Basic Inspection

WARNING: This page is about a different variant/trim than selected.

Measure the overall length of steering column. If not within specification, replace it.

Standard: Overall length L

Tilt column 833.6 ^+1.3 _-0.3 mm (32.82 ^+0.051 _-0.012 in)

Tilt and telescopic column (measure while minimized) 818.6 ^+1.5 _-1.5 mm (32.23 ^+0.059 _-0.059 in)

Fig 1: Identifying Overall Length Of Steering Column

Courtesy of SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.

Clean all the disassembled parts, and check for wear, damage or any other faults, then repair or replace as necessary.
When disassembling, check the inside of gearbox for water. If any water is found, carefully check the boot for damage, input shaft dust seal, adjusting screw and boot clips for poor sealing. If faulty, replace with new parts.

INSPECTION PROCEDURE CHART

No.	Parts	Inspection	Corrective action
1	Input shaft	Bent input shaft Damage on serration	If the bend or damage is excessive, replace the entire gearbox.
2	Dust seal	Crack or damage Wear	If the outer wall slips, the lip is worn out or damage is found, replace it with a new part.
3	Rack and pinion	Poor mating of rack with pinion	Adjust the backlash properly. By measuring the turning torque of the gearbox and sliding resistance of rack, check if the rack and pinion engage uniformly and smoothly with each other. (Refer to SERVICE LIMIT "Service limit".) Pull out the entire rack to allow viewing of the teeth, and check for damage. Even if abnormality is found in either (1) or (2), replace the entire gearbox.
4	Gearbox unit	Bending of the rack shaft Bending of the cylinder portion Crack or damage on the cast iron portion	Replace the gearbox with a new part.
		(4) Wear or damage on rack bushing	If the free play of rack shaft in radial direction is out of the specified range, replace the gearbox with new part. (Refer to SERVICE LIMIT "Service limit".)
		(5) Wear on input shaft bearing	If the free play of input shaft in radial and axial direction is out of the specified range, replace the gearbox with a new part. (Refer to SERVICE LIMIT "Service limit".)
5	Boot	Crack, damage or deterioration	Replace.
6	Tie-rod	(1) Looseness of ball joint (2) Bend of tie-rod	Replace.
7	Tie-rod end	Damage or deterioration of dust seal	Replace.
8	Adjusting screw spring	Deterioration	Replace.
9	Boot clip	Deterioration	Replace.
10	Sleeve	Damage	Replace.
11	Pipe	Damage to flared surface Damage to flare nut Damage to pipe	Replace.