Recharged hydraulic accumulator

[Alex Kowalski]

I wrote:



>  Dave's remanufactured "bomb" is working perfectly and he didn't even send
> a hit man after me for not returning the core in a timely manner.  Please do
> not follow my bad example -- send the core back to him.  Don't kill me, Dave
> ;).
>


But I misspoke slightly.  You can do the job with the car on ramps, but you
can't bleed the rack and hydraulic system with the car on ramps.  You will
need to put the front of the car on jackstands so that the wheels are off
the ground far enough to let you turn the steering back and forth several
times while the bomb "accumulates" fluid and the hydraulic system purges
itself of any air.

That was really the "hardest" part of the job in my opinion -- getting the
front end of the car completely off the ground and on jackstands at the
jacking points so you don't dent/damage the body.  I used big, 4-ton
jackstands and a honkin' huge hydraulic floor jack, with the parking brake
set and the back wheels chocked.  And heck, while it's up there, it's a
great time to take a good look around underneath for loose bits, and maybe
do the front brakes if needed.

HTH,
Alex Kowalski