Steering rack bushing problem?!

[Da Flash]

I recently changed the steering rack bushings on car (old rubber to energy suspension urethane) and got some new tires. The tire shop said that they couldn't align it because of play in the rack bushing so, I took it home to see if he was right. With the front end jacked up I can move the brake rotor whiches causes the rack to move side to side. Is this normal and if not what would be the solution? I've already double checked the tightness of the bolts that clamp the bushings.

Oh, for what it's worth, the old bushings had thin metal strips wrapped aruond them, kinda like shims. Are these neccesary?

[jackboxxx]

the rack itself moves side to side? or is the rack doing what its supposed to do meaning the steering portion of it is "turning" with the rotors as you turn them simulating the car turning?

Is it possible you mixxed up the bushings? they are different sizes. and they sit in thier "cradle" a certain way too.

[kenz240z]

I replaced the steering rack bushings on my '73 with the energy suspension urethane set and it is solid. No side to side movement of the rack itself.

[montoya_fan01]

are you SURE the rack itself is moving, or could it be that there is play inside the rack. Like Inner Tie-Rod ends that are shot.

If you have the "rack bushings" installed correctly and the bolts are tight, there is NO WAY the rack (itself) could move around like you describe.

BTW, those shims are there because someone, (somewhere) in your cars past had time enough to replace the bushings but was too CHEAP to spend $20 buying the parts to do the job right.

[Da Flash]

It's the rack (the tube that is mounted to the crossmember byway of the bushings). I figure that maybe a PO changed out the original rack for a later model but, from a few searches, it semms that all 70-78 racks are interchangable. My car s a '71.

[montoya_fan01]

If the rack is moving around, it's not installed properly, or the rack housing itself is broken.

[LanceM]

I believe that all of the racks are interchangeable but there is a difference between early and late bushing sizes. VB catalog shows one part # for 70-73 a different one for 74-78.

[Da Flash]

Ok, I'll have to look at VB catalog and see what I can figure out. Man and I thought I was done with this rack (at least for the time being!!)

[BD240Z]

I'm having the same issue. I replaced my rack with a reman unit and new bushings from VB and then went in for an alignment. The mechanic said the rack was moving, therefore no point in doing the alignment.

When I replaced the rack, I also replaced the outer tie-rods, ball joints, control arm bushings, struts and sway-bar bushings so I'm confident the movement isn't related to another component. Anything's possible though.

The mechanic recommended Nissan, OE rack bushings. I'm going to call VB and get some feedback, if possible. Also, my old bushings had strips of rubber wrapped around them, seems the previous owner had the same problem.

Good luck with your car.

[=Enigma=]

This shimming up of the rack with various materials seems to be a common thing. Mine was shimmed up by the PO with some split open garden hose. I will be replacing all the bushings with Energy Suspension bushings as part of my suspension refresh but haven't gotten to the rack yet. I hope I don't run into the same issue ..

[dogma420]

why don't we use some common sense here...

When you tighten the brackets on the bushings, it should feel tighter (harder to tighten) BEFORE you are completely done tightening down--you need to use more torque on the last 1/4 of the tightening process...is this happening? if the bolts tighten down the brackets with no resistance, then they are the wrong bushings.

[montoya_fan01]

back when 240z's were new there was a common problem with the original rack bushings getting sloppy. some mechanics shimmed the original bushings, but a better (and more logical fix, IMO) was to install Nissan "competition" rack bushings.

what dogma says is correct. if the brackets tighten down without resistance and obvious compression of the bushings............