Steering rack compatibility with other PNs?

[Jlel12]

Hi all,

My 2016 has developed play in the steering rack (part 95083673), which - after $450 of diagnosis - one of my local Chevy dealerships informed me is a discontinued part. This is true...but it also appears (according to fitment guides that I've been looking at) that the steering rack in the '13-'15 gas Sparks was the same as the one used in the '14-'16 EVs.

My questions:
1) Can anyone give me the OEM part number for the steering rack gear for the '13-'15 gas Sparks? Is it the same as the one I've listed above for the EV Sparks?

2) Has anyone replaced the steering gear on their Spark themselves? I got an AllData subscription at Infinion's suggestion, and this looks like a pretty substantial repair - a lot of jacks and supporting equipment required. I would love to do the repair myself (because screw this dealer), but I also don't want to have to go crawling back to them with a partially-disassembled car that I can't put back together...

Thanks, all!

 

[Infinion]

Hi all,

My 2016 has developed play in the steering rack (part 95083673), which - after $450 of diagnosis - one of my local Chevy dealerships informed me is a discontinued part. This is true...but it also appears (according to fitment guides that I've been looking at) that the steering rack in the '13-'15 gas Sparks was the same as the one used in the '14-'16 EVs.

My questions:
1) Can anyone give me the OEM part number for the steering rack gear for the '13-'15 gas Sparks? Is it the same as the one I've listed above for the EV Sparks?

2) Has anyone replaced the steering gear on their Spark themselves? I got an AllData subscription at Infinion's suggestion, and this looks like a pretty substantial repair - a lot of jacks and supporting equipment required. I would love to do the repair myself (because screw this dealer), but I also don't want to have to go crawling back to them with a partially-disassembled car that I can't put back together...

Thanks, all!

Hey Jlel12,

Sorry to hear about the play in your steering rack / tie rod ends
Its awesome to hear that you gave AllData's service manuals a try.

This is anecdotal, but there have been many cross-compatible parts I've used from the Spark, especially since GM has discontinued several major parts in the Spark EV, which should in my mind be illegal given that a manufacturer must stock sufficient OEM parts for at least 10 years for their models... How am I not surprised though, its GM!

1) Can anyone give me the OEM part number for the steering rack gear for the '13-'15 gas Sparks? Is it the same as the one I've listed above for the EV Sparks?

If you decide to go the DIY route and go through all the research to feel comfortable doing the repair, I have some sources for you:

Before I go into the gas sparks, I want to point out that Ingenext holds spark EV parts in their warehouse in Quebec, Canada, and seems to have one available here: https://ingenext.ca/products/chevrolet-spark-ev-steering-gear-95083673?_pos=1&_sid=df18e3d48&_ss=r. I've bought at least $2k in used parts from them, and in the case of rare parts like wire harnesses, I was able to correspond with them via email and purchase a damaged (repairable) wire harness. It was not listed on the site and I believe they only list functional parts as a reputable EV parts salvager.


For the equivalent gas spark:
The '13-'15 Chevy Spark , '18-'20 Beat (spark India), and, '14-'16 Spark EV, are listed on rockauto.com as using generic 1G1015 rack and pinion (with electric power steering)
The genuine OEM part is 95083673 and, you guessed it, discontinued for the '13-'15 Spark (and '14-'16 Spark EV). But there are remanufactured parts you can buy that match this number (amazon, ebay, other online e-commerce parts stores).
The 2016 gas spark is listed as using OEM part 42502526 which is electric power steering, though its not listed as compatible it could be a last last resort

Also if you search 80-70296, Buyautoparts sells remanufactured spark rack and pinion with electric assist.

It's crazy to hear that they took $450 from you in diagnostic fees and didn't even provide a path forward to repair your car. Of course, after an interaction like the one you experienced, you'd want to do it yourself, even out of the feeling of necessity. However willing, you may also consider taking mechanical issues like these to a local mechanic, as the procedure should not require any special tools they don't have for such a ubiquitous thing as steering.

Even EV-related repairs are becoming more common now as more shops tool up to support the relatively new drivetrain type.

