Steering Rack Oil

[bdmiko]

Currently rebuilding my steering rack and need to replace the oil. I believe that the original oil was 90W which I cannot find locally. For my transmission I am planning on using red line MT-90 which is 75W90. Would this work for the steering as well?

Thanks
David

[Josh]

I just put the same oil in both.

[DMCMW Dave]

It's not particularly critical as long as you have some oil in there.

[bdmiko]

Thanks for the info.

David

[Spittybug]

Mine is leaking out..... I think it must be from one of the ends of the driver's side boot.....

[DMCMW Dave]

Mine is leaking out..... I think it must be from one of the ends of the driver's side boot.....

The boots typically tear at one of the folds.

[vps3922]

It's not particularly critical as long as you have some oil in there.

Is it possible to refill or exchange the oil in it without taking the steering rack out? I have the feeling that my steering is a bit stiff and I guess nobody ever checked the oil in it. The boots are fine.

[Mark D]

Is it possible to refill or exchange the oil in it without taking the steering rack out? I have the feeling that my steering is a bit stiff and I guess nobody ever checked the oil in it. The boots are fine.

Yes, you can drain and fill the rack while it is installed in the car, but it'll probably be messy and a bit of a pain.

Unless you think the oil is contaminated or gummed up there shouldn't be a need to drain what oil is left in there and you can just top off the oil level by removing the access cover on the rack. It's just two bolts on the forward facing side of the rack. To fill, after removing the cover plate there will be some shims that come loose with the cover and a white bushing with a spring in the center. The bushing and spring hold the rack against the pinion gear and the shims adjust how much pressure is applied. Be careful to not lose the shims. From there you'll want to remove the plastic bushing and spring to make filling the rack as easy as possible. It might be possible to fill with the bushing in place (it has a hole in the center) but it would probably take a lot longer and you'd spill a bunch of oil everywhere.

If you need to drain the oil first you can loosen the boots off the end(s) of the rack and turn the wheel back and forth a few times and the oil will drain out. You'll can try and catch with with rags or just let it drip down through the frame mounting holes and catch it with a pan under the car and wipe up the mess on the frame when you're done.

Once you have the filled the oil reinstall the bushing, spring, shims, and bolt down the cover. I used a thin film of oil resistant RTV silicone to ensure a good seal, but you'll want to be sure all the mating surfaces are wiped down and free of oil beforehand.

All this is easier to do on the bench, but if you just think you need to top up the oil level it will probably be quicker to do it in the car. I rebuilt my rack with new bushings so I pulled the whole thing out.

A few pics below that may help...

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=30780&d=1410802700
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=30779&d=1410802700
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=30781&d=1410802751

[vps3922]

Yes, you can drain and fill the rack while it is installed in the car, but it'll probably be messy and a bit of a pain.

Unless you think the oil is contaminated or gummed up there shouldn't be a need to drain what oil is left in there and you can just top off the oil level by removing the access cover on the rack. It's just two bolts on the forward facing side of the rack. To fill, after removing the cover plate there will be some shims that come loose with the cover and a white bushing with a spring in the center. The bushing and spring hold the rack against the pinion gear and the shims adjust how much pressure is applied. Be careful to not lose the shims. From there you'll want to remove the plastic bushing and spring to make filling the rack as easy as possible. It might be possible to fill with the bushing in place (it has a hole in the center) but it would probably take a lot longer and you'd spill a bunch of oil everywhere.

If you need to drain the oil first you can loosen the boots off the end(s) of the rack and turn the wheel back and forth a few times and the oil will drain out. You'll can try and catch with with rags or just let it drip down through the frame mounting holes and catch it with a pan under the car and wipe up the mess on the frame when you're done.

Once you have the filled the oil reinstall the bushing, spring, shims, and bolt down the cover. I used a thin film of oil resistant RTV silicone to ensure a good seal, but you'll want to be sure all the mating surfaces are wiped down and free of oil beforehand.

All this is easier to do on the bench, but if you just think you need to top up the oil level it will probably be quicker to do it in the car. I rebuilt my rack with new bushings so I pulled the whole thing out.

A few pics below that may help...


Thank you so much for your detailed reply!

[sdg3205]

Do our boots then retain rack oil? Are they more than just dust boots?

My rack felt stiff so I figure id investigate. It looked bone dry so I added oil, which proceeded to make it clear I had an otherwise hidden tear in the drivers side boot.

[DMCMW Dave]

Do our boots then retain rack oil? Are they more than just dust boots?

My rack felt stiff so I figure id investigate. It looked bone dry so I added oil, which proceeded to make it clear I had an otherwise hidden tear in the drivers side boot.

Oil does end up in the boots. They are there mostly to keep dirt out, as any oil that gets into the boots stays there. It's not like it circulates.

[er1c]

I have just done this and swapped boots and there was a lot of oil in each boot. What's the recommendation for refilling ?

Just refill to the top at the access panel and not worry about wondering if it has seeped into where the boots are ?

Looking at the mechanism for turning the rack each time you full lock its inevitable oil of the equivalent rack depth will seep into the boot so its well worth doing.