Steering racking replaced

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What is the warranty on the racks?
 
For you guys that've replaced racks, what are the symptoms of the rack on it's way out?

Wandering
Loose steering
Leaking
Harder to turn the wheel in the morning when it's cold

What about a steering wheel shimmy/shake?

The rack on my old civic went out, to the point where there was no on center steering and eventually it wouldn't turn right anymore. The steering wheel would just spin like it was stripping.
 
I think I found part of the problem. I drained and filled it and it had dirt, tar (sticky goo), and smelled burnt.

It's still squeaky, but seems a bit quieter. I'm going to do it again tonight and report back.

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I feel ya Nick, I believe mine has been going out for a while only to find out about it after tearing a steering arm boot after running Ophir pass of all trails.... LOL

My drivers side boot is weeping Tranny fluid very very slowly. Slow enough I don't notice a change in the Power steering reservoir.

Ill keep an eye on your results.. I have other maintenance I need to do, Im not exactly looking forward to replacing the steering rack..
 
GaFJC said:
Would a tired rack manifest itself in noises orginating in the plastic housing between the steering wheel and dash speedo/tach cluster?

139K miles.

I don't have excessive play (yet) at 9 or 3 or 6 and 12 when the front end is on jack stands.

I am hearing a slight noise when slowly leaving park (forward or reverse) or turning corners from a stop at low speeds. I've done a crude test of checking for play on the steering column inside the cab and inside the engine compartment and everything is tight.

I am wondering if it's just some sort of carrier bearing (like in two piece drive shafts - for a lack of a better description) in the plastic housing between the steering wheel and dash.

It is not the squeak that so many people have. I've kept that lubed.

I have visions of the steering column shaft snapping when the fam and I are heading down the interstate at 75 mph.....
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Unlikely that you would ever have a catastrophic failure like that. Those steering shaft components are beefy where they need to be. I have seen some trucks where the bearings will make a little noise. Have you pulled the plastic cover to see if you can pinpoint where it is coming from?
 
Sam Stewart said:
Unlikely that you would ever have a catastrophic failure like that. Those steering shaft components are beefy where they need to be. I have seen some trucks where the bearings will make a little noise. Have you pulled the plastic cover to see if you can pinpoint where it is coming from?
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Many thanks Sam.

I haven't pulled the plastic housing as of yet as I have replacement of the lock cylinder piece I ordered from you on the "to do" list in a few weeks. I'll definetely look for the around for the steering shaft noise when I am in there.
 
So #4 is toast...rack #5 is going in next week. The bushings have failed, and the rack itself is moving all around. The inner tie rods are bent and the rack itself is locking up in parking lots. The video shows the rack moving when barely moving the wheels back and forth. This will be the 2nd rack in 12 months. :rolleyes:

 
Nick, I put my first replacement rack in earlier this year and had started to get similiar movement from the bushings (although without the fun noise coming from yours). I put the SuperPro bushings in mine and got rid of all of the slop. Not nearly as bad as changing out the rack but not a stress free job either.

If you are having someone install another rack, I strongly recommend that you have them slide those in before install.
 
Grego said:
Nick, I put my first replacement rack in earlier this year and had started to get similiar movement from the bushings (although without the fun noise coming from yours). I put the SuperPro bushings in mine and got rid of all of the slop. Not nearly as bad as changing out the rack but not a stress free job either. If you are having someone install another rack, I strongly recommend that you have them slide those in before install.
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Greg, I've already ordered the SuperPro Poly bushings. Ultimately I would like to see a aluminum bushing, but I can't find a source on those. The slop in the rack is so great, it's hard to hold it in the same lane. Throw in wind, and traffic and it's a crazy ride trying to not have a accident!
 
I blame 35's...
 
seriously, how's those 35s working for ya?
 
Plenty of people running 35's without eating racks. It's related to wheeling. Unfortunately my wheeling style puts excessive wear on the racks. I went through a rack on 33's too (first one).
 
KlausVanWinkle said:
SAS time?
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I plan on that...some day. I figure after the 10th rack, and the 20th CV axle I'll make the move on a SAS.


As for the rack, the SuperPro bushings are arriving this week. The truck is going in for the rack Friday. I can't wait for this to be fixed. The rack has gotten so bad that the truck does NOT go straight. It creaks, pops, and moves about all the time. It's almost dangerous on the highway.
 
hkeller said:
My rack is leaking more and more on the passenger side. Is there a way to fix this short of replacing the rack?
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Keep adding fluid plus replace the D bushing on the passenger side. That will milk a few more miles out of it.
 
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