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Rack and Pinion still leaking after replacement....
I have this power steering leak and that is driving me nuts and was hoping someone can help me.
I have a leak at the rack and pinion, so few weeks back I ordered one online. A refurbished piece. Installed it and was still leaking. The guy sent me another unit and again it was leaking. He told me there must be a pinch line somewhere on the return line, so not enough fluid is leaving the rack and pinion causing high pressure build up which causes it to leak through the oil seals.
Ok so last week I decided to buy another refurbished unit at a local shop, and before installing it, I checked the entire return line and it looked clean. I even blew air through it and it was just fine. Its been a few days now and I start to see a slow leak again. Its not leaking at the hoses, but rather at the unit. It looks like I'm going to damage another rack and pinion unit.
I have no clue what could be wrong, can someone help me with this? I also have already checked for leaks where the hoses connects to the rack and pinion and its perfectly dry.
I feel your pain.I recently got mine replaced with a reman. rack and it's already leaking and also has a busted boot. It hasn't even been 6months yet
This is where mine is leaking from
I guess you need to use some thread sealing tape found at Home Depot? I dont know if the nuts in your picture come off though. I guess they would.
Also touch and feel the power steering pressure hose for temperature.
If it gets too hot throw in a cooler from a junkyard for your power steering. Shouldnt run you more than $25.
Replace the PS oil with a mixture of Valvoline MaxLife/SuperTech High Mileage ATF (compatible with DEX-II/III).2 quarts for ~$8.
If replacing your current rack is not an option you can try to slow down the leak by thickening the PS oil with Lucas Power Steering stop leak. I ended up using the same and it literally stopped my leaky PS rack.
There are nice DIY's available in the Gen3/4 section of this forum for PS flush. If you need help just give a shout.
__________________ 1995 Camry DX L4 178,6XX miles and counting each mile.... acquired 05/25/2007 at 129K miles
2004 Mazda6 I4 5-Speed Manual 115,500 miles acquired 01/21/2011 at 109,XXX miles
Local shop that do rack and pinions rebuilds . I am not sure on the warranty as I trusted my mechanic to buy this part .I will be contacting him soon about the warranty info.
Quote:
Originally Posted by peshwa
I guess you need to use some thread sealing tape found at Home Depot? I dont know if the nuts in your picture come off though. I guess they would.
Also touch and feel the power steering pressure hose for temperature.
If it gets too hot throw in a cooler from a junkyard for your power steering. Shouldnt run you more than $25.
Replace the PS oil with a mixture of Valvoline MaxLife/SuperTech High Mileage ATF (compatible with DEX-II/III).2 quarts for ~$8.
If replacing your current rack is not an option you can try to slow down the leak by thickening the PS oil with Lucas Power Steering stop leak. I ended up using the same and it literally stopped my leaky PS rack.
There are nice DIY's available in the Gen3/4 section of this forum for PS flush. If you need help just give a shout.
I believe the nuts are removable but hard to get to. I checked the nuts when I had the car on a lift and they are tight.. I might try the other solutions u listed for now until i can get new rack.
I think I know your problem.
1. The leaks at the two hoses is probably caused by the mechanic not putting in an o-ring seal. That's why its leaking.
2. The broken boot was probably caused by the alignment job. I had my car aligned at Big O tires in CA and the dumb tech twisted the boots. Imagine trying to squeeze water out of a towel, it literally looked like that. When I saw it, all I could think was...never again will I go back to Big O tires.
If I find out whats wrong I will update everyone.
By the way, most refurb rack and pinion has a 1 year warranty. The unit I bought on ebay has a lifetime warranty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandoe91
I feel your pain.I recently got mine replaced with a reman. rack and it's already leaking and also has a busted boot. It hasn't even been 6months yet
3 racks from 2 different vendors doing the same thing. I wonder if the PS pump pressure valve isn't working. Otherwise maybe a name brand rack will work better? I'm not sure where Toyota get theirs.
3 racks from 2 different vendors doing the same thing. I wonder if the PS pump pressure valve isn't working. Otherwise maybe a name brand rack will work better? I'm not sure where Toyota gets theirs.
Are you saying that the pressure valve might not be working causing too much pressure into the rack and pinion? Hmmm I've never thought of that...
1. Toyota remanufactured
2. NAPA
3. Maval
4. Beck Arnley
How do those hold up ?
Napa reman stuff is good in general. However, Napa is franchise owned and I think that each store is different. (Not 100% sure on this)
I bought a rack once from a different Napa then the one I frequent and the boxing etc was different then the other store. (I have purchased a good chunk of Napa reman stuff and I know what kind of boxing they use). My regular store is also more expensive, but the rack usually comes with all the grommets and rubber pieces but the other store seemed to provide a cheaper part.
So in general, who knows. The store I usually go to is heavily into supplying mechanic shops so im sure the parts the have are higher quality and more $$.
Stores like AutoZone and Oreillys arent to big on the parts delivery to shops, but NAPA is pretty big. Mechanics dont like defective parts. Dont order something like a rack online. Not worth the hassle.
The issue with NAPA's A1 Cardone 's re-manufactured parts (CV joints, rack and pinion) is that there is a high probability of failure --even though they have a lifetime warranty.
According to my local NAPA they sell 2-3 racks a week, so about 150 racks a year and about 4-5 of those fail within the first 1 year - a 3% defect rate. Note that Toyota's failure rate on parts is well under 1%.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carsrus
Napa reman stuff is good in general. However, Napa is franchise owned and I think that each store is different. (Not 100% sure on this)
I bought a rack once from a different Napa then the one I frequent and the boxing etc was different then the other store. (I have purchased a good chunk of Napa reman stuff and I know what kind of boxing they use). My regular store is also more expensive, but the rack usually comes with all the grommets and rubber pieces but the other store seemed to provide a cheaper part.
So in general, who knows. The store I usually go to is heavily into supplying mechanic shops so im sure the parts the have are higher quality and more $$.
Stores like AutoZone and Oreillys arent to big on the parts delivery to shops, but NAPA is pretty big. Mechanics dont like defective parts. Dont order something like a rack online. Not worth the hassle.
Last edited by SilverSoarer; 05-12-2011 at 12:00 PM.
Just an idea. Maybe the pressure regulation valve wasn't working and didn't bypass when no pressure was needed at the rack.
But you can't tell for sure without a pressure gauge which most of us don't have anyway.
Were the first two racks name brand? It's just rare 3 racks from two different vendors are doing the same thing.
They are all Toyota OEM pieces that has been refurbished.
Update: Well this last rack and pinion at my local store seems to be doing much better. I don't see the leak anymore. Normally when I look under the car, the subframe would have a tear drop. I don't see that anymore. Hmmmm maybe its fixed. I will have to give it one more week for a more confident result.
With the other two racks I installed, within few days and I can see a small puddle on my drive way. Also within a week the fluid level at the reservoir would be at a much lower level.
I will update again in a week. Thanks everyone for you input so far.
integra123,
(I am dreading doing this repair in my driveway).
At least you have a driveway...I can not afford to buy a home and live in apartments, some who treat working on cars equivalent to playing with firearms in public....
__________________ 1995 Camry DX L4 178,6XX miles and counting each mile.... acquired 05/25/2007 at 129K miles
2004 Mazda6 I4 5-Speed Manual 115,500 miles acquired 01/21/2011 at 109,XXX miles
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96 es300 2MZ
acquired 05/25/2007 at 129K miles
I4 5-Speed Manual 115,500 miles acquired 01/21/2011 at 109,XXX miles
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