power steering questions

fluid in the articulated boots suggests the end seals went south. If the rack is coming apart, metal will circulated through the system and cause some real issues and a good bit of noise. Time to give it a once over.

Good luck.

HISSIN50 said:

fluid in the articulated boots suggests the end seals went south. If the rack is coming apart, metal will circulated through the system and cause some real issues and a good bit of noise. Time to give it a once over.

Good luck.

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Agreed. You say the system is newer, so I suppose it is a new/remanufactured rack or other part. Obviously more wrong than just seals. Like JT said, metal is probally circulating through the sysetem and is going to eat it alive, so you can either just replace the rack, but maby it would be best to replace the pump also, and flush the lines.

olymaster said:

cant you replace the leaky boots?
and be done with it?

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The boots should never have fluid in them, unlike a CV boot. They are just dust boots, not actuall seals. The rack is only held in by two bolts, then just remove the tie rods which are one cotter pin, and one nut per side and your out. Then align it after the new rack.

Jason is spot on. I would take a better look at it, and decide how/what to replace. If you have reason to believe that you have metal in there, I would not discard replacing everything in the system. When I did mine, I replaced everything. Costs for me then were: ~120 for a reman'd rack, 40 for the PS pump, 20 for the high pressure line, a few bucks for hydraulic bulk hose (for the low pressure side lines - from the rack to the cooler and from the cooler to the pump).

At a min, I would consider a new rack if you have metal in there or excessive inner tie rod movement (more cost effective to replace a rack than do the inners, IMHO). But like Jason said, thoroughly thoroughly flush the system before installing the new rack.

Good luck.

olymaster said:

got home tonight and here the chainsaw sound from steering

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Could have something to do with your MP smokeshow a couple weeks ago

olymaster said:

if a shop did the replacement how much labor you think?

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Jason is a professional master-wrench - he will know better than I.

Even just to have a rack done, it will likely be a pretty penny.

If you have a gearhead friend, I would have him help or even offer him some cash to help you do it - I bet you end up a good bit of money ahead. You will need an alignment afterwards.

And in my previous post, I forgot to add that new outer tie rods are a real good idea when renewing a rack (there should be no extra labor charge to install new vs the old ones, should you have a shop do it). And some aftermarket rack bushings (that the two bolts Jason mentioned go through) would be a real good idea. Reman'd racks sometimes dont come with the right ones (there are one piece and two piece bushings).

Doing a rack is no biggie. If it is the first time, I would set aside a full day. You might fight a bolt or two, etc, which can hang you up. It is a pretty academic R/R though.

Good luck bud.

olymaster said:

rack pinion seals going out from burn out doubt full

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Really

Field of dreams: "If you beat them, they will break."

olymaster said:

might doit next weekend
whole week to build courage

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When repair work becomes too repetitious and you start losing your weekends I share the same sentiment.

(Avatar: Your marks?)

The cost to have a shop R&R P/S components may be costly but it isn't that big of a job really. The only thing is that for most shops, you would get a warranty so if it went bad agian, it's free. Maby you should just get a quote or two.

olymaster said:

.........i mean when somethings messed up on my car i lose sleep
i think im obsessed and in love

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Ok, so I'm not the only insane one here.

Thanks for what you and the others are doin' overseas

The two inner tie rod ends are usually what wears out, and at $45 each, it's better to get a replacement rack assembly since they are part of the package. The rack is about $100 + a $40 refundable core charge, which you get back when you return the old rack. Be sure to ask for the GT or high performance rack, it has fewer turns lock to lock than the standard rack.

The flex coupling for the steering shaft needs to be disconnected before you can get the rack out. You should disassemble the coupling by undoing the 2 bolts that hold it together. The lower part of the coupling will then come out with the rack, and can easily be removed.

The tie rod ends can be removed with a tool that looks like a giant "pickle fork", it's less than $8, or some stores will rent/loan one. Remove the cotter pin & nut on the tie end, stick the tool between the rod end and the arm it connects and hammer away. The bigger the hammer, the easier it comes apart.

Remove the two bolts that bolt the rack assembly to the frame and then pull the rack down. Get a catch pan to dump the fluid in when you disconnect the hydraulic lines. I replaced the rack mount bushings with some Energy Suspension urethane ones. When you re-install the rack assembly, put the rear bushings in the rack assembly and lift it into place. Then install the front bushings & washers and tighten down the nuts. Doing it this way makes room for the hydraulic lines without having them bind against the frame.

To change the tie rod ends, do them one at a time. Loosen the jam nut 1/4 turn, then unscrew the tie rod end from the rack. Turn the jam nut back 1/4 turn to return it to its original position. With the tie rod end removed, use a machinist square to measure the distance between the end of the threaded rod and the jam nut. Sit the bottom of the square against the end of the threaded rod, and the end of the blade of the square against the jam nut. Duplicate the measurement on the new rack and then install the tie rod end and tighten the jam nut. Then do the other side: the front end will need aligning, but the toe in will be close enough to the setting of the original rack to drive.

Buy several extra quarts of fluid to run through the system to flush it when you change the rack. The car needs to be up on jackstands for the next step. Fill the pump up, start the car, and turn the wheels lock to lock to bleed the air out. Then stop the engine, disconnect the low pressure hose (the one that is secured with a hose clamp) and drain the pump. Re-connect, refill and do it several more times or until the fluid looks clear and not burnt or black.