OEM 2006 Ford Five Hundred Rack And Pinion

2006 Ford Five Hundred Rack And Pinion Parts Q&A

• Q: What Are the Crucial Steps to Follow When Repairing the Rack and Pinion in the Power Steering System on 2006 Ford Five Hundred?

  A: Safe operation of the power steering system requires preventing contamination because contaminants accelerate the failure of system components. Start by placing the steering wheel at direct center and extract the ignition key first. Place the vehicle in neutral while mounting it on a hoist. The hex holding feature stops the stud from rotating before removing the two tie-rod end nuts so that you can disconnect the tie-rod ends from the steering knuckles by tightening the fasteners to 115 Nm (85 ft. lbs.). It is mandatory to install new O-ring seals at every power steering line disconnection. The power steering line clamp plate bolt needs removing before rotating the clamp plate so you can disconnect the power steering pressure and return lines from the rack and pinion. Toss the two O-ring seals and tighten new ones to 25 Nm (18 ft. lbs.) when installing. The intermediate shaft boot bearing clamp must stay in open position before handling boot components as well as after installation to verify end tabs avoid boot contact. To install the intermediate shaft boot bearing correctly it needs to be placed correctly into its designated groove and the external race needs to be hidden. A proper tool should be used to open the intermediate shaft boot bearing clamp yet keep it secured in its open state. Steering column shaft rotation should be avoided during the disconnected phase of the lower shaft because damage to the clock spring will occur; when rotation takes place it necessitates clock spring recentering. We need to remove the rack and pinion-to-intermediate shaft bolt which you will discard before securing the new one using 25 Nm torque (18 ft. lbs.). First disconnect then remove the rack and pinion nuts and bolts before pulling out the rack and pinion from the left side of the vehicle through a specific procedure that includes discarding the original nuts and tightening new ones to 117 Nm (86 ft. lbs.) torque specifications. The power steering system requires filling after the procedure and front toe checking and correction is necessary.