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1G 1G Steering rack replacement

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troppo loungo

10+ Year Contributor
117
23
Sep 5, 2009
Toronto, GTA, ON_Canada
I am rebuilding my 93 1G that has been sitting in my garage for 19 years on blocks. about 19 years ago I had removed the rack and drained it, cleaned it up, painted it however now I am wondering if I should replace it with a rebuilt unit or take my chances with the current rack. The rack was fine, no issues or leaks and the seals should still be wet. Not concerned about the money, more if the rebuilt rack will give me issues sooner than the current one. Was thinking BBB rebuilt as Cardone have bad stories. Opinions?
 
Well if any doubt just replaced with a rebuilt one, if money isnt a issue . Are you asking to replace if if you should?
 
My car had a leaking rack when I bought it. I looked into rebuild kits; about $100. I found a rebuild rack on ebay from Detroit axle for about $100. So far, so good, though not many miles yet. Kept my core, so likely gave up some small refund, but good insurance.
The R&R on these is not trivial; there are some very difficult fasteners and fittings to reach. If I recall, you even pull the xfer (if awd). The consequences if the power assist failing is not catastrophic, like say, brakes or t-belt. At worst you burn up the pump too, and simply limp home with stiffer steering. If you caught it in time, just cut the belt and save the pump.
If mine had been leak free, and assuming no slop in the gear, I’d leave it be. Plenty of upkeep on these cars anyway, given typical age, milage, and driving habits. There is also some risk of replacement parts not working. I ordered new front axles from Detroit axle, and then returned those pos (the joints were binding And crunchy feeling; not like a precision assembly that gets highly stressed!). Again, in that case my old axles were already junk, so I was repair/replacement was not an option. Come to think of it....most of my wrenching is like that?
Maybe pick up a rebuild kit now, just in case they go obsolete. (Dohh!)
 
I can 2nd Detroit Axle from Ebay. They were pretty much the only place I could even find a rebuilt rack and I think I paid around $113. Like Mech I decided to keep my core....they only offered like $10-20 to get the old one back.
 
Power steering racks are Koyo/TRW. About 6 months ago I rebuilt my rack because it was leaking bad from both ends. I think it's harder to get it out & back in than the actual rebuilding. You will need a good bench vise to hold the rack when trying to disassemble and reassemble if you don't remove the inner tie rods before pulling the rack out. Lay all the different piece parts out in fifo sequential order and keep track of which side is up. Other thing to watch out for are the Teflon seals. You need to gently massage then by spinning them between your fingers (one finger on each hand) to expand them enough so they will slip over things during assembly. Cover the gear teeth with some tape to protect the seal inner lips during assembly then pull the tape after the seals are slipped over the rack.
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