leaking rack, do i fix or just keep on going

[DKnissanman]

Obviously its a problem but right now cash flow is a little low so installing it will be a little troublesome


my outer tie rod ends are however broke along with inner so i was planning to just install them and leave the pinion leaking


my question is, what damage is leaving the pinion going to do if i can just keep adding atf to the reservoir?


inner tie rods are on the rack i understand just need some enlightenment.

[dorkidori_s13]

are you SURE its the rack and pinion and not the high pressure line? id replaced the HP line before replacing the rack.

[mechanicalmoron]

If you're already buying fluid, get the flourescent kind, and see if you can't spot the leak with a blacklight.

[DKnissanman]

are you SURE its the rack and pinion and not the high pressure line? id replaced the HP line before replacing the rack.

not really sure

had two people tell me the seal/pinion were leaking.

i mean if it is leaking bad wouldn't i see it on the ground or is it more of around the pinion itself?

[dorkidori_s13]

not really sure

had two people tell me the seal/pinion were leaking.

i mean if it is leaking bad wouldn't i see it on the ground or is it more of around the pinion itself?

when the high pressure line starts leaking, it gets ALL OVER THE PLACE. it will cover the entire rack along with the lower cross member, oil pan, oil pump and the power steering pump. it starts out slow and just gets worse and worse.

mine has been leaking for almost 9 months now. i just dont have the time to fix it at the moment. i just wrapped a towel around where the leak was and ziptied it on so it doesnt spray anywhere when under load. point is, i have to extensively clean my engine bay/under engine with a pressure washer and degreaser every few months because it looks like a bomb of power steering fluid has gone off all over everything!

the OEM/OEM style high pressure lines just flat out SUCK! they last about 30-50k miles at most. there is no fixing them when they go either. just have to suck it up and get a new one. though, there are tons of companies now that sell AN fitted steel braided hose setups that eliminate this problem (of which i plan on using when i fix it one of these days in the near future when i have some time to myself)

[marks14]

If it is your seals leaking, rebuilding the rack yourself is a relatively cheap option. I was scared to do it myself but getting a re-manned s14 rack without sending mine in first seemed like it was hard to come by. There are guides on how to rebuild the 300zx rack, which is similar to how the 240 rack works. I did it, and it ended up not being as hard as everyone else made it out to be, just take your time.