Rack and pinion with damaged boots

[ThosL]

No performance issue on this rack, but according to a friend it could become one.

 

 

 

Video on replacing them:  

 

[lmdew]

Boots can be changed.  It's tight, but you can do it.  Sometimes it helps to drop the Y-pipe a bit.

I pin punch the tie rod nut and then use a pice of wire to record the lenght the nut is off the inner tie rod.  It allows you to put it back to almost aligned.

Unscrew the inner tierod, remove the nut and replace the boot.  Put it all back together and get an alignment.

[el_freddo]

Not an issue unless you’re hitting sand or mud every weekend with the boots like this. 

For a regular road going vehicle you could drive like this for some time without it becoming an issue. 

As Ido said, can be done with the rack in the vehicle. Also a good time to check/renew the rack mount bushes while you’re there. 

An alignment after the work will ensure your tyres wear evenly meaning you get the best performance and life out of them. 

Cheers 

Bennie

[idosubaru]

There’s a red drop showing on the inner tie rod. It looks like the rack seal is already damaged. Your next question will be “does steering fluid stop leak work?” No, it doesn’t. 

This is probably the single most important boot to replace immediately.  Dirt and grit get in that boot and are pushed and pulled past the rack seals every time you turn the steering wheel. It’s literally sanding and scoring the rack surface.  It will eventually leak power steering fluid inside that boot. Change it to avoid profusely leaking steering rack that needs replaced. I find steering racks annoying to replace. Maybe it’s the rust. Lol.  

fuel, oil pump and home water pressure are all under 100 psi. Ever seen a hose, faucet leaks or fuel squirt out of a car?  Steering racks are like 1,000 psi.  If it’s leaking the rack seal is toast and you need a nee rack. The seals alone unfortunately are convoluted to work on and not economical to replace. 

Edited April 3, 2022 by idosubaru

[ThosL]

No leaking; the oil residue is splatter from when I overfilled the engine oil and or tranny fluid.   Thanks for the advice.

[idosubaru]

On 4/3/2022 at 11:33 AM, ThosL said:

No leaking; the oil residue is splatter from when I overfilled the engine oil and or tranny fluid.   Thanks for the advice.

That's good to hear. 

I'd keep an eye on the fluid level.  It's fairly suspicious for it to be dripping right from the inner tie rod base which has a larger diameter than the other components inside the boot making it difficult for fluid to migrate there from a long distance while also being sheltered by the tie rod boot, as well as the entire engine cross member between it and your spillage. I would keep an eye on the power steering fluid and change the boot sooner rather than later.

In the northeast, the snow itself and treatments both lead to increased aggregate material on the roads, which isn't good for tie rods.