I have had two mechanics tell me that my rack needs replacing. I took it to another mechanic for a water pump issue & he told me that he could probably fix the problem by replacing the power steering pump. He told me if I paid him $20.00 he could tell. He then checked it & told me that he wouldn't be able to tell unless I fixed the power steering pump for $150, THEN he could tell if the rack leaked or not, thus deducing whether the rack needed replacing.
Does this guy sound like he's on the square?

Thanks

 

well what makes them think the rack needs to be replaced?
torn boot(s)?
leaking?
bad steering performance?

 

VERY bad steering performance. When drivin at only 30 MPH if I hit a bump the car moves sideways a few feet. It is very unstable and when it rains it's scary. I have had steering problems since I bought it. If I punch it from a stop it lurches hard to the right and it's a real b*%#@ to turn.

 

ok that still doesn't tell me how the rack itself is bad.

your problems might be from:
rotted/worn rack bushings
bad alignment
bad tie rod
bad ball joint

 

I have already replaced the ball joint, control arm and tie rod ends

 

I don't see how the ps pump is related to the car jumping all around over bumps. The worst thing that could happen is that the ps pump will fail. That would only cause the steering effort to go way up. Nothing to do with how loose the steering feels when navigating bumps etc..

If you think the steering rack is that bad, then try grabbing one wheel and see if you can make it jiggle while trying to move it back and forth. If there is alot of play, then the rack might be on the way out. Or jack the car up and grab hold of the steering arm and see if you can easily move it back and forth. ie.. loose

 

good start...now how are those rack bushings?

 

No idea...what are they and how do I check?

Oh yeah I forgot to mention it has had a front end alignment

 

ohhh..if they were able to get u the alignment then the front end should be tight. don't worry about the rack bushing.

strange..you shouldn't be all over the place since you had all that work done.

like Jeff said...jack the car up and and pull on the wheels and see if there's looseness.

are you losing fluid at all?
are the rack boots torn?
does the PS pump whine when you turn the wheel...make any other loud sounds?

 

I'll try the wheels. Don't know about the rack boots. The PS pump makes no noise.
Is it necessary for the mechanic to fix the PS pump to find out if the rack will leak?

 

its pretty simple to see if your power steering fluid is leaking outta your rack, just get under your car and check along the boot line and see if you gettin anything dripping out. theres no reason you couldnt do this because of your power steering pump being in the way, hes just yankin your chain from what it sounds.

 

I just called the mechanic. He said the pump has to be replaced (it has never had power steering since I've owned it) because it is not getting fluid to the rack which is why the steering sucks. He said that will fix the steering problem or he won't charge me for the pump-he seems pretty confident it is NOT the rack. I might have misunderstood him-there is a language barrier & he has one heck of an accent

 

You've never had power steering?
if that's the case then chances are the rack is FUBARED. as well as the pump being bad.
The rack relies on the fluid for lubrication and without it it will wear itself to pieces.
So I think the first 2 are right and the third is wrong.
But hey what do i know I'm only certified.

 

Off Subject.....I changed the PS hose b\c it cracked and now it has started w\ a low whine noise only when i turn is that normal or is the PS pump going now>?

 

If your car changes veering right to left every now and then, like, it doesn't always pull to the right, it will sometimes pull to the left while driving, thats usually a rack and pinion problem.

 

low fluid?

 

Great...sounds like my PS pump and rack need replacing..that would, in effect total the damn thing in my opinion. Then there is the fact that there is 198,000 miles on it & no idea when or IF the tranny was replaced.
Any suggestions? Be gentle, I am emotional right now ; (

 

got any friends that are handy?

 

Yeah I got a guy that MIGHT sell me his 92 Max for $300 but that depends on his wife-he said the rack is good on his but how do I know if the tranny has been replaced on mine yet? If it hasn't I'm gonna cut muy losses & back away slowly...

 

Had a power steerin pump installed today & it fixed all of my steering issues! I will be sure to tell Firestone about their $800-$2,000 repair quote. It cost me $150.00!!!!

 

how much is it to do a rack? b\c the whole car veering to the right every once in a while seems right....my mechanic metioned that my rack might be going b\c i keep losing oil and p|s fluid!

 

Independent shop should do it for about $300-400 parts and labor. Just shop around.

 

I just had my R&P changed about 3 months ago or so. The boots on mine were completely shot (mechanics showed it to me before it was changed), and there was p/s fluid all under the engine (which I still need to get cleaned). My job costed me $650 at Pep Boys because I had other work done too, but the R&P itself is only about &120 for the part itself.

I didn't have any of the symptoms that you guys are mentioning when it came to my R&P... The weird thing about it was that when I would check the p/s fluid, it showed it was level, and barely dropped below that before I got the R&P replaced. Mine was pulling to the right because of a slow leak in my front passenger tire (at least that's what I discovered it was).

peace2u