Steering Box & Column Replacement
   by Brad
   onebadrx7@aol.com

[This is the same topic that is covered by the article Steering Box & Column Replacement II, only by a different author. Rotary Rocket felt the two articles were different enough that someone attempting the procedure might benefit from reading both.]

   After several requests and in the pursuit of spreading technical knowledge, I'm posting instructions of how to replace the steering box & column on a first gen. Mazda, in their infinite wisdom, decided to use a recirculating ball-type steering box instead of the more conventional rack-and-pinion which has much better feedback and is more efficient.

   The recirculating-ball box will go out of adjustment after some-time (about 60k) and can be adjusted by removing the metal nipple on top of the box, loosening the lock nut with a 14mm socket wrench, and turning the screw one-quarter turn at a time and test driving until it feels tight. No one knows for sure what direction to turn it as it seems to vary year-to-year randomly. I have a '81 and turned it clockwise. On a former poll most people turned their screw counterclockwise. Note that the more you turn the screw, the tighter the steering will be and the faster the gear box will wear, and eventually fail. I turned mine all the way in and the last time I adjusted, it lasted three blocks before getting loose again (3'' of play). Also, aggressive use such as IT racing or autox will accelerate the wear of your 11+ year old box.

   Anyways, the steering box and column are one unit which you can only buy from your local Mazda dealer for $565. No one makes an aftermarket model and I couldn't find and wouldn't trust a rebuild kit (would probabally need new gears anyway). So unless you wish to spend one-fifth or greater the value of your car on a new unit, you'll be going to a junkyard to pull a used one. Find a junker with low miles and a box that hasn't been adjusted and turn the steering wheel. If the steering wheel turns 1/8" or less before the wheels turn, pull it. If your boneyard already pulled it, pray to the God of Rotaries it won't have any play and fork out about $200. I pulled my own on half-off day for $37 + $8 core. :-)

   This was originally posted several several months ago by Mr. Idontknow and I've made my own changes to it. Note that this method does not involve removing the pitman arm from the steering box, which requires a 30 mm box wrench which you will never use again and arms the size of the Incredible Hulk as the nut holding it on is torqued to 194 lb-ft or something. The end of the steering column and pitman arm are tapered ends [press fit -RR], meaning the tip is smaller than the base and after you take the nut off, it won't just pop off. You need a puller to force it off. This method does require buying a steering wheel puller (about $7.00 at any auto parts store), buying/renting a large gear puller, a bottle of 90-weight gear oil, and one cotter pin.

1. Remove the steering wheel. If you're pulling a used box out of a junkyard car, don't pound on the steering wheel to remove it or you'll collapse the shaft (too late...). Use the steering wheel puller to remove it. If you're taking the steering wheel off your car and intend on replacing your steering wheel with a nice new one (I have a nice black three-spoke 13" GT series by Grant. Grant also makes a removeable wheel adaptor ($80) that will royally piss off your local car thieves and makes for great conversation in parking lots). Try the puller, then pound away. It worked for me. Since you're going to toss yours, you can push the column in as far as it will go. This will make it a little easier to remove.

2. Remove the covers from the combo & wiper switch.

3. Unplug all the connectors from above.

4. Unlock the steering column with the key (leave the key on).

5. Unbolt the steering column from the bottom of the dash (four bolts).

6. Remove the hood. Use a pen to draw along the hinges' edge so you'll put it back on right.

7. Remove the battery and battery tray.

8. Remove the fan & fan shroud.

9. Unbolt the A/C compressor and move it out of the way.

10. Unbolt the pitman arm from the control arm (the looooong rod going from one end of your car to the other). Use the gear puller to force the arm out. Push the pitman over the control. Turning the wheels a little helps.

11. Unbolt the steering box (three bolts).

12. Lift out the steering box and slide forward and out of the tube. The steering column is attached to the box. Leave the tube of the column in the car if it will separate. An assistant is helpful here to push the tube down towards the floor inside the car. (This is the hard part of the job...) What I had to do was turn the steering box upside down so that the pitman arm is pointing skyward in order for it to clear the nose panel.

13. At this point, if you were unable to separate the tube of the column from the steering box, you'll realize that with ignition switch is still attached to the tube and it will not fit thru the hole in the firewall. This is when you yell/scream/swear because the intellectual geniuses who designed the ignition switch did not put screwdriver slots on the two screws that hold it to the tube thinking this will help prevent auto theft, when in fact thieves just punch the ignition and crank the cylinder manually and don't even mess with removing the ignition switch. What you have to do is get a chisel and hammer a slot into the top of the screw. Or, you could take a 1/4" drill bit and drill the screw out. I did this and it was easy. Tap the hole and replace it with 5/8" screws.

14. Drain the gear oil out of your used box.

15. Installation is the reverse of removal (don't you love that statement?). ;-) Make sure when you slide the shaft into the tube that you don't damage the needle bearing (on the drivers end). Adding some grease to same couldn't hurt either... Don't pound on the steering wheel to reinstall it or you'll collapse the shaft. Once the box is in, fill it with gear oil. Ummmmm! Love that smell....

   I think that's everything. It should take you a couple of hours... [At the very least. -RR]