AU Power Steering Switch removal

[hawke]

Does anyone know how to remove this sucker. Its leaking, and there appears to be no way known that I can get a spanner onto the underside of the switch to remove it.

Please dont tell me that I have to remove the rack to get to the switch.

[Stav]

Ive done a few on my car. Man be prepared to put some time in. you need to try with a spanner.Then if that doesnt work pull out the multigrips.The mutigrips takes ages but youll get it in the end.

[hawke]

Thanks Stav, but I dropped the rack off and found I was able to get at it.

I've just installed a two post lift in my new garage, and it makes life so much easier. It ended up taking about 15 minutes when you can stand up under the car.

[Stav]

Originally Posted by hawke

Thanks Stav, but I dropped the rack off and found I was able to get at it.

I've just installed a two post lift in my new garage, and it makes life so much easier. It ended up taking about 15 minutes when you can stand up under the car.

Gotta love happy endings

[XR6Stu]

I wish i had a hoist in my garage instead of theo ne at work. I heated up a spanner and bent it into the shape required so it just bent around, and left the rack in.

[hawke]

Considering all the money we spend on cars, the $3,500 for the lift was the best I ever spent.

[XR6Stu]

Yeah ive been trying to convinve my old man to get one in the shed, he is retired, with way too much time and money on his hands! But im thinking if he has a lift, he has no way of falling asleep on the creeper under the car...

[Jastel]

Bend a spanner at 90 degrees (approx) so you can get it, turn the handle of bent spanner with another spanner
Loosen the main rack nuts helps sometimes too

Always a pain of a job

[BillC]

I had some old push bike spanners (about 1 mm thick) so I just bent that to the perfect shape and it worked like a dream.

[Jastel]

I used some of them for a while until they snapped, so I made my proper one then. At least they fixed this on the BA. Easy to get at but have never needed to change one either.... Go figure

[Crazy Dazz]

FMD
How can such a simple thing cause so many problems? Thus look at the number of threads on this subject?
HOW am I supposed to get this sucker out?
Even if I wanted to butcher a spanner, I don’t have a bench grinder, nor a torch & vice to bend it. Tried multi-grips, but I just can’t get enough purchase.
Like most, ours is leaking around the wires. Is there any way I can simply glue that end up?

[rmack]

Glue will not hold. You can cut the spanner with a hacksaw. To get mine out required the usual blood sacrifice but it can be done.

[Evgeni]

Have you tried with a pipe wrench - it will offer more grip than a set of multi grips.

I would also have a go with a crows foot.

I've always just had the rack out, replacing other bits, so never done it in car, but they would be the options I would go for.

[robertjp]

I used an grinder to grind away the excess metal from a spanner. Works great

[Crazy Dazz]

Ok, multi-grips do not work. Pretty sure I just destroyed the switch in the donor car. 
Have stuck some glue in it for now. Might slow the leak but won’t hold under pressure, so nowhere near fixed.

The crowsfoot looks like an option?

[Evgeni]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Ok, multi-grips do not work. Pretty sure I just destroyed the switch in the donor car. 
Have stuck some glue in it for now. Might slow the leak but won’t hold under pressure, so nowhere near fixed.

The crowsfoot looks like an option?

I've seen a set of those crowsfoot wrenches at Supercheap for about $20. Perfect of you are just doing the one switch.
Otherwise you can go to a good quality tool store - cant remember the size, but a single crowsfoot wrench is around $20 for a good quality one. Just stick a 3/8 extension onto it and I reckon it wont give you anymore trouble.

[philbec15]

had an old wrench and cut the end off... welded a short 3/8 drive extension on the angle required ....cut off the excess metal on the sides of the wrench and have the perfect tool takes about 5 mins and jobs done...special tool number one...i have 4 au's to keep on tthe road so its worth while fiddling with job specific tools

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by philbec15

had an old wrench and cut the end off... welded a short 3/8 drive extension on the angle required ....cut off the excess metal on the sides of the wrench and have the perfect tool takes about 5 mins and jobs done...special tool number one...i have 4 au's to keep on tthe road so its worth while fiddling with job specific tools

Originally Posted by robertjp

I used an grinder to grind away the excess metal from a spanner. Works great

Can anyone post pictures of what their spanner looks like after they have modified it?
I'm not against buying a cheap spanner and modifying it, but I don't really understand what needs to ground down?
Would a crows foot work, or would that need to be ground down also?

[Crazy Dazz]

Alternatively,
How hard is it to drop the whole rack, or could I get accss by just removing the steeringcolumn link?

[Evgeni]

The crows foot was made for tight spots like this or for attaching onto the end of torque wrenches. You would just put an extension arm on it and then attach your ratchet.

Getting the rack out -
Remove fluid lines from rack and drain the system.
Loosen the 2x14mm bolts on the exhaust manifold.
Remove anti roll bar
Undo tie rod ends 18mm and use a puller or dead hammer blow to release the tie rod ball joint.
Lock steering and take a measurement from a fixed point on the rack to the tie rod.
Remove the two bolts holding the intermediate shaft on and pry it off the pinion.
Remove two 19mm bolts holding the rack on and then you can get to the power steering switch.

[aussiblue]

Note:

a) it is much easier to get to the switch from underneath with the right front wheel removed; and
b) that the switches come with different sized hex's so usually the aftermarket replacement ones require a different sized spanner than the OEM Ford ones which means using the new switch to determine the spanner size will not always work; and
c) Metrinch spanners work well for their removal.

[aussiblue]

Note also that the buna rubber and nitrile "o" rings supplied with most swiches are not hydraulic fluid resistant and turn to mush after a few months. You need polyacrylate "o" rings but I can't find a supplier so I am currently experimenting with some Loctite hydraulic sealant products.

[philbec15]

in regards to the "o" rings ..check with a hydraulic specialist..eg enzed or pirtek they would have heavy duty o rings..

[*rayman*]

I did this job a couple of weekends ago.

Spent an hour or so getting no where with various different spanners. Ended up finding a cheap spanner and ground the edges down to make it a slim profile. Job done in 5 minutes after that.

[aussiblue]

Hmm the brown Vitan O ring I got from a hydraulic place has failed too.

[aussiblue]

Hopefully the Loctite Hydraulic Sealant 54294 will have fixed it. If not, next stop might be a $100 Kalrez Spectrum 75 "O" ring.

[peterljohnson55]

Had mine done commercially by a mechanic .....

INVOICE. November 2012:
Supply and fit power steer rack switch, o-ring and p/s oil.
Parts $100.30;
labour $50.00; (Abt 1/2 hour at this value, I figure)
GST $15.03.

TOTAL = $165.33

[aussiblue]

The Loctite 542 sealant seems to be doing the job.

[Crazy Dazz]

[WIKI][/WIKI]

Originally Posted by Evgeni

I've seen a set of those crowsfoot wrenches at Supercheap for about $20. Perfect of you are just doing the one switch.
Otherwise you can go to a good quality tool store - cant remember the size, but a single crowsfoot wrench is around $20 for a good quality one. Just stick a 3/8 extension onto it and I reckon it wont give you anymore trouble.

Looked at the SCA ones, clearly designed by an idiot. They are semi-closed, might as well be ring-spanners, no way to get them onto the nut.

[Evgeni]

OK - they are flared.

http://www.transquip.com.au/products...anner-Set.html

Here is a set from KC which are open ended.
Otherwise it is about 45min to drop the rack.