Hope this helps. I do check the forum semi-regularly, but if you don't receive a timely response from anyone, feel free to send me a PM. Otherwise the only community members to dispatch will be only those who are currently active, which, as time progresses, will naturally decrease.

 

[Jlel12]

Infinion, thanks so much for your help here!

This is anecdotal, but there have been many cross-compatible parts I've used from the Spark, especially since GM has discontinued several major parts in the Spark EV, which should in my mind be illegal given that a manufacturer must stock sufficient OEM parts for at least 10 years for their models... How am I not surprised though, its GM!

RIGHT?!?! Screw these guys and the Nova they drove in on.

If you decide to go the DIY route and go through all the research to feel comfortable doing the repair, I have some sources for you:

Thank you for all of these. I wound up (not long after I posted this) finding a remanufactured part from Cardone here: https://www.stockwiseauto.com/a1-ca...embly?Year=2016&Make=Chevrolet&Model=Spark EV I went with this one because it seemed like it had the best argument for being a "new aftermarket" part...in case I do have to go crawling back to this dealer (see below for why)

It's crazy to hear that they took $450 from you in diagnostic fees and didn't even provide a path forward to repair your car. Of course, after an interaction like the one you experienced, you'd want to do it yourself, even out of the feeling of necessity. However willing, you may also consider taking mechanical issues like these to a local mechanic, as the procedure should not require any special tools they don't have for such a ubiquitous thing as steering.

It drives me up the wall - especially when the local shop in my neighborhood diagnosed it correctly; got the replacement part ordered; got the car up on the lift...and then realized how much of the EV powertrain they'd have to mess with to make this repair. This is the problem I face here in Atlanta with this car. Independent shops aren't comfortable touching EV powertrain components - but all the Chevy dealers are crooks. And not even crooks who can fix cars! I'd be happy to pay way too much money to have this fixed, but...Anyway - if anyone on this forum in the Atlanta area knows of any independent shops that work on EVs, let me know!

Regarding the repair, it really does look like a doozy. I'm pretty mechanically competent - I'm a mechanical engineer, build robots and large material handling equipment, run a fabrication shop and maintain all of our equipment, etc. - but I simply don't have access to all of the jacks and supporting equipment that this repair guide is referring to. I've got a friend who is a much more serious gearhead - I'm going to go over it with him and see if he thinks it's in scope for his setup. Will report back on our findings!

 

[Jlel12]

OKAY - update. I received the part from Cardone, and it looks great. I also talked to the director of the service center at the dealership, and he was extremely apologetic - admitted they'd goofed, and is going to make this right if I bring the replacement part. Before I go down this road, though, I want to make *absolutely* certain this part is going to fit.

So, my latest question: are dimensional drawings for these parts available anywhere? (Is that a thing in automotive?) Or, if not, does anyone have one of these racks lying around that they could take some measurements off of for me? Here's what I have for the Cardone rack:

• End threads: M12 x 1.25, 50 mm threaded, 85 mm to base of hex spline
• Mounting holes: 12.2 mm, 550 mm C_C spacing
• Drive spline: 16.6 mm OD, 150 mm OAL

 

[Infinion]

OKAY - update. I received the part from Cardone, and it looks great. I also talked to the director of the service center at the dealership, and he was extremely apologetic - admitted they'd goofed, and is going to make this right if I bring the replacement part. Before I go down this road, though, I want to make *absolutely* certain this part is going to fit.

So, my latest question: are dimensional drawings for these parts available anywhere? (Is that a thing in automotive?) Or, if not, does anyone have one of these racks lying around that they could take some measurements off of for me? Here's what I have for the Cardone rack:

• End threads: M12 x 1.25, 50 mm threaded, 85 mm to base of hex spline
• Mounting holes: 12.2 mm, 550 mm C_C spacing
• Drive spline: 16.6 mm OD, 150 mm OAL

