I found my '04 Z06's steering rack clunking after the last event. Symptoms were a loud "clunk clunk" when turning the wheel left and right, particularly with the car off. The car has 25,000 miles on it. Upon further investigation, it seemed as though the inner tie rod end on the driver's side was loose. I could move it up and down approximately 3mm. After pulling the boot back, I found it wasn't the tie rod end, but rather the rack gear itself.

I removed the rack using the following procedure (slightly different than those I've seen posted and it was extremely easy).

0) Lift the car, support using jackstands and pucks under the frame behind the front wheels, and remove the front wheels.
1) Use 18mm flare nut wrench to remove two PS lines from rack through driver's wheel well. Put a pan underneath to catch the fluid.
2) Remove outer tie rod end nuts using 18mm socket and impact gun
3) Remove outer tie rod ends from knuckle using a tie rod removal tool (not a pickle fork)
4) Unbolt the power steering cooler
5) Unbolt the two 18mm bolts / nuts holding the rack to the car.
6) Loosen the four nuts holding the cradle to the car until you see approximately one thread showing.
7) Wedge a large flathead screwdriver on each side between the cradle and the frame to hold the cradle down.
8) Rig something up to hold the steering wheel straight.
9) Remove the 13mm pinch bolt holding the steering shaft to the rack
10) Slide the rack out the driver's side. I did this from under the car and it was a piece of cake. Once the input shaft to the pinion cleared the brake lines there were no issues

I adjusted the tension on the rack using the procedure here. It ended up about 1.5 bolt "flats" tighter than it was previously. I couldn't feel any play in the rack anymore but it moved smoothly side to side.

Reinstall the rack by reversing the instructions.

Incidentally, call me nuts but looking at how the rack is mounted I don't see how the DRM steering rack bushings would do squat for steering feel. Yeah, there's a rubber bushing on the passenger's side of the car, but the driver's side is a solid mount. If the driver's side can't move side to side, the passenger's side isn't going to move either. And the rack won't move vertically because the tie rod ends pivot. How people get improved steering feel with a different bushing is beyond me.

Hope this helps someone with loose steering.

 

Thanks for sharing, and this is the same problem i have as well, and others too. Its kinda wash board feeling while driving sraight line and specially changing lanes it has sloppy feel, i always feel like it should be more tighter.

will do this mod, when iam ready for either cam install or Maggie install (pinning crank). Thanks again for sharing.

 

Th rack bushing helps the up and down motion of the rack. There isn't much bushing in there, but it does help under race conditions or if the bushing is old.

Randy

 

Randy please pm me the price quote include shipping to Mississauga, ON L5B 2H4 thru USPS only shipment.

Oh if u have delrin one i will prefer that one otherwise Al would be fine, i dont do those official track races, but in case if i sell this car in future and if he would like to race than hope these steel bushings should not be any problems for him either.