Hey guys, yesterday my steering rack failed and pissed out all of the atf fluid. Luckily it happened on my driveway so I didn't crash or run the p/s pump dry for very long.

My question is what failed to make it pour out of both ends? Both steering boots were full, and I could squeeze one boot, and fluid would pour out of the other boot on the other side of the rack. The failure happened quite quickly in a matter of minutes, and there were no leaks before that.

The rack was rebuilt 6 months ago when I bought the car as a condition of the road worthy certificate, so I am pretty confused as to why this happened.

Does the rack have a high pressure relief valve? If it failed as I turned to full lock on entering my driveway it could have blown out my rack end seals right? I'm planning on rebuilding the rack myself, so I need to find out what caused it to fail in the first place.

 

No valve. During the rebuild has the steering rod been polished? If not this can quickly ruin your internal seals, most likely the ones that seal the rack at the ends against the moving steering rod. This and maybe missing some other internals can lead to what you'be described. Have you done the rebuild yourself?

 

Ah ok. I have no idea whether it was polished or not. The shop that inspected the car prior to my purchase had the rack sent off to a different place to be rebuilt. That was six months ago, and it has held up perfectly over that time with no leaks. I haven't had to top up the reservoir at all and I check all fluid levels weekly. In this time I've also had 3 track days and driven a bit over 5000km, so I have no idea why it failed all of a sudden like that.

 

I had one do exactly the same - found atf all over the garage floor and same behavior when squeezing the boot. Pentosin better than atf when you install your next one.

 

I could be stating the obvious here but something about that rack setup was highly erroneous. The shop or whatnot should be notified of this considering the impact it has on everybody's safety. The least they would/could do is make it up to you. It's dangerous.

 

OK, I'm not sure, but don't some of the pumps have some sort of pressure release? Isn't there an electrical connection on some pumps? Like I said, not sure. Been awhile. One of the reasons I switched to a manual rack was due to blowing the seals out of the power ones.

 

I found out which shop it was that rebuilt it. Unfortunately they only offer 6 months warranty, and my rack failed 9 days too late.

So now I need to fork out to have it rebuilt, or attempt it myself. Adding to the frustration is the fact that it's RHD and I'm in Australia. So I can't just quickly go and get a Rennbay kit. I am going to call around and see if I can get a good price on the rebuild with some decent warranty. If I can't, I am going to take the rack apart and see what's wrong with it.

Seeing as it's freshly rebuild, I might only need to replace one seal or two.

My car sat around for a while before I bought it, so now I am worried that there may have been pitting/corrosion on the rod and they didn't bother polishing it and that's why it failed now.

 

How important is power steering to you? A lot of people seem to like the "depowered" rack, where you just pack it with grease and effectively convert it to a manual rack.

 

I wouldn't mind a depowered rack, but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to steer.

I have 265 wide semi slicks on the front, with lots of castor and a small steering wheel. So removing the power steering may make it very hard to steer. It's a daily driver that does occasional track days, so I'm worried that without the power assist I might not be able to counter steer as fast as is necessary out on the track?

If anyone with a similar setup can weigh in here and tell me their experiences with this manual conversion, I am all ears.

I'd also appreciate hearing from anyone who has rebuilt their rack, was it easy, and how long has it held up for you?

 

please pardon the hi-jack,

but, while we're on the topic, i've had my ps line go bad after the Cannonball run from Chicago to LA....

it lasted 10k miles.

any chance i damage the Chebby pump or my rack if i attempt to drive it, as it's no holding fluid.

i've heard people using 30 weight oil to make it to the shop....

bad idea???

thanks.

 

I think you can just take the p/s belt off and drive it as manual rack for a little bit to get out of a pinch. That way your pump isn't running dry.

 

thanks.

 

In a pinch, yes. But the atf drips away and metal rubs metal. I am a propaganda machine for the real manual rack, or at least something close to it. I am an advocate of sealing the disconnection between you (the driver) and your steering. On a car like the 944, I liken power steering to automatic shifting -- it's just another power system separating you from feel, instinct, and raw experience.

Some doors open slowly, others blow open wide. When your rack ****s on you 9 days after warranty, at least you may see it for an opportunity.

 

Believe me, I'm heavily considering removing the power assist. Getting a manual rack probably isn't a viable option because there are very low chances of finding the parts I need for my RHD car here in Australia.

So, I'm considering just converting my power rack to a manual rack, as I'd like to keep the quicker ratio anyway.

Bonus12, do you have a manual rack, or a p/s delete? Also what size tires do you run, and what's it like out on track?

I am open to a p/s delete, I just don't want to make a decision that I'll regret.

 

Do you want convenience or fun?

944crazy, I have a turbo with stock tires and parts. I love my manual rack and I'm currently on the prowl for another one. I want to regrease one and sell it here at a discount like Butters did a while ago, if not just as a gift to a familiar stranger. Who here has driven a manual rack?

I used to drive with a power rack. It was just fine -- the car would whip through turns and I could flip the wheel with a finger. It was okay, but not like other cars I had driven with manual operation. And it leaked. I tried the 944 without a p/s belt for about 1000 miles. Not a great experience.

Now I have a true manual rack from an '83. Re-greased it myself so it's a solid conversion. The most noticeable is turning the wheel at very low speeds, ie parallel parking, or at stop. I consider myself youthful so this is no problem, but it's a warning to those who desire luxury or complete relaxation.

Getting to the point. The plus sides are are a greater connection to the turn, enhanced handling experience, lighter curb weight, no atf nor p/s belt, no pump. The main idea is that the conversion brought my 951 way up to the next level and is a greater joy than ever to driver hard on turns. I cannot understate how there is no comparison to taking my 951 around a corner and knowing just how it all FEELS. People talk about feedback. With a manual rack the feeling the steering wheel gives you is exactly what the road would say if it could talk. You need to try this. The harder you turn, the louder the wheel talks, and you can feel every single thing.

If you track the car, you want a greater connection to the road. You want to know exactly how your car is doing through a turn so you can max it out. Welcome to the manual rack.