Service Procedure

1. The steering gear must be lowered or removed from the vehicle to access the spring nut. Refer to Figure 1. Refer to the appropriate Service Manual for steering gear removal procedures.

2. Remove the locknut from the yoke spring nut.

3. Remove the yoke spring nut.

4. Remove the yoke spring and discard.

5. Install a new Yoke Spring (F8LZ-3F516-AA) which is purple in color.

NOTE
THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE EXTREMELY CRITICAL AND MUST BE FOLLOWED EXACTLY. BE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE PROCEDURES BEFORE CONTINUING THE REPAIR.





6. Make two (2) marks on the top outside edge of the yoke spring nut 16 mm apart (Figure 2). The marks are needed to properly adjust the yoke spring preload. These marks can be made at any location on top of the nut, but they must be 16 mm apart.

7. Reinstall the yoke spring nut and tighten to 5.1-5.6 N.m (45-50 lb-in). This bottoms the yoke against the rack and preloads the yoke correctly.

NOTE
THE TIGHTENING TORQUE OF THE YOKE SPRING NUT IS CRITICAL.

8. Make a mark on the steering gear housing that aligns with mark # 1 on the yoke spring nut.

9. Back off the yoke spring nut until mark # 2 aligns with the mark on the steering gear housing. This equals 48-56 degrees (52 degrees is the target) and sets the clearance between the yoke and rack.

10. Hold the yoke spring nut in place and reinstall the locknut. Tighten the locknut to 60-81 N.m (44-60 lb-ft).

11. Reinstall the steering gear into the vehicle by following the procedure outlined in the Service Manual.

12. Check and add steering fluid as required.