2004 Buick Rendezvous Steering Gearbox

You need to loosen both cylinder line fittings on the cylinder end of the gear assembly, loosen both fittings on the cylinder line assemblies at the valve end of the gear assembly, remove both cylinder line assemblies from the rack and pinion gear assembly, then remove the O-ring seals from the valve end of the line and discard it.

You need to remove the outer tie rod, remove the hexagon jam nut from the inner tie rod assembly, remove the tie rod end clamp from the rack and pinion boot, remove the boot clamp from the rack and pinion boot with side cutters and discard it, then remove the rack and pinion boot and the breather tube if present, from the rack and pinion gear assembly.

You need to remove the steering gear, remove the adjuster plug lock nut from the adjuster plug, remove the adjuster plug from the gear assembly, remove the adjuster spring and the rack bearing, remove the spool shaft boot from the rack and pinion gear assembly, then remove the retaining ring from the valve bore of the rack and pinion gear assembly, and remove the dust cover from the bottom of the rack and pinion gear assembly, then remove the hex lock nut from the lower end of the pinion and valve assembly, lastly remove the stub shaft, the stub shaft seal, and the stub shaft bearing annulus assembly.

The recommended torque is 27 Nm (20 ft. lbs.).

You should notice that the front wheels of the vehicle must be maintained in the straight-ahead position and the steering column must be in the LOCK position before disconnecting the steering column or intermediate shaft. Failure to follow these procedures will cause improper alignment of some components during installation and result in damage to the SIR coil assembly.