I just replaced the steering rack with a reman'd unit but the inner tie rods have identical thread dia., both left and right, unlike the original rack that had different sized threads for each side... was this an early production rack that they then changed? Unfortunately, the inners I had first bought before finding out the rack was leaking are only good for one side now as replacements so if anyone is looking for the larger diameter inner (forget which side) let me know, I'll let it go for a good price.

 

Hmmm....yes, there is a difference in the tie rods based on VIN. I just replaced mine as well and now that you mention this I really should pull the boots off to double check what tie rods it has to be sure my spares will work in the future.

A bit of work getting it in/out of there isn't it? At least you can do it without pulling the oil pan like some vehicles!

 

Ack. I bought new tie rods about a month ago, but had my steering rack changed in the past as well. Sure hope they fit as I doubt they're returnable at this point. Guess I'll get out and check eventually.

 

I'm surprised to hear that many people are replacing steering racks. What symptoms were you guys seeing and do you know the cause of the problems? Mine was pretty obvious - I wacked it pretty good on the Rubicon when I bend a tie rod and got some play in it. I haven't actually taken it apart to study the internals though.

 

When we went to replace the inner tie rod and took the boot off, power steering fluid ran out. Obviously what took out the tie rod, so it needed to be replaced. Someone suggested putting in a Lucas product to swell the seals but the thought of introducing any with the name Lucas to a British vehicle just seems wrong...lol

 

Racks fail in all vehicles because they are aluminum, o rings get hard and score the aluminum, reman units are sleeved to stop this but will still eventually fail when the o rings fall apart

This is how it was explained at GM tech school in the 90s

 

In all honesty, mine probably had not failed. When I purchased my vehicle, it still had a CarMax warranty on it for a few thousand miles from the previous owner (transferable), so I took it to the dealer and said "replace everything that needs to be replaced... fix everything that needs to be fixed while I still have the warranty". So, the PS rack was one of the items. I don't go to that dealer anymore because I don't really trust them, and I have my doubts as to whether the rack needed replacing.