My 944 usually only sees action at the weekends and most weeks sits patiently in its parking spot on my road. Amateur mechanic job time approx. It is worth pointing out straight away that the power steering rack for right and left-hand drive cars are identical, however the suspension cross-member and the way the power steering rack attaches to the cross-member are different. To make this job as easy as possible raise the front of car as high as you can go, then remove the undertray by undoing the 5 bolts that hold it on. If you are doing this on your own it also helps to remove the front wheels to take the weight off the track rods when you detach them from the rack. Pop the gator off at the end that is attached to the rack and roll it back to expose the 32mm nut that attaches the steering track rod to the rack inside. With the nut undone position the track rod so it is not in your way and repeat the procedure for the other side.
With most of the oil drained you can now detach the other hose from the point where it meets the power steering pump (blue arrow below) with a 19mm spanner/socket and catch the remaining oil. With the hoses removed you are now almost ready to begin detaching the rack itself. To remove the rack start by undoing the four 13mm bolts that secure it to the cross-member. Don't undo the bolts completely though as you also need to undo and remove the single 13mm bolt (blue arrow below) that attaches the steering linkage to the rack. Keeping the rack momentarily held by the four steering rack mounting bolts aids its removal. It helps to spray some penetrating oil on the bolt and spline itself as it can be difficult to undo and ease apart. You must remove the bolt completely as there is a grove in the spline that it sits in. With the bolt removed if the linkage won't budge off the spline you can tap a screwdriver into the slot and ease the jaws of the clamp slightly, use more penetrating oil if you have to.
With the linkage detached and the four cross-member bolts now completely removed you can proceed to wiggle/twist and manoeuvre the rack free from the car. The replacement rack was a reconditioned part with all new seals and brand new rubber gators that I got from a seller on ebay who specialises in replacement steering racks for all types of cars. The rack arrived within a day or so as a complete unit (you have to send him back the old rack as part of the deal). I also purchased some replacement copper washers for where the steering oil lines attach to the rack and steering pump, I got these from a general auto store for few pennies. You will now need to reconnect the lines to rack with the new copper washers (following the correct torque settings in the Porsche manual). Next step is manoeuvre the new rack back into position on the car. Don't worry at this point trying to centre the tracking with the steering wheel in the car as you will do this at the very end when the wheels are back on the car.
This is a simply case of pointing the wheels directly ahead and removing and adjusting the steering wheel. With the linkage attached and bolted to the spline you can do up all four steering rack mounting bolts so the rack is now securely in place. The next step is to fit the new gators to the track rods. I found the easiest method was first to use a little grease around the openings of the gators and slide a 32mm socket inside side them first. Slide the gator all the way onto the track rod and onto the rubber bung (shown top left in the photo above). You are now ready to hook the track rods back up to the rack. Carefully line up the threads on each side and do up the wobbly joints so they are finger tight. Then tighten them with a spanner. It is important that you use a punch or flat bladed screwdriver to tap the locking notch back into place (as shown below by the orange arrow). This prevents your steering coming apart through vibration and is an essential safety feature.