| Installation of Steering Rack Clamp (RHD)
The SAAB 900/9-3 steering rack clamp has a relatively soft rubber bush that deforms under heavy load. This makes a significant contribution to torque steer, especially amongst the higher power variants. The new clamp is of solid metal construction and only has a thin rubber pad to prevent metal-to-metal contact. The result is a much more rigid attachment point. The clamp is on the passenger side of the car, half way down the engine bulkhead. It is arrowed in Figure 1.
The parts that come off are shown in Figure 2. The U shaped clamp is held in place by a bolt at the top and a stud at the bottom.
Installation
Tools Required: 13mm socket spanner, short extension bar, ratchet handle.
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1. |
As the easiest access to the clamp is by leaning over the left hand (passenger side) wing, cover the wing with an old blanket to prevent paintwork damage.
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2. |
Undo the 13mm bolt at the top of the clamp and the 13 mm nut at the bottom.
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Prise the U shaped metal clamp off the rubber bush.
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Pull the rubber ‘doughnut’ bush off the rack. You can see in Figure 2 that there is a split in the bush to allow it to pull straight off.
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Put the backing pad of the new clamp on the stud that is the lower mounting point. Rotate the backing pad to the vertical position behind the steering rack so that the upper mounting hole is in line with the threaded insert in the bulkhead.
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Push the U shaped part of the new clamp over the steering rack. It is deliberately a very snug fit. If it cannot be pushed all the way on by hand, rotate it downwards slightly and screw on the lower mounting nut a couple of turns. Rest a wooden batten against the top of the U of the clamp and lightly tap the wooden batten with a small hammer (See Figure 3). The clamp will now rotate about the lower mounting point until the top mounting point is flush. |
Figure 3: Persuading a tight clamp
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Lightly tighten both the top mounting bolt and the lower mounting nut to settle the clamp totally square on the bulkhead mounting. Then, finally tighten both. |
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Installation of Steering Rack Brace (RHD)
Even though replacing the steering rack clamp means that the rack is now clamped firmly to the bulkhead, the bulkhead itself can flex under load. Fitting a brace between the new steering rack clamp and the inner wing provides extra stiffness and so further reduces torque steer.
The mounting points for the brace are the upper bolt of the steering rack clamp and an existing rivet hole at the top front of the steering arm aperture in the inner wing. This is immediately under the ABS hydraulic block on RHD cars and is difficult to see from above. To improve access, it is suggested that the car is jacked up at the front so that you can put your hand through the steering arm aperture in the inner wing from the road wheel side. The best jacking method is to use the centre point on the engine cross beam (see Car User Manual) until the road wheels are nearly lifting off the ground. Centre jacking minimises any body distortion, and keeping the road wheels on the ground stops the car rocking on the jack.
Warning: Always supplement a jack with an axle stand before working underneath a car. |
Installation
Tools required: 13mm socket spanner (3/8” drive), short extension bar, ratchet handle, 11mm socket spanner, 11mm ring spanner, pliers/snips, jack and axle stands.
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If installing the MP brace at the same time as the MP clamp, you should still tighten the clamp fully before installing the brace to ensure that clamp is seated correctly.
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Jack the front of the car up until there is enough room above the front left road wheel to see through the inner wing aperture into the engine bay. Support the car with axle stand(s). Cover the front left wing with a blanket to protect the paintwork as you lean into the engine bay.
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Figure 4: View of Brace |
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Remove the upper mounting bolt (13mm spanner) from the MP steering rack clamp. Using the longer replacement bolt supplied, loosely attach the recessed boss end of the brace to the top mount of the steering rack clamp. You will need either a 3/8” drive socket spanner or a long reach socket as a ½” drive 13mm socket will not go far enough into the recessed boss. There are a number of brake pipes and hydraulic lines in the area, so the brace has to be carefully placed in the correct position before starting to screw in the top bolt. The brace should be above the hydraulic pipe on the steering (labelled Œ in Figure 4), and the outer end between the hydraulic pipe ( in Figure 4) and the inner wing. You may find it easier the slide the brace into position from outside the car, through the inner wing aperture, rather than by leaning over the top of the car. |
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The rubber flaps in the wing aperture are held in place by a number of plastic rivets. It is the top front rivet hole that will become the outer attachment point for the brace. One of the rivets is indicated by Πin Figure 5. The rivet hole to be used (in Figure 5) is obscured by the double cable loom that passes across the top of the wing aperture. These looms are held in place by a cable tie just forward of the wing aperture. By looking vertically down between the ABS block and the inner wing, the cable tie can be located and snipped (see Figure 6).
Figure 5: Outer End
Before Attachment |
Figure 6: Cable Tie |
Figure 7: Outer
End Attached |
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The top plastic rivet can now be pushed out from the road wheel side and the smaller bolt, nut and washers be used to lightly attach the outer end of the brace to the inner wing (11mm spanners required). Figure 7 shows the final position. Now fully tighten the inner, rack end of the brace. Do not fully tighten the outer end of the brace until the car has been lowered off the jack and is standing normally.
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Now road test the car, and enjoy!
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