[Glacier05]

Since no one seemed to have done this before, I figured I'd write up my experience in changing out the rack and pinion. Looking back on it, it was a lot easier than I made it out to be, working in my driveway. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures, so I will post edited pictures of my rack and shots from the FSM to help illustrate. Please note, I also installed new quick struts, so the struts were also taken out of the car freeing up more space - this is not in the FSM so it shouldn't be necessary for you.

1. First thing's first, jack your vehicle as high as you can and secure to get as much space to work underneath. I also place some cardboard and oil absorbing carpet for drips/spills Remove the front wheels.

2. Place a drip pan under the rack on the drivers side. Facing the front of the vehicle you will see 2 lines you need to disconnect, that are just below the steering column linkage. One has a hose clamp, the other is a nut. We're going to drain from these 2 lines to get most of the fluid out. You can also remove fluid from the reservoir to start as well to speed up the process from draining below, but I found this unnecessary since fluid flows downhill.

3. Turn ignition to ON so the steering moves freely. Turn the wheel all the way left and then right a few times to push the fluid through and out. I opted to grab the rotors/calipers at 9 and 3 o'clock positions and just rotated the wheel assembly from the outside. Benefits of this is you don't dirty your interior, and you have visual of the fluid coming out. Repeat turning until the majority of fluid slows to a drip.

4. Return your steering wheel to dead center and work on removing outer tie rods. Remove the cotter pin and nut from the bottom of the tie rods. Use a separator or strike the knuckle with a few good blows from a hammer (my method of choice)

5. Remove the 2 mounting bolts from the rack and pinion. Get under the car and face the front of vehicle. there are 2 bolts that hold it in place, as well as one bolt that holds the bushing in place.You will not remove the bracket from the bushing, but you need to remove the nut to help with clearance when removing the rack.

6. Turn your rotors again until the lower mounting bolt on the lower joint is in a position facing the drivers side wheel well so you can remove it. Make sure you have a new bolt to replace this with.

7 Now disconnect the steering linkage. Get into that awkward upside down position under the drivers dash and disconnect the 14mm universal bolt. The arrow points to it in the picture below. Take note of the direction of the notch out missing from the upper portion of this linkage. This will be important for re-installation.

8 Once these bolts are removed, you need to return your steering wheel to dead center again. This is very important for when you install the new rack and need to reinstall the lower joint to the upper joint. This keeps your steering wheel straight while your rack is centered. What I did was tie a brick around the bottom of the steering wheel and weight the wheel down from moving. With the upper bolt removed, now you can pry up the joint off the steering rack. Pry off and slide down the complete joint, out of the vehicle and out of the car.

9. Place a jack under the engine/transmission and support with a block of wood or several pieces of small plywood, until the point of first contact with minimal pressure.

10. From the drivers side, remove the Left Hand engine support insulator bolts, there are 2. Then remove the lower bolt and nut for the rear engine mount. Do not remove the bolt that goes through the bushing.

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11. Jack the engine up as high as you can. You will be placing tension on the driveshaft so do not force how high the engine will go. It should move about 2-3 inches before stressing the bushing on the center of the driveshaft around the center of the vehicle. This is why the FSM wants you to disconnect the front exhaust (y pipe) and rear driveshaft to gain extra height which is not necessary.

12. Time to get that old rack out. Lift up on both sides so lift the rack out of its channel it sits in and you need to remove out the driver's side wheel well. You will need to twist and turn to get it out, and will likely bend the cylinder tube (slightly) that travels to the passenger side of the rack, due to it's height. That tube is the reason why the FSM wants to to remove the exhaust and driveshaft. If you cant muscle it out, just remove the bolt on the passenger side of that tube and give yourself that wiggle room.

13. Now match your new rack to your old one on a table. Remove the outer tie rods, counting how many spins it takes so you can install your new outer tie rods on the new rack with the same amount of turns. This keeps your wheels as close to where they were. You can Youtube this process as there are plenty of videos detailing this.

14. Remove that same tube we discussed in step 12 from the new rack, from both sides. You only need to disconnect the 1 tube

15. Slide your new rack in, and re-attach the tube.

16. Reverse the steps to complete the install. As long as you didn't touch your wheel at all, you can re-install the lower steering assembly with the notch facing the same direction into the channel, just don't attach the screw yet. Line up the lower portion to the top of steering rack and get it pressed down. Then you can tighten both bolts.

