Steering Rack Pinion

The steering rack pinion assembly is under your vehicle's front end. You will never find it anywhere else. You can access the steering system by raising the front end with a car jack and holding your car or truck up with jack stands. The jack and stands ensure sufficient ground clearance and safety to slide beneath your vehicle and work on the steering rack pinion steering.
Caution: Don't ever work under a vehicle supported only by the jack you used to raise the vehicle.
Unfortunately, your vehicle's weight will bear down on the part supported by the car jack or the jack stands. An insufficiently sturdy part can deform or get damaged by the saddle pressing into its bottom.
With the new rack installed and connected, it is filled new power steering fluid and purged. To purge the air from the system, the steering wheel is turned 15-20 times lock to lock with the engine off. At this point, the engine was started and the system was working properly. Within the next few miles, some additional air pockets will likely be dislodged, lowering the fluid level in the reservoir, so it should be checked for several days and additional fluid added as needed.
When you raise your vehicle, rest the saddle of the car jack against the frame rails or where you would put the jack for changing a tire. This is the safest place you can raise the vehicle without bending something. Do the same for the jack stands. The rails are part of the sturdy vehicle frame. You can usually find the frame rails behind the front wheels.

Seat belts protect their users by preventing sudden movements that can inflict injuries. However, the seat belt can also help during steering rack pinion replacement by stopping the steering column from moving.
Steering rack pinion replacement requires you to detach the steering u-joint. The joint connects the steering column with the steering rack pinion assembly.
While disconnecting the steering joint from the column, you must prevent the column and wheel from moving. If you let the column or wheel move, you might create more problems with the steering system and you might ruin the clockspring.
The seat belt comes into play here. Draw the restraint through one of the open spaces between the steering wheel's spokes. Then, loop it over the wheel, pull it back toward the seat, and buckle it in.
The taut seat belt will restrict the movements of the steering column.
Instead of the seat belt, you can use a bungee cord or a similar length to immobilize the steering column. Secure the cord to a fixed object, such as the grab handles over the doors. Of course, every car has a steering wheel lock built in when you turn off the key and remove it, so there's also that.

You must disconnect the power steering hoses before removing the steering rack pinion assembly from your vehicle. The recommended tool for the job is a flare nut wrench.

Take measurements of how critical parts line up. Write the figure down before removing the parts. That way, you know how to align them.
Consider the tie rod ends. They affect how the wheels align. Before you remove the steering rack pinion assembly, measure the distance between the bellows boot and the inside of the tie rod lock nuts that fasten the ends. After you install the new steering rack pinion, you can get the new assembly close to the original alignment.
Note that most rack assemblies come with the inner and outer tie rod ends. Nevertheless, you need to check the toe (or hire it done) after replacing the rack.

The steps to replace the steering rack pinion can vary between vehicle models. You might find the relevant parts in different positions, which can prove easier or harder to work with.
When in doubt, refer to a repair manual. You can also compare the old and new steering rack pinion assemblies to see if there are components that you must transfer from one to the other. Also, make sure they're both alike.

Some vehicles require a specific ground clearance height before you can work on their steering rack pinion. After lowering their cross member or k-frame, you can proceed with steering rack pinion replacement.
Check the repair manual to see if your vehicle is one of those rare models. Follow the process and adjust the ground clearance by the recommended distance.

Does your vehicle have a power steering assist system that uses hydraulic fluid? If yes, you must bleed the power steering after replacing the steering rack pinion.
Air can enter the hydraulic power steering system whenever you work on one of its parts. Air forms bubbles that reduce the power and responsiveness of power steering.
Remember the hydraulic fluid hoses connected to the steering rack pinion assembly? You opened them up during removal, allowing air to contaminate the power steering system.
Fortunately, it's easy to bleed the hydraulic power system. Fire up the engine before slowly rotating the steering wheel to one side until it locks up. Then, spin the wheel in the opposite direction until it reaches the lock position for that side.
You will hear a sound that resembles growling. That's the sound made by the air bubbles. Keep slowly spinning the steering wheel until the growl disappears, indicating that you've bled all the air out of the power steering.
Add more fluid to the power steering system until you complete the bleeding process. Also, use the correct fluid for the job. Some vehicles use automatic transmission fluid in their power steering, while others use specialized power steering fluid.