Hi all -
I'm fairly new to the NM3 community but wanted to offer a steering rack rebuild service to those who either need to (a) fix a leaky steering rack, or (b) are looking to upgrade their steering racks. I've now performed three 712 yellow tag rebuilds: one for myself, one for a neighbor that lives on my street, and a third for an old college friend who lives in San Diego. I'm currently rebuilding a fourth 712 yellow tag rack for a forum member.
What
E46 steering rack rebuild service.
Why
I went down the rabbit hole of "OEM+" and discovered that the 712 yellow tag rack had a shorter "lock-to-lock" than my green tag, so of course I needed that. I wasn't sure how the car would handle, but everyone raved about this being a surefire improvement to the steering. I followed guides, videos, and went so far as to buy a professional grade seal extractor, bearing puller, and crafted a few custom tools specific to steering rack deconstruction. It's not big money, but I spent about $500 all-in for tools alone. I didn't want to do this job haphazardly and wanted to leave the steering rack and components in perfect condition. My steering rack rebuild was a success, and since I had the tools I offered to rebuild a rack for a kid down the street that is big into drifting and his daily is his E46 M3. From there, I realized that I could rebuild steering racks pretty quickly and effectively for others. The yellow tag rack feels fantastic.
Process
The steering rack rebuild is messy and truly does require some of the specialized tools I either purchased or had made. It's not impossible to get done without these tools, but I guarantee you will damage the inner steering tubes and/or damage the actual rack and pinion assemblies. I usually spend about two hours disassembling the racks just to be sure it's done slowly and carefully.
Evaluation and Deconstruction:
1. Steering rack condition - Is there any pitting on the steering rack? Any visible damage near the two ends of the rack tube? Any leaking from the steering rack? Any cracks? Are the steering rack teeth clean, undamaged and not worn?
2. Bolts/threads - ensure there are no cracks, leaks, or stripping. I would not try to rethread these racks since the tolerance is so tight and there is little room to enlarge the threads on the rack to begin with.
3. Pinion shaft condition - teeth clean, undamaged and not worn? Knurls in good condition?
4. Removal of all seals, bearings, and locks
Reconditioning:
1. Steering rack - to ensure smoothness along the entirety of the rack, I will very lightly sand from 240 grit to 3000 grit just to remove any minor imperfections. Large pitting would render the rack unusable and something I'd inform you of.
2. Pinion shaft - straighten and condition the knurls (if needed)
3. Ultrasonic cleaning - for all parts that will be reused during assembly, I will place them in a mild degreasing solution and then immediately coat with ATF for protection (WD40 for parts that will not touch hydraulic fluid)
4. Steering tube and pinion tube cleaning - I will thoroughly degrease and clean the interior, then coat with a light film of ATF
5. Hydraulic crossover line flush
Rebuilding:
1. Bearings - replace with new, genuine bearings and lubricate all three with SKF bearing lube
2. Seals - replace with new seals lubricate with Redline ATF
4. Rack and pinion - lube with Redline CV-2
3. Install
Pricing
Total cost will depend on which items you already have or which you'd like me to purchase on your behalf. I have access to quite a few 712 yellow tag racks that I can purchase for ~$250 or less and would certainly pass the savings along to you. The seal kit is $75 shipped and brand new, genuine bearings from SKF and INA cost a total of $75. An example cost to rebuild a 712 yellow tag steering rack:
1. 712 yellow tag steering rack = $250
2. E46 steering rack seal kit = $75
3. SKF and INA bearings (3) = $75
4. Labor = $250 (about 10 hours)
5. Shipping = $35 or less
Total = $685
I'm not looking to make a living on steering rack rebuilds, just offering this service to those that are looking to rebuild their own racks. It's definitely a DIY job for anyone that wants to take the time, but for those that don't want to spend the money on the tools required (or have the time to tear down and rebuild) then this is a pretty cost-effective method, IMO. Oddly enough, I enjoy the process.
You can follow along with my current 712 Yellow Tag rebuild HERE. I'll provide images and updates for all rebuild projects. I will be purchasing at least 3 more genuine INA needle bearings (1 is already claimed as of 3/5/24) but will likely be able to get a few more.
Thanks!
