E36 rack swap need help

[Hoffbrohaus]

Hey guys, this is on a 1990, airbag car. So I pulled the rack out and steering shaft to fit the adapter plate. Now I am putting it back together.

1st, I had a hell of a time getting the shaft back in to the sleeve inside the car. Splines were lined up and with some massive force I pushed it in a bit. How do I know how far to go? I can't push it anymore but don't want the knuckle buckled.

2nd, on the steering shaft does the notch in the pic need to be in a particular location prior to attaching the knuckle like facing down or just align it with the opening in the knuckle?


3rd, should I put the knuckle on the rack first and then try to push it on the steering shaft? I tried and it didn't go on easily, barely got the splines in. Or should I put the knuckle on the steering shaft first and jam the rack up there? Just need tips on how to get that damn knuckle on.

[Hoffbrohaus]

Found this post that has some good tips, but if anyone else has some tips/tricks please let me know asap. The post before it said to have a couple beers first, that's my main mistake I will have to remedy.

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/regional-forums/gatherings-regional-discussion/california/385987-e30-steering-rack-swap-help-wanted?p=7047595#post7047595

[Hoffbrohaus]

Answering my own post in case someone finds this helpful in the future.

I did follow the post I linked earlier and lubed up the steering shaft and rack splines liberally with anti-seize. The knuckle went on better but still took a socket extension and hammer to it.

The question I asked about the notch is important. As it turns out, the notch on the shaft is for the bolt to slide across the knuckle from hole to hole. So, you have to have the notch in alignment with the holes for the bolt in the knuckle. This determines how far you hit the knuckle down the shaft too. Major PITA! Bolt won't slide through until it's lined up. I turned the shaft so the notch was pointed down and attached the knuckle from underneath.

Luckily the shaft on the rack has an indent all the way around, so a little easier.