eurasiaoverland
Member
Hi guys,
I recently swapped out all my front ball joints, and after doing the work, I get an occasional clonk when maneuvering at low speeds and turning the wheel. The noise was there before, but less pronounced.
I put the truck up on stands and had an assistant move the front wheel and traced the noise to the driver's side of the steering rack. Peeling back the boot, I can see that the rack itself (i.e. the internal shaft of the rack, not the housing which is mounted to the chassis) is moving longitudinally (i.e. from the front to the back of the vehicle) and causing the clonk. There is very little free-play in the steering.
I've just ordered the necessary parts to swap out the old roller rack guide with the solid one, but I am thinking ahead in case this does not cure it.
One thing to note, I have a JDM vehicle with RHD and a new OEM rack would run to around $1200 plus a good bit for shipping, so I'm willing to try a few things before doing this. I can get a cheaper non-OEM rack, but I have a near zero tolerance policy for aftermarket parts, so that's a no-go.
I'm therefore thinking of doing the rack rebuild myself, which I feel confident to do.
Reading in online forums, the general consensus is that very few people attempt this, and those that have, have tried to fix leaking racks by changing out the seals, and often not been successful, concluding that it was internal parts of the rack which were worn.
Could anyone with experience tell me which parts are actually wearing in these racks??
The rack has basically three main components:
-The rack itself, with bushes and seals, ~ $200
-The rack housing with internal seals and guides, ~$400
-The pinion / power assembly with all seals, ~$450
As you can see, either one of these options is much cheaper than a new rack!
Inner and outer track rods, and rack mounts are all recently changed and without problems.
Thanks
Daniel
I recently swapped out all my front ball joints, and after doing the work, I get an occasional clonk when maneuvering at low speeds and turning the wheel. The noise was there before, but less pronounced.
I put the truck up on stands and had an assistant move the front wheel and traced the noise to the driver's side of the steering rack. Peeling back the boot, I can see that the rack itself (i.e. the internal shaft of the rack, not the housing which is mounted to the chassis) is moving longitudinally (i.e. from the front to the back of the vehicle) and causing the clonk. There is very little free-play in the steering.
I've just ordered the necessary parts to swap out the old roller rack guide with the solid one, but I am thinking ahead in case this does not cure it.
One thing to note, I have a JDM vehicle with RHD and a new OEM rack would run to around $1200 plus a good bit for shipping, so I'm willing to try a few things before doing this. I can get a cheaper non-OEM rack, but I have a near zero tolerance policy for aftermarket parts, so that's a no-go.
I'm therefore thinking of doing the rack rebuild myself, which I feel confident to do.
Reading in online forums, the general consensus is that very few people attempt this, and those that have, have tried to fix leaking racks by changing out the seals, and often not been successful, concluding that it was internal parts of the rack which were worn.
Could anyone with experience tell me which parts are actually wearing in these racks??
The rack has basically three main components:
-The rack itself, with bushes and seals, ~ $200
-The rack housing with internal seals and guides, ~$400
-The pinion / power assembly with all seals, ~$450
As you can see, either one of these options is much cheaper than a new rack!
Inner and outer track rods, and rack mounts are all recently changed and without problems.
Thanks
Daniel