17. Fill the reservoir with Dexron VI fluid, turn the wheel all the way left and then right while checking fluid level. It took less than 2 quarts to fill. After you do some driving, you can empty the reservoir and refill again to get some more of the old fluid from the power steering pump out. You'll have to repeat a few times so buy a gallon worth of fluid.

17. Chug some beer and go get an alignment. Or DIY it if you're running of the highs of getting this job done!

 

[Emateror]

Hi am following the instructions but seems like when I jack up the car I can't get the 2 to 3 in of clearance to remove the old rack and pinion, where exactly am I supposed to place the jack? Thanks in advance

 

[Donk]

I have an 07 Nissan Murano AWD and had to replace the rack and pinion. It took way too long to figure out how to get it out. There are no videos available anywhere online. Before finding this article I had a hell of a time trying to figure out how to get the job done.
I have a few suggestions I’d like to share which would have made my experience so much easier.
First off, the steering column didn’t want to collapse as it is designed to do. So, from inside the car, I loosened the bolt on the steering shaft of the steering column (just above the brake pedal) and it gave me enough play to easily lift the collar off the rack. I then unbolted everything else holding the rack in place.
From the passenger side you can see the rear drive shaft and rear motor mount above the rack. My first thought was get the drive shaft out of the way. There is no room to unbolt it directly behind the engine and I had no luck straining to break the bolts from the rear. As stated in the above article, it is unnecessary.
Having finally found this article I unbolted the motor mounts and lift the engine by placing a 5 inch long scrap piece of 4x4 between the jack and transmission, drivers side, almost in line with the front and rear motor mounts. Using a 2 ton hydraulic jack I gently raised the engine as high as possible till the rear motor mount pressed firmly against the firewall.
The drive shaft is now lifted out of the way, yet I still could not get the rack out. The adjustable bushing bracket on the passenger side was hitting up against the motor mount. I turned it every way you could imagine. It is just too big to clear the motor mount bracket.
I tried to remove the motor mount. There was no clearance to wiggle it out without first removing the rack. Ironic.
One source suggested dropping the K-frame to allow space to get the rack out. So I considered it briefly. Using a ½ in. breaker bar and socket I tried to loosen the rear mounting bolt from the K-frame. The socket broke before the nut would give.
I stopped there. I was officially out of ideas and too pissed to think straight.
Solution:
Frustrated beyond belief after spending 2 days of my 3 day weekend seeking and trying to figure out a solution to what I felt should be a quick routine replacement, I took a look at the new rack and pinion. What is in my way? What can I remove to make installation simple?

I removed the long hydraulic line from the new rack completely.
Cap and plug the line and openings to prevent dirt or debris from getting into the new unit. Be careful not to loose the small O-rings on the line.
Then removed the adjustable bushing bracket by gentle twisting and pulling at the block end to slide the 2 halves apart from the center roll pin holding it together. If needed, use light even pressure to pry them apart. Spray a little WD-40 on the roll pin to make it easier to reassemble later.
Replicate on the damaged rack and pinon. Disconnect the hydraulic line near the bracket. Unbolt and remove the adjustable bracket completely.
I could not get the bolt to budge when trying to remove the bracket. There was no room to get enough leverage to break it loose. So, I cut the bracket off using a Saws-All and a metal grade cutting blade.
Working from the passenger wheel well side, move all lines or wires out of the way for clearance and to prevent damage. Cutting away from the engine and towards the firewall, cut the crown off the bracket just below the nut. Cut the bottom of the bracket just above the block where the bracket is thinner. Using a light pressure, pry the bracket the rest of the way off the rack.
Bracket and line out of the way, I walked over to the drivers side pulled the rack out with ease.
VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The new rack slid in with almost no effort at all.
I set the hydraulic line in first, tucking it out of the way near the sway bar so it would not get pinched when sliding in the rack.
Before installing the new rack, use a strong C-clamp to press the stationary bushing firmly into itself on the rack to assure it is fully pressed in. This will allow it to settle into the mount easier during installation.
Gently slide the rack into position. Connect and position the adjustable bushing from the passenger side, connect the hydraulic line and put everything else together.

 

[PeacefulMan]

In my case, I have to replace the dust cover located below the pedals but can't find any videos online about it. Mine is a 2009 Murano LE. I would say it shouldn't be a complicated job and no need to remove the entire column and probably it'll be a matter of taking the 14mm bolt off and sliding the rubber cover up and out. The only youtube video that seems to show some of that is the one below. Starting from minute 2:48 and beyond.

Edit: I did finally replace the dust cover and it was simple. Similar to the video starting around minute 4:10. I should also mention that I have power steering.