panel and disengage the steering column shaft and steering pinion gear.
Raise and support the front end before removing the wheels. Unscrew the nuts from the tie rod ends and use a ball joint press to separate the tie rod ends. Separate the stabilizer bars and strut and spring assemblies.
Unhook the fluid cooler hose and drain the liquid into a clean container. Remove the heat shield, hose support clamp, and power steering hoses from the gear.
Raise the crossbar to support it and remove the bolts before lowering it off the frame. Once you’ve removed the floor joint and steering column coupling shaft, you can remove the rack and pinion assembly.
2- Installation of the new steering rack
Replace the o-rings on the pressure and return hoses before installing the new gear. Torque the gear mounting bolts to 59 foot-pounds. Re-attach the steering column coupler shaft and replace the original floor seal.
Use pins to align the crossmember with the alignment holes in the frame and secure the crossmember with the outer bolts torqued to 85 foot-pounds and the four inner bolts torqued to 148 foot-pounds.
Remove the transmission jack and subframe alignment bolts to reconnect the power steering hoses. Tighten the hose support clamp and replace the heat shield. Secures the support insulator to the transaxle center bolt with a torque of 37 ft-lbs.
Connect the cooler hose and reattach the sway bars to the struts and springs (torque 37 ft-lbs). Torque the new tie rod end nuts to 35 foot-pounds and reattach the wheels. At this point you can lower the front end.
Reconnect the steering column coupling shaft and steering gear pinion w new hold-down bolt (21 ft-lbs). Again replace the instrument panel, fill the fluid and reconnect the battery. If you don’t do a full front end alignment, you should at least make sure you set the toe correctly.
Advice
Now that you know how to install a new steering rack on a Ford Focus, you should know that you can replace the original foam gasket as long as it is clean, maintains its original shape and the foam is between 20 and 25mm.
Caveat
Wrap the ball joints in a cloth to protect them from contamination once you separate the ball joints and knuckles.
