Hey Guys, my first post.

I bought a 2006 LR3 SE V8 about 2 months ago. It's been an absolute dream I'm in love with it. I've been slowly diagnosing and knocking out some issues with this wonderful vehicle. Next up is what looks like a leak in the steering rack on the drivers side. See attached photo. From brief research on it, it looks like it's probably the seals inside the rackt. My local mechanic says I probably need to replace the whole rack. Anyone have any advice on this? Roverparts.com has them new and I see refurbished steering racks on Ebay. Also, should I replace the tie rods while I'm at it? They're probably still originals in there now. Any Advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

It does appear that your steering rack has a very small leak. Is power steering fluid even making it down to the skid plate or ground? If not, and assuming you haven't needed to add fluid often, I personally don't think that leak is bad enough to address yet.

Regarding the tie rods, they might be due at 150k KM regardless of whether you replace the steering rack. Have you or your mechanic checked them for play? These vehicles are very heavy and front end parts wear at a quicker rate than you may be used to.

 

Yes, this is what i thought. small leak. no steering fluid dripping, just making a slow mess. I've been thinking of cleaning the area, just to see how quickly the fluid seeps out. I assume it's been like this for a while now.

I haven't checked tie rods for play, how do I do that? if you dont mind my asking.

 

Jack each side up separately and wiggle the wheel side to side while looking at the tie rod, play could even be further back in the rack so may need rack ends and tie rods.

 

Spinach, I would highly recommend replacing your oil filter housing gasket first (from your other post), before you dig into the steering gear. It’s a really easy fix. 3 bolts, no need to disconnect coolant lines or even remove the filter. Then clean up all the mess and see if the leak on the steering gear comes back.

I had some mess around my steering gear too. Not as bad as yours, but it’s nice and clean 1,300 miles after replacing the oil filter housing gasket.

That part number Dakota has memorized is what I used.

 

First step with leaks is to degrease the area then see where its coming from.