Power to Manual Rack Conversion By Knifemind
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2022 12:49 pm
copied from outside CPC
Complete document here. docs.google.com/document/d/10oLX9K1pRMNsLZJFz3fjpyXHrwXYGBdkBuXivl7XC48/edit?usp=sharing
I spotted a thread in the 4th gen area with a similar question to my recent one about the speed sensor, and in the thread was this link..
http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1517004&page=1
I had already purchased a rack rebuild kit, so I thought instead of just resealing the rack & looping the lines, I would give this a try. The main objective here is to remove the innards of the valve control body, and the piston seal. The rack will then become free moving, instead of hydraulically controlled. Allow yourself an afternoon for this project. If you are familiar with steering boxes, you could probably go from start to finish in an hour or two. If not, then double that. Yeah, I know I did this on top of two TV dinner stands....I'm ghetto.
Remove the two rubber mounts. Remove the hose linking the two boots. Just twist & pull.
Remove the two boot clamps and pull the boots back. Watch out for escaping fluid. Remove the tie-rods from the rack. You will see a washer with two bent sides. I used a hammer and a stubby screwdriver to bend the washers straight enough to get a bite with a vise grip and squeeze them flat again. I have never done this before, and have limited tools & resources, so if there is an easier or better way to do this, please let me know. Use an open ended or adjustable wrench to loosen the rod, and twist it out. Repeat for other side.
Remove the two 10mm bolts on the valve control and pry it from the rest of the assembly. Remove the two 10mm bolts from the valve cap and remove the cap.
Slide the roller pin out of the control valve and 'dump' the contents of each hole. Pry the bottom of the control housing off. I used a tiny drill bit to apply force to the little brass piece and 'pull' it up until there was enough exposed to grab it with a plier. Poke a drill bit or other small tool through to pop out the last little blue plastic piece. Reassemble your gutless valve body.
This should be everything...the only things going back in are the misshapen o-rings. (I of course used the new ones)
Moving on to the rack. I did not have a large enough tool to fit the rack locknut, but I vise gripped it and it was not difficult at all to loosen. Remove it, then remove the rack guide screw with a 14mm socket or wrench. Remove the rack guide with your fingers or whatever....I used some small snap ring pliers.
Remove the 4 10mm pinion cover bolts. Slide the cover off the pinion. Remove the large snaprings from the ends end of the pinion. Slide the pinion and lower bearing out of the rack.
(see those two o rings? keep or replace them, but take out the white plastic bits [not shown] in the holes. )
Remove the 4 10mm cylinder bolts. Remove the cylinder housing. Remove the cylinder spring & rack bushing. Pull the piston & housing out of the gearbox. Remove the outer & inner rings from the piston.
No more pics, because it started getting real greasy here. Liberally grease everything with some quality grease and begin reassembly.
I am on my way to the hardware store to find something to plug the p/s holes in the valve control, then on my way to work. I'll add my finishing touches after work.
Edit:
I was totally unable to find any hardware to fill the power steering lines. I ended up just using the existing lines and just cutting each one down to about an inch and capping them with some vacuum line plugs. I've had the rack in since Friday, and so far everything is fine. The feel of it is marginally better than the afunctional rack that was previously there. I am glad I will never have to deal with a leaky ps system again. Only people who are hardcore about simplifying their systems and don't care about power steering, or hardcore racers who think every pound counts should consider this project. Everybody else should just consider repairing their p/s to normal. I have always thought that power steering was overrated on small cars like ours, and I enjoyed the hell out of ripping all those lines out.
Complete document here. docs.google.com/document/d/10oLX9K1pRMNsLZJFz3fjpyXHrwXYGBdkBuXivl7XC48/edit?usp=sharing
I spotted a thread in the 4th gen area with a similar question to my recent one about the speed sensor, and in the thread was this link..
http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1517004&page=1
I had already purchased a rack rebuild kit, so I thought instead of just resealing the rack & looping the lines, I would give this a try. The main objective here is to remove the innards of the valve control body, and the piston seal. The rack will then become free moving, instead of hydraulically controlled. Allow yourself an afternoon for this project. If you are familiar with steering boxes, you could probably go from start to finish in an hour or two. If not, then double that. Yeah, I know I did this on top of two TV dinner stands....I'm ghetto.
Remove the two rubber mounts. Remove the hose linking the two boots. Just twist & pull.
Remove the two boot clamps and pull the boots back. Watch out for escaping fluid. Remove the tie-rods from the rack. You will see a washer with two bent sides. I used a hammer and a stubby screwdriver to bend the washers straight enough to get a bite with a vise grip and squeeze them flat again. I have never done this before, and have limited tools & resources, so if there is an easier or better way to do this, please let me know. Use an open ended or adjustable wrench to loosen the rod, and twist it out. Repeat for other side.
Remove the two 10mm bolts on the valve control and pry it from the rest of the assembly. Remove the two 10mm bolts from the valve cap and remove the cap.
Slide the roller pin out of the control valve and 'dump' the contents of each hole. Pry the bottom of the control housing off. I used a tiny drill bit to apply force to the little brass piece and 'pull' it up until there was enough exposed to grab it with a plier. Poke a drill bit or other small tool through to pop out the last little blue plastic piece. Reassemble your gutless valve body.
This should be everything...the only things going back in are the misshapen o-rings. (I of course used the new ones)
Moving on to the rack. I did not have a large enough tool to fit the rack locknut, but I vise gripped it and it was not difficult at all to loosen. Remove it, then remove the rack guide screw with a 14mm socket or wrench. Remove the rack guide with your fingers or whatever....I used some small snap ring pliers.
Remove the 4 10mm pinion cover bolts. Slide the cover off the pinion. Remove the large snaprings from the ends end of the pinion. Slide the pinion and lower bearing out of the rack.
(see those two o rings? keep or replace them, but take out the white plastic bits [not shown] in the holes. )
Remove the 4 10mm cylinder bolts. Remove the cylinder housing. Remove the cylinder spring & rack bushing. Pull the piston & housing out of the gearbox. Remove the outer & inner rings from the piston.
No more pics, because it started getting real greasy here. Liberally grease everything with some quality grease and begin reassembly.
I am on my way to the hardware store to find something to plug the p/s holes in the valve control, then on my way to work. I'll add my finishing touches after work.
Edit:
I was totally unable to find any hardware to fill the power steering lines. I ended up just using the existing lines and just cutting each one down to about an inch and capping them with some vacuum line plugs. I've had the rack in since Friday, and so far everything is fine. The feel of it is marginally better than the afunctional rack that was previously there. I am glad I will never have to deal with a leaky ps system again. Only people who are hardcore about simplifying their systems and don't care about power steering, or hardcore racers who think every pound counts should consider this project. Everybody else should just consider repairing their p/s to normal. I have always thought that power steering was overrated on small cars like ours, and I enjoyed the hell out of ripping all those lines out.