[everlast]

Hi guys,

Just a quick note... The AWD steering rack (non-servo, in my case) has an anti-vibration dampener, basically a plastic clip, on one of the hard lines. Vibrations of the clip on the line over the years are causing the finish to fail on the line, then allowing it to rust. Mine burst and barfed CHF all over everything, everywhere. Literally, the entire land from sea to sea is now covered in oil, almost. This is such a problem, that when I went looking for a used rack, every single one had rust in the same place.

Anyway, the lines are 6mm with goofy flares at either end. Pulling the whole rack is a rather large job, but I found an easy way.

- unbolt all the shields
- remove the airbox above
- unbolt the rack. the 16mm nuts on TOP of the rack are hard to get at, but possible.
- push the rack back slightly, then use a wheel to slide the rack towards the drivers side

You can now easily access the T30 bolt holding the line clamp in place on the drivers side. Remove the bolt and the clamping plate, then unscrew the line from the other side of the rack and remove the old line.

I was going to attempt flaring the lines and using a coupler as I saw no other alternative, but I ended up getting cheap used AWD rack condition unknown with a good line, and just swapped the line. Replace all the bolts and you're done. Neither the T30 torx nor the 12mm on the other end were difficult to break free, even though they appeared to be rusty.

Hope this helps someone else, as I'd "racked" my brain (aha) for days on a solution that didn't involve a $1000 rack and $1000 of labor costs.

I suggest that if you're ever under your car in that area, to slide that clip to a new location down the line, and liberally rust proof it. It looks like it will be a failure point on more cars as they age.

[Hayk90]

That’s good info, as I know exactly what you’re referring to. I’m working on the oil pan and found the rack to be in really poor shape from rust. Both lines are falling apart so I ordered a salvage steering rack from Texas with no rust. I didn’t know that little plastic clip causes the coating to wear away.

[20 percent juice]

I just ran into this problem today, power steering fluid all over the place from that rusty line on the rack. I was pissed that they didn't sell the lines separately so I'm going to try and make my own lines since its the weekend and I can't get a used steering rack until Monday. Good to know that someone else has done this

[everlast]

FYI I found making your own line is not practical. They are 6mm lines (ish?) with unique flares at either end, about 8mm up from the end of the line, with oring. I researched the hell out of it and found no solution to make my own, no matter what.

You can, of course, take the broken line off to examine it. If you DO find a way to make the lines, take pics and post them here for future ppl.

I got a used rack of unknown condition for less than $150 CND. Once I had it in hand, the line swap was less than an hour.

[Hayk90]

Originally Posted by everlast

FYI I found making your own line is not practical. They are 6mm lines (ish?) with unique flares at either end, about 8mm up from the end of the line, with oring. I researched the hell out of it and found no solution to make my own, no matter what.

You can, of course, take the broken line off to examine it. If you DO find a way to make the lines, take pics and post them here for future ppl.

I got a used rack of unknown condition for less than $150 CND. Once I had it in hand, the line swap was less than an hour.

This is the biggest annoyance to me, that they wouldn't sell the lines separately.

Luckily, I think swapping the whole rack was a good call as it made the steering feel much smoother. I had some issues with binding and that went away with the salvage rack. Only downside is a tiny amount of seepage from where the lines connect around the shaft area.