Ford AL1Z-3504-BRM
Steering Gear, Front

The first step of rack and pinion repair requires hoisting the vehicle with the gear placed in NEUTRAL position. Maintain the steering column shaft in its original position throughout removal from the rack and pinion assembly because ambiguity of the Clock Spring can lead to damage. Therefore, check for Clock Spring orientation when necessary. Position the steering wheel exactly in its center position. The service starts with discarding the outer tie-rod end nuts before employing a Ball Joint Tool Separator to disconnect the tie-rod ends from wheel knuckles while attending to the tie-rod end boot. The lower cooling fan shroud tab must be freed before rotating the shroud upward. First remove the rack and pinion-to-crossmember bolts followed by disconnecting the oil drip shield along with these two bolts. Remove the steering column shaft-to-rack and pinion bolt then disconnect the shaft but prevent the shaft from rotating. The procedure to disconnect power steering lines includes removing the power steering line clamp plate bolt followed by rotating the clamp plate and discarding both O-ring seals. Unfasten the two bolts that hold rack and pinion to crossmember then proceed to remove rack and pinion discarding bolts. When installing the rack and pinion ensure the distinct seating position of the LH bushing because the RH bushing lacks locking tabs. Place the rack and pinion into position before installing two new rack and pinion-to-crossmember bolts which need to be tightened to 440 Nm (325 lb-ft). Screw in the steering column shaft before securing the bolt with a torque value of 30 Nm (22 lb-ft). Fully install O-ring seals into position before joining the steering lines through a process of clamp plate rotation followed by clamp plate bolt tightening to 23 Nm (17 lb-ft). Authenticate the oil drip shield and adjust its two bolts to 7 Nm torque level (62 lb-in). Secure the cooling fan shroud downward and connect the tie-rod ends to the wheel knuckles by tightening new nuts to 115 Nm (85 lb-ft). Complete the power steering system filling and check the front toe measurement for adjustment if required.