Replaced steering rack, steering lock problem?

[skid542]

While I had everything out of the engine bay and I've been working on getting everything cleaned up and put back together right I figured I'd do something about my leaking steering rack.

I replaced it with an extra that I had around which seemed to be in better shape. However, my steering wheel no longer 'locks' without the key in the ignition. I have full range of travel both left and right with the steering wheel and the tires, but I also have full range with no key in the ignition.

I'm sure I didn't follow the full proper procedure for replacing the rack. I centered the new rack, made sure it matched the old one, center the tires, centered my steering wheel, and put it all back together.

I currently have the motor out of the car and things are easy to get to. Do I just need to disconect the splines and rotate until I feel it lock? Is there something I'm missing? I wouldn't think this is something that would easily break.

Anyrate, any advice you can offer would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

[Legacy777]

The locking mechanism is in the steering column inside the car. If you didn't touch that, I'm not sure why swapping the rack would cause that problem.

[skid542]

Well, hmm... I played with it today since the motor's still out and that universal joint is easy to get to. If I take the joint off I can just turn and turn and turn the wheel. Eventually I hear a spring winding up, or so it sounds, and the wheel gets hard to turn. But that's after like 20 turns.

Is there a FMS view anyone has of the mechanism? I'm not sure what the heck happened but something is clearly not right.

Any other thoughts?

[Legacy777]

Hmm....that's odd.

[SiCkSTi04]

does your legacy come with a driver airbag?

[skid542]

^^^ Correct. I have the driver airbag and stock steering wheel.

Would this account for something?

[skid542]

I take it this is not something other people have had issuse with?

[Danny-G]

my 93 n/a has the same no lock problem but to the best of my knowledge its the stock rack. my hanynes shop manual says not to turn the steering wheel when replacing the rack cause it can mess up the air bag. the book says "on models equipped with airbags, DO NOT allow the steering column shaft to rotate with the steering gear removed or damage to the airbag roll connector may occur. To prevent the steering column from turning, place the ignition switch in the lock position and reomve the key."

[slowjoe]

i have the same issue. i can turn the steering wheel without any key in and i have no replaced the airbag or steering rack or steering column. i haven't done anything about it.

[bry]

rack has nothing to do with column lock.

allowing your steering shaft to rotate while disengaged from the rack, can cause SRS damage. if the timing of the "clock spring" gets off, you can basically pull the wires loose from the airbag when you go around a corner. the clock spring is sorta like a hose reel, but instead of a hose, it's the wires that set off your airbag....

at any rate, clock-spring indexing shouldn't affect column lock as that mechanism is usually right behind the key tumbler and has nothing to with the airbag.

[Danny-G]

I fixed the no lock on my car, the shear head bolts were loose, loose enoughf for me to take them out, so I did and replaced them with real 13mm bolts that are alittle longer than the stock ones to make up for the head not fitting in the column.