Adamant1971

My rack is leaking from the input shaft. I just replaced the reservoir and crush washers after doing the MM and OPG.

I filled it with new dextron III, everything was fine on the first day, but end of day two it produced a small leak coming from the input shaft.

I'm thinking if ATF is getting that far up it must be the main seals on the input shaft that are leaking.

The rack is a rebuilt unit that was put on the car back in 1999 by the PO.

I'm thinking that new synthetic ATF is has sped up the leak, that probably would have happened sooner or later. I'm going to try a bottle of Lucas stop leak for the hope that it will differ this for a while.

I just had the car aligned so don't really want to have that expense again, nor the cost of a rebuilt rack. But if it gets worse I will have no choice.

I was also wondering if it's possible to remove the input shaft with the rack still in the car, change the seals and button it back up.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Other than that she is running like a top.

GregBBRD

You can remove the top plate where the shaft comes out and replace the seal on the shaft and the o-ring seal on the top plate, without getting any more involved. You will need to separate the rack from the steering column to do this, which means you will need to lower the rack. Clearly mark which spline line on the shaft lines up with the coupler.

Even if the rack doesn't go exactly back in the same spot, the alignment will not change, but you might end up with the steering wheel not exactly centered. If you get it back on the same exact spline, the worst case scenario is that you might need to "shuffle" the rack side to side to get the steering wheel straight.

Lizard928

The stop leak will likely not have any effect, and is a poor idea.

If the leak is at the top, that seal (and 0-ring) is easy to replace as Greg points out. Though don't be surprised if the rest start to leak shortly there after....

Adamant1971

Are those part numbers in the PET. I can't find an exploded view of the input shaft.

If I can replace those seals and have it last the summer I can then put a new rack in over next winter. My shark budget has been spent. (for now)

Kevin in Atlanta

I am embarrassed to admit I used stop leak but, it actually did work.

GregBBRD

You will need to buy an entire repair kit to get those seals.

928 R Us or 928 International.

Amazingly enough, Lucas Power Steering Leak Stop does sometimes work. I've not seen a downside and I use it frequently.

Bjbpe

I've replaced the rack twice and like others, didn't really want to spend the money again for a rebuilt rack. I too made the "mistake" of using a stop leak fluid. Like Kevin in Atlanta - - - It worked!!

Adamant1971

Stop leak did nothing. But Roger got me some parts quickly as usual!

I replaced the seal on the input shaft and the input shaft cover o-ring. So far all is good.

I also replaced the cooler to reservoir line with a section of feed line since my line made with an elbow was way too close to the PS pump.

(ignore the spring, it was from the old seal. The new seal came with the spring in place) But I'm still missing the dust cover for the input shaft cover.

FredR

A little tip for anyone who is stuck. If the seal is easy to remove and replace fair enough. Seals usually fail because the sealing lip goes hard with age/heat. I had this problem on my Jaguar about 10 years ago when "no seal was available" according to the Jaguar agents and they implied a new steering box at a shed load of $$$.

Got a tip from an old boy mechanic who suggested boiling the seal in ordinary washing powder [i.e. non detergent] for 10 minutes- he reckoned it softens the lip seal- tried it and was still holding ten years later up to recently. Needless to say, if you can get a new seal from one of our intrepid suppliers all well and good.

Just a little trick to have in the armoury- nothing lost if it does not work as may well be the case if the lip is torn at all. These products you dump in the ATF to reseal try to do the same thing via a different chemical route. All I can say is that when I tried this initally the lip seal face felt solid/rippled and afterwards it felt like new.

Regards

Fred