New here but not to Escorts or Mazdas

[roboskittle]

I think i figured it out. The GT and the LX have different part numbers for the power racks. I have an LX chilling in my yard so I am gonna take a looksee and see if the part out of it will work. If not than I will check the 323.

[Tazman2]

I think i figured it out. The GT and the LX have different part numbers for the power racks. I have an LX chilling in my yard so I am gonna take a looksee and see if the part out of it will work. If not than I will check the 323.

Yep and i think the GT racks are crap as they are made by Ford unlike the LXs which may explain the nice play in my wheel with a almost completely new front end!

[coldblooded]

Be sure to check the rack bushings. When the passenger one wears out, you can get some serious movement when steering at speed...kind of scary sometimes if they're bad.

[Tazman2]

Be sure to check the rack bushings. When the passenger one wears out, you can get some serious movement when steering at speed...kind of scary sometimes if they're bad.

Rack to frame bushings you mean? I have some ES ones that i need to install at some point. Again i think i will just wait till i get a new replacement rack and convert it to manual, etc. Why do that pain in the ass job twice considering mine isn't that bad even at high speeds!

[therieldeal]

ive recently found out that the ES rack bushings do not fit mazda racks, but mazda racks are the only ones that can be de-powered :/

-jon

[FE3-323]

interesting info there jon..

[therieldeal]

i should say... if the ford ones can be de-powered it is going to be a different procedure from the mazda racks.

-jon

[Tazman2]

ive recently found out that the ES rack bushings do not fit mazda racks, but mazda racks are the only ones that can be de-powered :/

-jon

Hmm... Did you order the ES bushings for a Protege LX? As i ordered mine from zxtuner along with other stuff and they sell the ones for the EGTs. Do you have part #'s to compare? I'd be willing to trade my EGT ones for Protege LX ones as i'm going to a depowered rack once i decide to switch them!

[therieldeal]

i have zx2 ones, which fit our ford racks... but ive been told that they do not fit the mazda racks

-jon

[Tazman2]

i have zx2 ones, which fit our ford racks... but ive been told that they do not fit the mazda racks

-jon

Yeah sorry i misunderstood what you wrote. doh!

[roboskittle]

Well the LX part isnt going to work either its the same exact part that came off of the GT. I am gonna hit up the junkyard as soon as possible.

[Jho]

Hmm... Did you order the ES bushings for a Protege LX? As i ordered mine from zxtuner along with other stuff and they sell the ones for the EGTs. Do you have part #'s to compare? I'd be willing to trade my EGT ones for Protege LX ones as i'm going to a depowered rack once i decide to switch them!

I've never even seen ES rack busings for a 1st gen protege.

[roboskittle]

Alright more bad news. The 323 part will not work either. I discovered that both the 323 and the Escort have a total of two universal joints on the steering column to connect down to the rack. There is an upper univeral joint and a lower universal joint. The lower one connects to the upper one on the escort with a circular piece with the shaft being shaved down equally on each side kind of like this....... ( ) Now the 323 shaft that is part of the lower universal shaft has guess what another star shaped pattern just like the rack does but it is shaved down on one side. The upper univeral joint is totally different how it connects to both the shaft on the lower universal joint and to the steering column. The spline that goes to the rack of the 323 is correct so I tried to separate the univeral joints and make the right part. In the process i totally screwed up the one of the bearings on the escort piece and mutilated the part that connects to the steering rack from the 323 piece. I probably should have taken pictures before i mutilated each part becaus typing this is confusing the hell out of me now. So I guess what I need is the part specific to the Escort Pony. Either that or they sent me the wrong rack completely.

[therieldeal]

your other option would be to grab the rack out of that 323

[roboskittle]

Nah its the same rack I have. Will the steering column out of the 323 work? I know the column itself will probably work but will the stuff from the escort column swap over to it?