David
I'm fairly new to the NM3 community but wanted to offer a steering rack rebuild service to those who either need to (a) fix a leaky steering rack, or (b) are looking to upgrade their steering racks. I've now performed three 712 yellow tag rebuilds: one for myself, one for a neighbor that lives on my street, and a third for an old college friend who lives in San Diego. I'm currently rebuilding a fourth 712 yellow tag rack for a forum member.
What
E46 steering rack rebuild service.
Why
I went down the rabbit hole of "OEM+" and discovered that the 712 yellow tag rack had a shorter "lock-to-lock" than my green tag, so of course I needed that. I wasn't sure how the car would handle, but everyone raved about this being a surefire improvement to the steering. I followed guides, videos, and went so far as to buy a professional grade seal extractor, bearing puller, and crafted a few custom tools specific to steering rack deconstruction. It's not big money, but I spent about $500 all-in for tools alone. I didn't want to do this job haphazardly and wanted to leave the steering rack and components in perfect condition. My steering rack rebuild was a success, and since I had the tools I offered to rebuild a rack for a kid down the street that is big into drifting and his daily is his E46 M3. From there, I realized that I could rebuild steering racks pretty quickly and effectively for others. The yellow tag rack feels fantastic.
Process
The steering rack rebuild is messy and truly does require some of the specialized tools I either purchased or had made. It's not impossible to get done without these tools, but I guarantee you will damage the inner steering tubes and/or damage the actual rack and pinion assemblies. I usually spend about two hours disassembling the racks just to be sure it's done slowly and carefully.
Evaluation and Deconstruction:
1. Steering rack condition - Is there any pitting on the steering rack? Any visible damage near the two ends of the rack tube? Any leaking from the steering rack? Any cracks? Are the steering rack teeth clean, undamaged and not worn?
2. Bolts/threads - ensure there are no cracks, leaks, or stripping. I would not try to rethread these racks since the tolerance is so tight and there is little room to enlarge the threads on the rack to begin with.
3. Pinion shaft condition - teeth clean, undamaged and not worn? Knurls in good condition?
4. Removal of all seals, bearings, and locks
Reconditioning:
1. Steering rack - to ensure smoothness along the entirety of the rack, I will very lightly sand from 240 grit to 3000 grit just to remove any minor imperfections. Large pitting would render the rack unusable and something I'd inform you of.
2. Pinion shaft - straighten and condition the knurls (if needed)
3. Ultrasonic cleaning - for all parts that will be reused during assembly, I will place them in a mild degreasing solution and then immediately coat with ATF for protection (WD40 for parts that will not touch hydraulic fluid)
4. Steering tube and pinion tube cleaning - I will thoroughly degrease and clean the interior, then coat with a light film of ATF
5. Hydraulic crossover line flush
Rebuilding:
1. Bearings - replace with new, genuine bearings and lubricate all three with SKF bearing lube
2. Seals - replace with new seals lubricate with Redline ATF
4. Rack and pinion - lube with Redline CV-2
3. Install
Pricing
Total cost will depend on which items you already have or which you'd like me to purchase on your behalf. I have access to quite a few 712 yellow tag racks that I can purchase for ~$250 or less and would certainly pass the savings along to you. The seal kit is $75 shipped and brand new, genuine bearings from SKF and INA cost a total of $75. An example cost to rebuild a 712 yellow tag steering rack:
1. 712 yellow tag steering rack = $250
2. E46 steering rack seal kit = $75
3. SKF and INA bearings (3) = $75
4. Labor = $250 (about 10 hours)
5. Shipping = $35 or less
Total = $685
I'm not looking to make a living on steering rack rebuilds, just offering this service to those that are looking to rebuild their own racks. It's definitely a DIY job for anyone that wants to take the time, but for those that don't want to spend the money on the tools required (or have the time to tear down and rebuild) then this is a pretty cost-effective method, IMO. Oddly enough, I enjoy the process.
You can follow along with my current 712 Yellow Tag rebuild HERE. I'll provide images and updates for all rebuild projects. I will be purchasing at least 3 more genuine INA needle bearings (1 is already claimed as of 3/5/24) but will likely be able to get a few more.
Thanks!
David
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