Ford 6L7Z-3504-AARM
Steering Gear

The procedure for 4x2 rack and pinion maintenance starts with setting front wheels to a straight-ahead position and turning OFF the ignition switch. A driver must switch off the air suspension control near the jack storage space in the passenger compartment rear section before any hoisting or jacking or towing of an air suspension vehicle because unexpected air spring inflation or deflation can shift the vehicle and pose safety risks. After setting NEUTRAL shift position, the vehicle should be positioned on a hoist. The hex holding feature should be used to stop the stud from rotating before removing two nuts to disconnect tie-rod ends from wheel knuckles. Begin by taking off the two bolts and the oil drip shield followed by disconnecting the lines from the frame rail retainers. It is crucial to avoid rotational movement of the intermediate shaft when it is separated from the rack and pinion since this motion could harm the Clock Spring; rotate the shaft if this occurs; the Clock Spring needs to be removed before recentering. The intermediate shaft-to-rack and pinion pinch bolt should be removed to disconnect the rack and pinion and intermediate shaft from each other with the power steering lines separated too. The O-ring seals will need replacement. The electrical connector disconnection for Navigator vehicles requires rotating the actuator until it reveals the connector housing that faces the rack and pinion input shaft. Detach the two rack and pinion bracket-to-crossmember nuts and bolts before discarding them. Secure the steering lines outside the removal path of the rack and pinion before removing the two rack and pinion bracket-to-gear nuts and bolts and their accompanying brackets while discarding the nuts. In 4WD vehicles, keep the wheel end vacuum line away from the rack and pinion mounting fasteners prior to tightening the bolts for prevention of damage. Bolts attaching the bracket to the rack and pinion should be tightened first to prevent damage during subsequent bolts tightening between brackets and crossmembers (M12). The installation requires following the reversal of removal steps with new high-pressure line and return line O-ring seals and power steering system filling.

Service and repair operations for the rack and pinion require positioning front wheels directly ahead followed by turning OFF the ignition. Scrutinize the air suspension switch near the rear passenger compartment jack storage as failure to do so will cause the air springs to experience accidental inflation or deflation when carrying out hoisting or jacking or towing. Position the vehicle on a hoist while placing it in the NEUTRAL gear. The hex holding feature should stop the stud from rotating when removing nuts to detach tie-rods from wheel knuckles. The second step requires the removal of bolts and oil drip shield before removing lines from the clip. When the intermediate shaft remains disconnected from the rack and pinion it should not rotate because this can harm the Clock Spring. In this case, the technician will need to remove the Clock Spring to recenter it. First, detach the intermediate shaft from the rack and pinion using the gear bolt removal and second disconnect the power steering lines with the bolts before setting them away. The electrical connector on Navigator vehicles needs disconnection by turning the actuator to expose the connector housing toward the rack and pinion input shaft. Detach the power steering lines from the rack and pinion while disposing of the nuts and verify that the removal path of the rack and pinion possesses clear access to the lines to prevent any damage. Remove the nuts, bolts, brackets along with the rack and pinion without keeping the nuts. Before tightening bolts on 4x4 vehicles ensure that all wheel end vacuum lines are positioned away from the rack and pinion mounting fasteners to avoid damage. The M14 bracket-to-rack and pinion bolts must be tightened first to prevent damage to the rack and pinion yet M12 bracket-to-crossmember bolts need to be applied second. The completion of the process involves following the removal steps in reverse order while performing system filling and purging with leak testing.

Remove the bolt to disconnect the power steering lines and discard the O-ring seals.