Steering Rack Sliding Force Measurement Procedure

1. Remove the front wheels from the vehicle.

Figure 1:

2. Use the appropriate tool (Kent Moore # J25726-A) to remove both tie rods from the knuckle arms (see Figure 1).

3. Run the engine at idle until the steering fluid reaches normal operating temperature,then turn the engine OFF.

4. Use a pull gauge to measure the steering rack sliding force for both the left and right tie rods as follows:

A. Center the steering wheel.

Figure 2:

B. Attach a pull gauge (Kent Moore # J-35999) to each tie rod using heavy gauge wire (see Figure 2).

C. Slowly pull on the pull gauge and note the reading on the gauge at the exact moment the steering wheel starts to move.

D. Verify the left and right side pull gauge readings are within 18 - 22 kg (40 - 48 lb).