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gvr4 / eclipse steering rack

ercp98

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
1,340
Location
northlake in illinois
i just did the power steering swap and 4ws delete using a rack from an eclipse. everything went smoothly as far as the install of the new rack. my question is, is the eclipse rack narrower than the gvr4? after eyeballing the wheel alignment, the tie rods went on with just 3 full turns. i forgot to count how many it was on the old rack and i do not have the old rack to measure. does any one remember how many turns it takes to safely install the tie rod ends?
thanks in advance.
 

Muskrat

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 13, 2004
Messages
2,107
Location
Lexington, KY
This is just hypothesis, but it might be something to consider.

Both the Galant and the DSM have the same width (body-wise. not sure about track, but I'd expect it to be pretty close).

IF the DSM rack was narrower, the tie rod would probably be longer. Did you use DSM or Galant tie rods?

As far as safety: If i remember reight from my Machine Design class the entire load on any screw is generally considered to be supported by the first three threads. If you have three threads fully engaged you might be ok, but there's no saftey factor if a thread fails.
 
Last edited:

ercp98

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
1,340
Location
northlake in illinois
i believe i have galant tie rod ends because they are the same ones from the old rack (6 months old).
so, you think the eclipse tie rods should be longer? i'll check one out at napa. thnaks.
 

Armitage

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Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
715
Location
Herndon, VA
I converted to a DSM rack as well. I didn't take any measurements of the two when I had them side by side, and I should have. As far as I can tell the car seems fine and aligned well. Only weird thing, and this could just be because I had gotten used to daily driving the rx7 for a few months, is that the Galant doesn't seem to have as tight a turning radius as I remember now. But maybe it never did and my perception is wrong.
 

Supposedly not all the power steering racks have the same ratio, ie NA is different from T, and FWD from AWD, etc. and so that could be part of it. I don't know for sure myself, but am quite interested as my rack has sprung a leak and I see a DSM rack for it in the near future...
 

ercp98

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Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
1,340
Location
northlake in illinois
my turning radius has increased too. i think. it is 2.75 rotation from lock to lock with tires on and a little past 3 turns with out the tires on. also the streering is fast and lighter. but i think it because it is not pumping to the back anymore. i know i should have measure the racks too. oh well..
 

Adorsey

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
355
Location
mass
Not to take stray away from your original Q, but did you guys find a better result in driving after the rack swap?
thanks
 

ercp98

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
1,340
Location
northlake in illinois
so far best fix i've done. i was gonna do a manual rack. but after 2 years of no power steering, i am really glad i went with a power steering rack. i'm getting old i guess.
 

iceman69510

Turn Right Racing
Staff member
Joined
Mar 5, 2001
Messages
10,964
Location
Michigan
Depending on the vehicle you took the rack from, it may have a larger turning radius. The turbo A/T cars had a shorter stroke because the large transmission body limited the travel of the tires when turning (Eclipse also used Wider lower profile tires you will note).
 

496of2000

Well-known member
Joined
May 4, 2001
Messages
642
Location
San Diego, CA USA
I'm switching back to power steering. I have a rack out of a galant gsx, and PS pump, brackets, hoses/lines out of a LS.
 

Armitage

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
715
Location
Herndon, VA
Okay so I went to a RallyX this weekend and I am 100% certain I need to resolve this problem. It was definitely not my perception that the ratio of the rack I've installed is lower. I hit the steering lock long before the wheels have turned all the way. This prevents the car from getting around tight corners at all and is incredibly frustrating when trying to race.

So, short of replacing the rack again and getting another alignment, is there any way to open up the locks so I can regain my full steering range again?
 

Armitage

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
715
Location
Herndon, VA
Anyone know what racks offer the proper ratio and turning radius for our cars? It looks like I'll be replacing the thing again in the near future.
 
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