Ok so last night as I was turning my car to pull into the garage, something very strange happened. As I was turning the wheel it started making this grinding noise and as I turned the wheel even more it all of a sudden just started spinning freely without turning the wheels. So obviously something in the steering rack is broken, but has anyone ever had this happen before? Does the front suspension need to be pulled apart in order to replace the steering rack? And can a 911 steering rack be used on a 914, I would just like to make sure? Please let me know. Thanks
-Chris

I would check all the linkage first before I got under the car and dug into the rack. Starting at the wheel.

Turn the wheel and look under the dash, are the shafts turning? Then follow it down...

Ferg

Yeah I followed the linkage down from the steering wheel to the point where it goes out of the cab. And as far as I can tell everything up to that point is spinning in relation to turning the wheel. So my guess is something right at the steering rack point broke? I'll have to keep looking and see what I find. Thanks
-Chris

That's a very dangerous failure mode!! Please let us know what you find out. Can you imagine if it had happened on the road??

Oh, AFIK, the 911 steering rack is the same as the 914.

Extremely dangerous! I can't even imagine what could have happened if this had happened while driving. Doesn't the 911 steering rack have a quicker turning ratio than the 914 steering rack? I will let you know what the problem is once I find out myself. Thanks
-Chris

I would suspect the steering column U-joints. You have to load them to test them. Like turn the steering full lock one way and put a lot of pressure on it. If it still doesn't "give", turn it the other way and do the same thing. I've found the tension is gone from the clamp, maybe one or more of the bolts are loose, whatever, and the splines are no longer held tightly. I've never seen a rack failure, and can't imagine such a failure causing this symptom. The Cap'n

What about the rubber dealie that's right at the rack? It seems like that could disintegrate and do that.

I just got the rack out of the car and it's definitely not working properly. I can spin the shaft that goes up to the steering column freely without moving any of the parts on the steering rack itself. So something internally must have stripped or just flat out broke. I do have a question though, will a steering rack out of an '89 911 work on a 914? Is there any sort of power assist or anything on the steering rack of a 1989 911 that would cause it to not work on a 914? Please let me know. Thanks
-Chris

Yes. I was going to put it in my car when I did the 5 lug swap but I was too lazy...

No power assist.

Ok thanks Allan. PM sent!
-Chris

That was the failure point of my steering issues not so long ago. Rubber bushing cracked and tore, causing wobbly steering at all speeds. I also replaced the whole steering rack while I was in there...

Yeah that's definitely not good. In my case though, the steering was absolutely fine until I was turning the wheel in my driveway and all of a sudden I lost all steering. But I took the rack out of the car already so I will be replacing it. I will be tearing down my steering rack tomorrow to find out what specifically happened to cause it to do this. Thanks
-Chris

Chris,

It has been 28 years but if I remember when I put a 911SC Steering Column in a 73 914. I put a full 911SC suspension , at the time was just a few years old. What a difference. I think I had to put the old shaft from the 914 on it at the rubber thingy because the length was longer or shorter and it did not fit up into the Steering column U-Joints.
This is by memory from an old man. I had to change something.

Bob

Awesome! Thanks for your input Bob. My plan anyway was to just take the 911 steering rack and put the 914 steering shaft on it to bolt back up to the joint in the car. Should be simple. Thanks
-Chris

So does anyone know if the steering ratios are the same??? I would like something a little quicker.

I believe that the ratios are the same. Weltmeister used to make a "quick rack", but I don't know what happened to that.

--DD

early (70s) 911 steering racks are a direct bolt in. the top shaft length might be off, but the 914 shaft bolts right to the rubber "hardy" disk ...

what most likely broke is the rubber "hardy" disk on the bottom of the steering shaft.
you need to drop the rack to see that part. it's supposed to "dampen" the road vibrations going up into the steering wheel.

just get a used one.
might even still be available new as they're the same as from a early 911 ...

Andy

That hardy disk has a couple of bolts going through it, unless the bolts broke the hardy disk would only make the steering slow & sloppy.

Wouldn't be the u-joints in the steering either, unless you lost a bolt, as the splined shafts have a cupped cut out of them for the bolt - which prevents this type of failure from happening. Well unless the u-joint was really, really loose - even then I don't think so.