Cheburator

Decided to replace the steering rack with a "rebuilt" one as the original 260,000 miles one was beginning to show too much play when steering dead ahead.

The new one is even worse! Am I doing something wrong - we have changed track rod end and tie-rod ends with brand new ones, the rack has custom aluminium bushes, just the same as the one Roger makes, and there is still play. When the wheels are dead straight I can turn the steering wheel left or right by about 10deg without eliciting a response from the wheels. We also checked the UJs, but they are free of play.

I am beginning to think that the rack maybe got new seals, but it is the actual shaft or the pinion which are worn out. Thus it is not rebuilt, merely resealed.

As far as I know these rack are non-adjustable. Correct?

Maybe I need to pay the shop a visit and whack the owner over the head with his "rebuilt" product... And then ask for my money back and pay Porsche UK £880 for a new one with 12mths no quible warranty?

Anything else that I need to check on the car before I do the above? Btw, all the suspension components such as wishbone bushes, ball joints etc. are also good.

Thanks in advance,

Alex

GlenL

There are other places to have slop like the u-joints and the rubber collar thing in the shaft to the rack.

Imo000

I thought you knew.....rebuild = reseal.

The only problem is that whoever rebuilt it, didn't check the backlash between the pinnion gear and the rack. It the backlash (freeplay) is excessive, the steering rack shoud not be rebuilt/re sealed.

John Speake

You need t make some careful observations, with a helper to observe where the free play is..... the indications are that it is probably not the rack itself ?

Cheburator

We did look at it very carefully - all three of us...

The play is definitely in the rack. Off the car, there is no play, on the car there is play, but you have to bear in mind I am running Toyo R888 265/35/18 on 10" ET65 wheels upfront and solid mounts. Thus any play in the rack will manifest itself even more...

When you turn the wheel, you can see the steering shaft, column whatever you want to call it, turn too, all the way to the coupler into the rack. The rack input shaft also turns, but the wheels don't move. I guess the backlash was not checked when it should have been. As a result I am going to check this guy's head resistance against the casing of his "rebuilt" steering rack if I don't get my money back....

The worst thing is that I have a race on Saturday at Silverstone and no bloody car to race in because some ***** in Cornwall has not done his job properly.

Btw, the people installing the rack are professionals, who built drift cars, thus they know a thing or two about steering. I just wanted to tripple check by consulting with you people on Rennlist.

Thanks,

Alex

Landseer

I thought I had bad rack play. It was the double universal joint. Just replaced it. Are you sure yours isn't worn-out? I checked it twice and missed it. Wasn't till I took it loose that I felt the problem and it was a lot of play in certain positions, hidden in others.

Cheburator

When I turn the wheel, I can see the steering shaft, column whatever you want to call it, turn too, all the way to the coupler into the rack. The rack input shaft also turns, but the wheels don't move. Does not look like a worn out UJ, non?

ammonman

Waiting for a fix as my rack (rebuilt installed by the PO about 6 months before I bought it) has the same issue. I eliminated the tie rods and ends by locking the rack with the centering bolt, then having a helper move the steering wheel. The u-joints and rubber connector have zero slop. It is all in the pinion to rack lash.

Mike

Landseer

non.

Imo000

It's the rack.

Garth S

I had a leaking S4 rack rebuilt, and reinstalled it in my car ... and had similar issues: the play was determined to be a fore/aft movement of the rack rod (~25mm diameter) within the solidly mounted rack housing. This rack was tight, and had no alignment issues prior to leaking at the seals.

Apparently, in the 'rebuild', the bushings that center the rack radially were missing/incorrectly installed/damaged/ ???...

Easy to check: pull the rack boots back, and have the steering wheel turned while the rack rod extension from the housing is observed visually - or by feel ..... turn the wheels hard left/right to achieve max. extension, and any play will be easier to see.

If there is play, the front toe setting will jump all over the map .... and the car will be virtually impossible to set up on the alignment rack.

A fresh rack is the normal fix: there have been posts of externally bushing the rod at the housing ends, but if one paid for a good rack, that's what should be delivered.

Mrmerlin

I know your far away from them but 928 INTL seems to have great rebuilt racks i have installed 4 of them and they were all perfect.
I have also gotten a rack from Autozone it was a POS

Cheburator

The shop has agreed to re-imburse my money, but that does not solve my problem... Porsche AG in Germany are out of stock and want $1500 for a new new rack. I am looking at 5weeks + waiting time... Maybe 928Intl is my only option...

Ouch!

Cheburator

further developments - in a desperat effort to salvage the race tomorrow we took appart the whole assembly. it is the rubber connector which is toast. does any one have a part number for it since i cannot find it on the PET. I am hoping that Porsche UK will have one in stock in London...

Landseer

What rubber connector? Inside rack or up on column?