I don't think that's a thing. The world wide web doesn't seem to have publically accessible engineering drawings for OEM car parts, I briefly did an exhaustive search. What prospective buyers do get, however, are compatibility tables. I personally don't know of any datasheets or dimensional drawings for the 1G1015 or the Spark EV and its service manual meant for techs simply replacing parts, but I can tell you it's listed as a compatible part for the Spark and Spark EV and you can cross-reference that on the sites mentioned in my previous post to gain general confidence about fitment of your Carwow part (also check compatibilities of these sites: The Wrench Monkey, NAPA auto parts, Summit Racing Equipment, Stockwise, and Rockauto that has the best database). But I agree, I would be much happier in a world where you could get a license for dimensional drawings of one or more of GM's cars, enough to model its constituent parts. Hey GM! We found a way that might possibly prolong your existence as a corporation for the next couple years so you don't have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a second time since '09 and get bailed out by the American people a second time! License out your design files! I will take credit for this idea in the form of an Ultium battery pack retrofit for the Spark EV.



If I was a betting man, and you were still yet exercising caution over incapacitating your vehicle during a prolonged removal and replacement (though it sounds like the dealership wants your business, but just can't figure out how to source a generic part), I would put money on contacting one of the remanufacturers who would know details such as thread size, depth, # splines etc. Also Ingenext quite literally has a Spark EV steering rack lying around their shop, so you could send them an enquiry via email posing as a buyer asking for these dimensions, or physical photos of the part. If they say it's for the Spark EV, you can say it's going into a gas Spark. Or hell, buy it and return your part to Cardone if you're not entirely convinced!

 

[Jlel12]

Well, I bit the bullet: took the car back to the dealer. They gave me credit for all of the labor hours I'd already paid for, AND a free alignment, AND reduced the remaining labor hours on the job - AND they washed and detailed the car. Still expensive - but better than I'd feared.

@Infinion, thanks so much for all of your help and guidance here. Thankfully the part fit - but totally agree, dimensional drawings should be a thing in the automotive world. I think McMaster-Carr has the right idea here - it's not like you can reverse engineer from the amount of detail they give you, but you can definitely tell if it'll fit your application or not. Oh well - if I ruled the world...

Anyway - one more Spark EV still on the road to zoom around another day! Thanks again.

 

[Brent123]

For anyone looking at doing this repair in the future, I had a similar problem on my '16 Spark EV. This was probably 2.5 years ago, and the part was available on RockAuto.com.
I did the repair on grass with a scissor jack and a hydraulic jack. Yes, you have to disconnect the electric motor mounts and jack the entire assembly up about ten inches to wiggle the old rack out. The rack is a complex shape and there's very little room in there. After getting the new one in, everything else is easy. You don't have to disconnect any electrical lines (other than the 12V battery for safety) and it didn't seem very dangerous, but it is kind of a pain. I also did the tie rod ends and got the alignment "close enough" with a tape measure.
Anyway, I think it took me two half days on a weekend to be back on the road. It's possible, but not the easiest repair.
Good luck!
Brent

 

[Sparkytheev]

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[Sparkytheev]

Hey all. I’m trying to tackle steering rack replacement and Im stuck. I loosened the front subframe bolts and removed the rear subframe bolts. I unbolted the engine mounts. I can’t get the subframe to lower enough to get it out in the back. Anyone got some tips here?

For anyone looking at doing this repair in the future, I had a similar problem on my '16 Spark EV. This was probably 2.5 years ago, and the part was available on RockAuto.com.
I did the repair on grass with a scissor jack and a hydraulic jack. Yes, you have to disconnect the electric motor mounts and jack the entire assembly up about ten inches to wiggle the old rack out. The rack is a complex shape and there's very little room in there. After getting the new one in, everything else is easy. You don't have to disconnect any electrical lines (other than the 12V battery for safety) and it didn't seem very dangerous, but it is kind of a pain. I also did the tie rod ends and got the alignment "close enough" with a tape measure.
Anyway, I think it took me two half days on a weekend to be back on the road. It's possible, but not the easiest repair.
Good luck!
Brent

 

[Sparkytheev]

I figured it out. I wound up not needing to disconnect anything electrical. It was just really difficult to get the splined shaft out of the car but with some prying I was able to get it over the retaining bracket towards the sway bar and it slid out.