I was told by a mechanic that I need a new power steering rack. The steering acts up especially when it is cold. The steering is loud, and it is difficult to turn the wheel. It gets better when the car is warm.

I changed the power steering fluid, no improvement. The belts look ok. The car has 125K on it. Is this a do it yourself repair or should I pay to have it done? Any ideas what a fair price should be?

Thanks...

 

I just had mine replaced. It wil take about 5-6 hours (rough approximation), and labor rates vary based on region. I got the job done 100 miles from my location, near Newark, New Jersey. It cost me $653 (parts and labor, including the cost of an alignment afterwards, which is necessary). If you buy a brand new rack, it will cost a substantial amount more. Look for a remanufactured rack; it should do you just fine.

Believe it or not, it is possible for you to do the work yourself; I first looked in my Haynes manual and freaked because it asked that I remove the crossmember underneath the engine block (the one that supports the engine) to access the rack. That's unnecessary.

 

Thanks for the information. I think the install is over my head.

I made and appointment to have a friend work on it Monday. Hopefully he will be decent with the price. I'll never take it back to Nissian they ripped me off so bad in the past. I've been able to do most things on the Max, but the steering concerns me a little.

Did you install the SE rack or the GLE/GXE rack. I saw their were two part numbers. I wonder if it would be wise in my case to upgrade to the SE rack to see if the car's steering feel would improve. I've driven an SE and it seemed to handle so much better than my GXE. I know a lot has to do the the 15 tires, but it maybe a worthwile upgrade.

Thanks again

 

What is wrong with your power steering rack? Mines is starting to leak alot.

 

The steering started to act up a few months ago. When the car is cold its very loud and the steering feels rough. It kind of pops and cracks and has varied restrictions when turning the wheel. I first checked the power steering fluid. It was the correct level so I changed it and added a conditioner and new fluid. No improvement.

Next I thought it was the belts so I inspected them and contemplated changing them, but they are fairly new like 20K miles. I did some more research and found out it was most likely the steering rack. Monday its going to get worked on. I just hope its less than 1K.

 

If you have the choice, Definitely the SE rack. I have heard that there are differences between the racks between years (95-96 vs 97-99) and trim levels (GXE vs GLE vs SE). These allegations aside, you can't lose going with an SE rack, I am fairly certain.

 

Hopefully, today I will get a price on the labor and the parts. I will check with my mechanic to see if we can do the SE upgrade.