marked it and tapped it off the bottom when swapping the engine (dropped the subframe so had to disconnect it) as it was rusted on pretty good. Took both bolts off (as you can see in the picture) and WD-40'd it, put top bolt back in before tapping it off the bottom as that ended up being easier. Can't seem to get it back on the connector on the rack as far down as it should be - the bottom bolt that should be going through a groove is about an inch higher than what it should be. I tried hooking on top of the linkage and slightly tapping down, as well as grabbing on the linkage up higher with my hand an pulling down (borrowed a hoist so have easy access under the car). It's on the thread and bolted tight but not how it should be.

Caused about as much frustration as lining tranny up... Any ideas as I need to get it certified ASAP and they'll likely notice this (nor do I want to drive the car like this either)?

 

Check that you have the steering shaft at the right rotation as compared to the lower u-joint on the steering rack. The steering shaft has at least 1, if not more (I don't recall specifically) splines that are "filled in", making a thicker section that acts like a key to ensure the proper orientation. If you don't have those lined up, it won't slide on very far at all, and not nearly far enough.

With everything lined up, the bolt in the u-joint out, and the splines greased, they should slide together easily with a few raps of a mallet. If they are heavily rusted it might get more difficult, and should be cleaned first with a rust penetration lube and maybe a wire wheel on the splines of the shaft. Then dried and greased.

 

although I was careful in tap-marking it before I took it off (as I can't adjust the neutral position of the rack myself), it's possible I might be 1 spline off. I'll try taking it off again and having another look. Will be tough to get a wire wheel in there as I don't have my dremel with me. Thanks for the insight!

 

If you remove the 4 nuts from the steering column mounting points in the under-side of the column in the cabin and lay the steering column on the floor, you can actually get the end of the steering shaft angled up high enough to be above the front corner fuse box. Easy access at that point. Just a tip if it's needed.

Hmm. Thinking about it, you might not find that key mark.

I DID have the problem with my Miata, the angle was off due to the key marking. But when I did my 8's lower u-joint, I was 1 spline off on reinstallation the first time, leaving me with a steering wheel off-line. So maybe the 8's isn't keyed....

 

I did take a few attempts at it and didn't notice key markings either. Even tried unbolting the rack to try and give a little more room to wiggle but the top bolts are hard to get to without taking a bunch of stuff apart again. I'll take a look at unbolting the column from inside the cabin to see if that might give me that inch before bolting back in place.

 

Yeah, it gives you all the room you need. 4 bolts, rust free, easily accessible. Slide the driver's seat the whole way back. If your battery isn't disconnected, disconnect that before you unplug the connectors on the column, don't take a risk of the air bag blowing up in your face. All connectors are unique, so you can't get them wrong plugging back in. Lay the column on the floor and you will have all the angle you need to get to the tip, or leave the bolts in, but loose, and you will get a big range of motion at the tip of the shaft.

 

That did it! Loosening the 4 bolts gave the right amount of wiggle room. Turns out that it's a fine balance for steering feel as far as the tension on the linkage is concerned - too loose and it's sloppy, too tight and it binds. Took 2 tries but finally got it right! Thanks much!

 

No problem, glad you got it.