Apart from being hit by another car or crashing into the ditch or a tree, one of the worst things to experience while driving is to lose steering assist or for your steering to become unpredictable.
You depend on your steering system’s rack and pinion for all steering maneuvers. The steering rack is firmly mounted to the car body or frame, with the pinion connected to the steering column through a couple of small universal joints.
The rack is connected at both ends to the spindles by the way of the tie rods. On hydraulic steering equipped vehicles, the power steering pump provides over 1,000 pounds of pressure to the steering rack for steering assist.
Pro Tips are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.
Pro Tip: If you have hydraulic rack and pinion steering, the power steering pump needs to be in good working order and full of clean fluid. The rack needs to remain firmly attached to the body or frame. This is also true if you have rack and pinion with no power steering at all.
Here are some of the symptoms you can observe if the rack and pinion goes out:
Loose or Tight Steering
A loose or malfunctioning rack can cause your steering to be somewhat squirrelly and unpredictable. If in the steering column one of the u-joints wears out or gets tight, it can also affect the steering negatively in a way that may be hard to describe when it happens.
Fluid from the Steering Rack Leak
Another symptom is a leaking steering fluid. If you notice that you have to constantly top off your steering fluid, chances are, it is dripping at the wrong places (check the ground for traces). Remember not to confuse the steering fluid with other fluids in your car. It’s the one that’s pinkish red.
Tires Wobble
Do you suspect your steering column to be getting out of alignment? That’s one more indicator of a steering system gone bad. When this happens, tire control will be rough, resulting in shaky wheels and uneven wear and tear on the tires themselves.
Noises
Usually, the steering wheel will make noises when something’s wrong it. When you turn it and you hear clunking, grinding, or thudding, that could mean your steering components are starting to get loose.
If you encounter most of the above situations, it’s a must for you to go to your trusted mechanic and have your vehicle checked immediately. Again, it is not advised to continue driving with faulty rack and pinion. Your best option is to replace them.
The average cost of replacement parts is between $700 and $2,000. Meanwhile, rack and pinion labor cost is estimated at $200, which can go up to $500, which means your expenses will surely soar!
Pro Tips are nuggets of information direct from ASE-certified automobile technicians working with CarParts.com, which may include unique, personal insights based on their years of experience working in the automotive industry. These can help you make more informed decisions about your car.
Pro Tip: If you replace the steering rack yourself, lock the steering wheel at the center position before removing the rack and make sure the rack is centered before reinstalling it. If you don’t center the steering wheel first and make sure the rack is centered before installing it, you can destroy the spiral airbag “clockspring” under the steering wheel, which will be an added expense.
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my 2016 Chrysler 300c had front end damage, replaced tie rod ends on both sides of the vehicle. Got an alignment which is perfect and still drifts to the left and has a tendency to go to the left especially when hitting a divot on the road, but sometimes it could straight as well. Its a very odd case becuz it not always drifting to the left sometimes it could go straight but seldomly to the right. I took the car back for an inspection at the alignment shop they told me it could possibly be the steering gear. But I have no lights on, no sound, no leaks, but I would say steering is a bit loose when steering to the left. Would anything bad happen if I just ignored the problem?
Hello,
If the alignment is indeed perfect, then it’s possible that the steering gear is to blame for your issue. Because steering problems can make your vehicle unsafe, you should fix any such issues right away. However, if the alignment is spot on, it’s unlikely that the problem will damage other parts of the vehicle.
I have replaced my struts on both driver and passenger front tires with the quick struts being their replacement, the knock sound finally subsided but when i take the car 60 or over it becomes repetitive with a rolling type feeling/sounding vibration what else can i check to locate what might be the cause in vibration keep in mind ive replaced my tire, my tie rod, my drivers side wheel bearing and now my strut and the strut mounts on both driverside and passenger side
Hi Misty,
What is the year/make/model of your vehicle? Was the vibration there before you replaced the struts?
does the rack and pinion strip out where tie rod won’t stay in
Hello,
If the threads on the inner tie rods are stripped out, it’s very possible that the matching threads in the rack are also stripped.
Check your car rack and pinion. That’s where the problem is.
I have a 2005 jeep liberty 4×4, Parts replaced; are the, 1. Rack & Pinon hydraulic line, it was leaking, it had a small hole from rubbing against another metal part. 2. The rack & Pinon itself. 3. The steering pump…..BUT, the fluid is squirting out of reservoir from the lid & making the same clunking noise, WHAT’S seems to be the problem..???? HELP!!
Hello LaVerne,
Is the car squirting power steering fluid with the engine off or the engine running? Is the fluid level correct?