February 2012 - While I was installing my poly bushings I noticed that my steering rack bellows were shot and my tie rod boots weren't any better. My car had power steering but it had been disconnected. This is a common practice as the power steering Miatas have "faster" steering and are generally considered more desirable - the number of turns lock-to-lock is less than on a manual rack Miata. Disconnecting the steering pump gives more feel to the steering, but it also makes the steering heavy and more difficult to turn the wheel than on a manual rack Miata. I decided to follow the instructions on the Flyin' Miata website and "de-power" my power rack. What that involved was removing a seal from the rack and plugging up the power steering hard lines. While doing research online I discovered that some people were having their steering input shaft welded as there is some play in the shaft after the rack has been de-powered. The shaft is actually made up of a few separate pieces and a torsion rod - ingenious when part of a power steering system, but it only creates slop after the rack has been de-powered.
The steering rack bellows were way beyond their expiration date.
The tie rod dust boots had seen better days. I will eventually replace both tie rods but for now I just replaced the boots.
This seal drags inside the housing while it would normally have power steering fluid assisting it.
Before and after welding - I traded my friend's dad a case of beer in exchange for his 25+ years of aerospace welding experience. Unlike examples I found online, there are no bluish signs that the metal was excessively heated - nice!
Simple but effective - just trying to keep out dirt and debris so a perfect seal isn't needed.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!
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