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Steering rack/stability track

Hunner

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,334
Location
Arkansas
Not conclusive but gather what you will from this experience.

After all these years and some health conditions I decided to fork over the money and let someone else help. Rack was leaking. I was getting new lower ball joints, brake rotors and pads since I have 100,000 on them.
Local place close by are real home town folks and agreed to help me get the bead locks started to mount new tires. I came home with those in my truck and OCD assembled them with o rings and torque wrench.

Picked up the H3 and first thing stab service comes on. I had politely mentioned tying off the steering wheel, several times. They had a device that looked like it should work they use on other cars.

Hours later I asked to see their scanner. left was digital or analog not sure at that time there was both, 0 but right was 262 or something crazy. They could reset the warning but it just came back. Ok I said something has happened to the physical sensor. No replies. They took it to the nearby GM dealer that said they could clear it with their custom scanner.

Their answer after looking at it was, "oh it needs one new sensor" my place said well we can do that. But, they physically adjusted the one that was way off and cleared the code. Seems to be working.

So there is more to it than just resetting code. Turning the steering wheel to get proper readings while watching a scanner did not work because it was so far out.

Not sure how the sensor got moved, but "it wasn't me!"

I only had the first rack on my 06 give me a problem. I did not know to tie off the wheel. When I disconnected the shaft the wheel rotated right then to the heavy side I guess. I had a dealer fix that just in a few minutes.

I have however done it several more times without issue with all my brackets and suspension mods. Guess I was lucky.

Anyway I'm still wheeling and exploring..............................
 
Last edited:

Hunner

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,334
Location
Arkansas
When doing any work that involves the steering column, this tool is priceless. Under $20 online. I paid $12.50 on eBay. Just center the wheel and it pushes into a hole in the underside of the column. Prevents accidental destruction of the steering sensor.

https://www.amazon.com/Steering-Column-Anti-Rotation-Pin-J-42640/dp/B000Q6S8MA

I knew about that but at the moment I did not have one. They used a double clamp device much like the old hook and crook wheel lock. It was secure. Still a mystery how the sensor got knocked out of alignment.
 

4speedfunk

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,212
Location
Tardville
I use a piece of rope to tie the wheel to the brake pedal. More info below:

The angle sensor is a basically a tiny version of an abs hub. It’s a sealed plastic dohinky about 2” in diameter. It has no “stops” and you cannot over crank it...so you can’t really break it. But you can get it out of calibration, if you disconnect the steering shaft and hook it back up a turn out from center (which happens very often). The new angle sensor comes out of the box with a small plastic lock pin installed in it. You leave this lock pin in place during replacement and then remove it after the column is reinstalled in the truck. The GM manual says the sensor must be replaced if you get it out of calibration but, this is untrue. You can fiddle with it for awhile and get a paper clip installed in it, to act like the original lock pin. Then you can reinstall it on the column and reinstall the column into the truck. This costs nothing but requires removal of the column. You cannot “reset” the angle sensor via software...that’s a myth. It’s a mechanical part and must be manually rotated back to zero (center) position.

A related issue with steering work is the smart switch in the column. This has the turn signals, cruise, wipers, horn, airbag, etc. circuits running through it. This component must also remain centered but unlike the angle sensor...THIS PART CAN BE BROKEN by over cranking the wheel. It cannot be repaired and it’s $200. It can be changed in the vehicle but it requires removal of the airbag and steering wheel. Like the angle sensor...the smart switch comes out of the box with a plastic lock pin that gets removed after installation.

Basically the entire steering system is centered at the factory, and it’s very important to maintain this. All replacement steering components come out of the box pre-set with a lock pin that holds them in the centered position. Also (like some have mentioned), the column itself has a port for a lock pin. So any and all steering work needs to be done with this in mind. I have done all these projects myself and I have reset several H3’s back to the correct center position, after someone else has f’d it up. It’s a bitch and should be avoided at all costs. A simple piece of rope can prevent hours of frustration.
 
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