leaking rack & pinion.... what to do?

[s13sickboi]

so ive swapped from a sohc ka to a dohc..... i ordered a p/s hose from 240sxmotoring.com and was very happy with it! for a few days until i noticed puddles of ps fluid under my car great, so i refill the res, jack the car up an start it up.... and its pretty much gushing out so i saw a rebuild kit online for like $50.... has anyone done this before? is it possible? any help would be appreciated!

[OutToWinPAHC]

Or buy a rebuilt rack with core charge if your not comfortable. Cost is about 300

[s13sickboi]

buying another rack is exactly what im trying to avoid.... ima poor broke kid lol

[RustspecS13]

You can buy a used rack, just make sure the boots aren't torn. Ive had 3 different ones and they have all leaked. I'm getting a new one soon, I'm sick of wasting my time and money on POS old racks.

So you only have a couple options

1- used rack $25-100 depending on junkyard price, condition etc etc
2-rebuild yours- no idea on price never thought about trying that one....
3- new rack- $200-300 depending on where you get it.

I'm assuming its gushing out of the boots/where the tie rods are. If its leaking at the lines that go into the rack you should check and make sure the o ring is on the end of the lines, or that you didn't cross thread them or maybe they need to be snugged up. Got a pic?

~Alex

[hbpignosePA]

just get a new one

have you pulled a rack before?

its a pita

you definately don't want to chance it with another beat rack.

300 is not that big of a deal if your doing the work yourself

[s13sickboi]

yeah its comming out of the boot.... i havent gotten to taking that off and cheacking the seal there... im hoping thats all it is... no i havent pulled one but i hear there tough to get off... thats not the issue here though....

[motoman399]

the lucas power steering stop leak is guaranteed to stop any seal leaks or your money back. might want to try it....

[Klits562]

just get a new one

have you pulled a rack before?

its a pita

you definately don't want to chance it with another beat rack.

300 is not that big of a deal if your doing the work yourself

Its alot easier than people say it is but i would say the hardest part for me was getting the steering column to bolt back in the perfect spot. but actually getting the rack out is so easy just get a tool to remove the tie rods from the spindle.

I was leaking from the seals under the boots and i just replaced the rack find the money n do it cause its so worth it.

[Chris28]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NISSAN-S ... 518wt_1165

Might want to install these no matter what route you go with. When I replace my rack I'll be doing a re-manufactured unit but with these boots on it. Stock and stock replacement boots always tear, especially if your car is lowered.

[Philipio]

the lucas power steering stop leak is guaranteed to stop any seal leaks or your money back. might want to try it....

Do NOT use any of these products anywhere in your car. They are horrible horrible horrible for everything.

My rack was leaking. I got a rebuilt one. Problem almost solved. My hoses were seeping a bit, too. I replaced all those and everything's gravy now.

[homeslicej2]

Make sure you keep your receipt after buying a re-manned rack. Most parts stores offer a lifetime warranty on them & if it ever starts leaking, they'll replace it. You'll have to deal with the pain of replacing it again, but not have to pay the $280-$300 price. You can also buy a new one from Nissan. Cheapest I've seen though is ~$575 and I don't think they come with a warranty.

[motoman399]

the lucas power steering stop leak is guaranteed to stop any seal leaks or your money back. might want to try it....

Do NOT use any of these products anywhere in your car. They are horrible horrible horrible for everything.

lol is that right. they have a pretty good rep for being that bad. can you explain to me how they are so "horrible horrible horrible"?

my dad used the stop leak about 7 years ago in his 87 f250 power steering and it is still not leaking to this day. so again how are they so bad? i understand that it may not fix his oozing rack, but might help others.

[Taylor008]

Just to throw this out there... You used ATF fluid for the Powersteering fluid, right? Dextron III or higher. PS fluid is too thin of a liquid for our racks.

Or so I have been told.

[s13sickboi]

Just to throw this out there... You used ATF fluid for the Powersteering fluid, right? Dextron III or higher. PS fluid is too thin of a liquid for our racks.

Or so I have been told.

no, i used o'relly brand whatever in a gallon jug.... but its still comming out like a f*** whore ..... thanks for help guyz

[s13sickboi]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NISSAN-S ... 518wt_1165

Might want to install these no matter what route you go with. When I replace my rack I'll be doing a re-manufactured unit but with these boots on it. Stock and stock replacement boots always tear, especially if your car is lowered.

thanks man, definatly sold!

[s13sickboi]

i have a chance to trade some parts for a rack from a 96 s14! are there any significant differences in the rack between s13 and s14?

[Klits562]

i have a chance to trade some parts for a rack from a 96 s14! are there any significant differences in the rack between s13 and s14?

Not a 100% sure if there are any but i do know that the s13 and s14 use a different passenger side bushing for the r&p

[thompsn]

is it easier to replace the whole rack or to try to just replace the rack ends if it's leaking out the boot?

[s13sickboi]

^
i dont have the car here at my place yet or id have ripped the boots off to see what the hell is goin on... but if i had an extra rack lying around that i cld swap just in case it wld be nice...

[raven2345]

Convert it to manual steering, the proper way. It feels great, once you're moving anyways.

[thompsn]

I'm asking because my rack is leaking out one of the boots and I'm trying to decide if I should replace the whole thing or not.

[s13sickboi]

Convert it to manual steering, the proper way. It feels great, once you're moving anyways.

haha yea thats a thought! ive driven it alot without fluid in it (cz it all leaks out) and its not so bad...

[s13sickboi]

I'm asking because my rack is leaking out one of the boots and I'm trying to decide if I should replace the whole thing or not.

if you have money go ahead and do it.... if you dont give a f*** like me... then, um..

[thompsn]

if you have money go ahead and do it.... if you dont give a f*** like me... then, um..

I mean if I HAD to have the money I could get it, but if I can get away with just replacing the inner tie rods
I'd like to do that, ya know.. $90 is wayy better than $300

So any thoughts, think I can get away with just tie rods?

[DanThaMan]

Whats all the fuss about lucas products? I will stand behind their stuff all the way, my transmission in my truck was slipping in first really bad, I put 2 bottles of lucas transmission fix in and It works like new to this day and that was about 10000 miles ago. Sure it's not gonna fix every problem and there are a lot of stop leak products that are bullsh!t but lucas is not one of them
OP go manual steering if you don't have to parallel park anywhere other wise it's gonna be a PITA!!

[motoman399]

^^ thats what i thought. they are superior to most!

[s13sickboi]

thanks all! im looking into the manual steering stuff now