Reman power steering rack leaking

[VB242]

I bought an AC Delco rack from Rockauto in November and it's leaking from passenger boot. Here is my dilemma, I only paid $134 for this rack, Rockauto no longer carries this part so I can return for credit but next available part is $350. How hard is it to replace the seals? A seal kit is only $40. I routed the return hose through the auto trans cooler but had to reduce the hose from 3/8 to 5/16, is it possible this restriction caused my leak?

[VB242]

bump for powah steerunk advice

[cleanflametrap]

Originally Posted by VB242

bump for powah steerunk advice

I'd love to hear the answer too, so here's a bump with some thoughts that really don't help you any more than you could help yourself without them:

240 racks are different. Even among the power assisted class, CAM and ZF each have several designs, so finding an experienced rack rebuilder on the enthusiast forum who could speak of seal replacement difficulty with relevant experience is not likely. But maybe my bump is her challenge.

For the dilemma, if you were to ask me what I'd do instead of whether the seals are "hard to replace" it would depend a lot on how quickly I needed the car. I have one, a 242, on which I could afford to try the seal kit you found, if I needed one. It could wait until Spring. Another car, why, I'd put in an order today to Jorgen and get that defective rebuild on its way to Rock Auto. Really depends -- that dilemma of yours.

What I find most intriguing is your use of the trans cooler. Sure the restriction of pipe size is one thing, but have you seen how thin and closely spaced the walls of that heat exchanger are? Not actually testing, but having held one (from a blackstone) in my hands, I'd venture a guess that hydraulic fluid might have been a little sluggish getting through that cooler at first, but it is the same stuff the auto tranny uses, and I'd imagine the tranny needs even more volume pushed. Where did you get that marvelous idea? What prompted it? Is this commonly done in the performance set? I don't know, but I would argue anyway that could NOT be the reason the seals failed. You'll just see rebuilder did a lousy job on whatever slides through the seals.

Oh well, I hope you draw some comments, because I'd love to see more on power steering diagnosis and rebuilding. I'm very much inexpert at this.

[Mueller]

I posted a thread showing my rebuild of my rack..it's here someplace.

k-jet.org for greenbooks if you want to take a look at the instructions 1st.

[VB242]

Of course I should have consulted the green Bibles. It crossed my mind first when I pulled the radiator at pick and pull, then I was talking to the guy who took top pax for the year at autocross in his miata with giant tires stuffed under it. He said the only mod he had done to the engine was add a power steering cooler since he was running such big tires. Then my original eqt rack started leaking after a track day,I put 1 and 3 together and solved the equation for Y and hooked it all up when I replaced the rack. I got these PEX brass adapters from the plumbing section of home depot. I had to force them a little into the 5/16"and 3/8"fuel hose that I used.

[Mueller]

Having rebuilt one, I wouldn't want to do another one, however if the rebuilt racks suck and are that expensive I might change my mind...no idea if I did a decent job or not on mine, 0 miles on the rebuild.

[lummert]

Maybe rebuilder info was on the box. Maybe rebuilder is still in business.

[Wren]

Return for credit and use it to by other parts; most reman parts these days suck.

Get a good junkyard unit and GO GO GO!

[VB242]

I invested $11 in some Lucas oil PS stop leak, had the consistency of honey in 27 degree weather. I never use stuff like this but it seemed worth a try as it's "guaranteed"to work. I have a few months to see how it works out. I will take your advice Wren if this doesn't work.


PS, I liberated some at piping stubs at the pnp and flared the ends to attach my PS return hose to Trans cooler then back to the pump return.