steering wheel hard to turn after steering gear change

[17Magnetic5.0]

I notice you say it is a used steering rack being put in. Why not take it to an authorized Ford dealership and have them replace it with a brand new one programmed for your car.

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[deepimpact]

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				I notice you say it is a used steering rack being put in. Why not take it to an authorized Ford dealership and have them replace it with a brand new one programmed for your car. Will cost me 300% more, compares to using a used one, and I will still don't know if this will solve the main issue. Both replaced racks were not new, the first one was a renewed one, and the second one, a used one. The behavior is exactly the same. Not anything different. Yes both used racks could have the exact same misbehavior, but I don't think so. The other problem is, the stiffness is hard to define. I once showed the car to Ford, and they Said everything is OK, but it isn't . So even if I will let it change with a new one, and the stiffness will still be there, I'm pretty sure Ford will say it's like it is, it's normal, and I lost 2000-3000 Euro.

 

[sk47]

Hello; Well it would seem the lifting of the car somehow unloads the front suspension and when the car is back on the ground it begins to bind in some way.
Lets go back a bit further in the history of the car. You had to have the original steering replaced for some reason. Can you tell us that reason?

I had the steering rack out of my Sentra some years ago as I thought there was a rattle coming from it. I found no function problems and put it back. I suspected the rattle was from one end of the rack on the inside. There is a large threaded part which puts some tension onto a flat near the end of the rack just before it exits the housing. I did make a tool to fit into the adjustment from the outside. (Turned out an old suspension nut from a Porsche 914 was just the right size. I welded a 13 mm nut to it and could adjust the tension when the rack was back in place in the car. ) I can adjust the tension so the steering is tight or easy with that tool.
Of course the stiffness does not vary with time as does stay the same unless I adjust it again. So this does not seem to be the same as with the unit you have if they in fact operate the same. My Sentra is a 2001 and your car is much newer so it may have additional features. Also my rack is of the hydraulic sort.

Since your steering is electric I keep coming back to a fault with the electrical connections or the motor. My next WAG is perhaps a poor ground. Maybe when the car is lifted the ground is improved and after it is down the ground is compromised somehow. If you have not done so, I suggest checking all the grounds with a wrench, all the connections and the fuses.

 

[deepimpact]

Hello; Well it would seem the lifting of the car somehow unloads the front suspension and when the car is back on the ground it begins to bind in some way.
Lets go back a bit further in the history of the car. You had to have the original steering replaced for some reason. Can you tell us that reason?

I had the steering rack out of my Sentra some years ago as I thought there was a rattle coming from it. I found no function problems and put it back. I suspected the rattle was from one end of the rack on the inside. There is a large threaded part which puts some tension onto a flat near the end of the rack just before it exits the housing. I did make a tool to fit into the adjustment from the outside. (Turned out an old suspension nut from a Porsche 914 was just the right size. I welded a 13 mm nut to it and could adjust the tension when the rack was back in place in the car. ) I can adjust the tension so the steering is tight or easy with that tool.
Of course the stiffness does not vary with time as does stay the same unless I adjust it again. So this does not seem to be the same as with the unit you have if they in fact operate the same. My Sentra is a 2001 and your car is much newer so it may have additional features. Also my rack is of the hydraulic sort.

Since your steering is electric I keep coming back to a fault with the electrical connections or the motor. My next WAG is perhaps a poor ground. Maybe when the car is lifted the ground is improved and after it is down the ground is compromised somehow. If you have not done so, I suggest checking all the grounds with a wrench, all the connections and the fuses.

The reason of change of original working rack was a little accident in front area which cracked the housing of the steering rack BUT everything was working still fine (with the crack) as before. Nevertheless I replaced the rack due to the crack, which could be dangerous. And the stiffness began with the change of the rack.

 

[sk47]

The reason of change of original working rack was a little accident in front area which cracked the housing of the steering rack BUT everything was working still fine (with the crack) as before. Nevertheless I replaced the rack due to the crack, which could be dangerous. And the stiffness began with the change of the rack.

Hello; Unfortunately with these unibody cars the impact of an accident can affect parts away from the impact area. Here is my next WAG. I now suspect the structure of the front of the car is somehow not right. That lifting the car may allow the some part or parts to move in a way that frees up the steering and after the weight is back on the tires the suspension moves back to a position where the steering is binding. This sort of guess cannot point to a particular part or structure however. You or someone is going to have to do some detective work.
It will be cheaper if you can do the looking yourself. I would suggest jacking up the car and removing the wheels for a look see. If you are lucky it will be a bolt on part and not the subframe having been bent. Good luck.

 

[sk47]

BUT everything was working still fine (with the crack) as before.

Hello; Another thought comes to mind. It may be that the steering case cracked not so much from the accident but maybe partly from stress on the case afterward. This idea also tends to hinge on the front structure being out of whack. To say it another way is that the steering problem is a symptom of some other issue and not the main issue all on it's own.

 

[deepimpact]

Thx for the response and ideas. I used the cracked rack for about a month without any issues. There were no difference, even with the Crack. The stiffness came with change of the steering rack.

Very tricky...

What I do ask myself is, does lifting up or down the car, have any impact on the steering rack rods directly? Or does only the suspension is the only one part relaxing and beeing stiffer when lifted down

 

[sk47]

What I do ask myself is, does lifting up or down the car, have any impact on the steering rack rods directly?

Hello; I cannot say for sure as i have not yet had the chance to poke around under the front of a newer Mustang. Things get changed from car to car and model to model. I guess this is possible , but does not seem likely. The steering rod ends have to move up and down and left to right even when all is fine, so should have plenty of clearance. But after a wreck maybe some clearance is too tight.
I guess I am thinking along the lines of some thing like what you just wrote or that maybe some part of the subframe structure is tweaked. Such as when on a lift something moves due to the weight of the wheels and suspension parts and then back on the ground the weight of the car causes things to settle to where it binds.
Clearly I am just throwing out wild guesses. I use to be pretty good at fixing cars but had to be on the scene.

One more WAG. Check to see if bolts and things are wrenched tight and good luck.

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