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Steering Rack Swap

  #1  
Old 10-24-2018 | 09:58 PM
nevillusa's Avatar
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From: Madison, WI
Default Steering Rack Swap

Hi, I have a power steering fluid leak. Leaking from the small diameter end of the boot on the driver side (USA spec) Tie Rod. Local 'trusted' indy mechanic said I need a new Steering Rack. I don't disagree - I don't see any Fluid leaking from anywhere near Pump, or pipe connections. He quoted $900 total (parts, labor, tax)

Has anyone swapped out the Steering Rack? How difficult? Any special tools required?

I'm not finding a lot of advice after doing a bit of searching.

I don't have any strange steering wobbles, behaviors or noises, so perhaps I could get away with just swapping out the various 'seals' in the steering rack? Is this even possible? Are there any kits available?

Is a Reman unit a bad idea?

Anything else I should be replacing or attending to while I have the Steering Rack off?

I'll keep searching for more information, but would appreciate your advice.

Thanks, Simon
 
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  #2  
Old 10-24-2018 | 10:16 PM
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Update, here's a link to the workshop manual - https://workshop-manuals.com/landrov..._removal_4.4l/

Looks like a pretty straight-forward swap. Doesn't seem as if I need any special tools.

Looks like I will need some new seals though, and I'll probably also pickup all new bolts, just in case. Not sure yet exactly what the part numbers are, or where to order them from.

I'll be using Pentosin CHF11S Power Steering Fluid. Local store actually sells for $8, much cheaper than I have found online. Not sure if there's any special technique required to add and bleed the fluid - Will look into that.
 
  #3  
Old 10-24-2018 | 10:16 PM
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Not hard, no seal kits that I am aware of.

I have had 50/50 success with reman units.

it helps to unbolt the engine oil cooler to remove the rack.

get new seals for the lines.
 
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  #4  
Old 10-25-2018 | 05:27 PM
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From: Green Bay, WI
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$8 a liter for CHF11S? Thats pretty dang cheap! The lowest price up here that I found is $26! I may have to come down a get a couple as I want to flush my PS system.
 
  #5  
Old 07-07-2024 | 07:28 AM
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From: Gta
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Originally Posted by nevillusa
Update, here's a link to the workshop manual - https://workshop-manuals.com/landrov..._removal_4.4l/

Looks like a pretty straight-forward swap. Doesn't seem as if I need any special tools.

Looks like I will need some new seals though, and I'll probably also pickup all new bolts, just in case. Not sure yet exactly what the part numbers are, or where to order them from.

I'll be using Pentosin CHF11S Power Steering Fluid. Local store actually sells for $8, much cheaper than I have found online. Not sure if there's any special technique required to add and bleed the fluid - Will look into that.
Did you use new genuine rack or OEM replacement? I see Atlantic British have a US manufactured offering. How did it go? Any problems? Has it been good since replacement?
 
  #6  
Old 07-11-2024 | 02:39 PM
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Just finished this job. I used an aftermarket with a lifetime warranty. I read some bad things about remans. I couldn't find a single reman unit that said they replace the steering gear, which is what I suspected was my issue. They all list seals, fittings, clips, etc. I was having some play in my steering that was causing drift at high speeds and figured it was play at the gears when going straight. The manual is good, but there are some little details I didn't pay as close attention to at first.
  • That little 8mm torxs bolt at the lower steering rod needs to come ALL the way out to remove the u joint. There isn't much room, tighten it back in if it gets too difficult. My u joint felt good but I sprayed it with grease to keep it that way. A 12 point, 8mm ratcheting wrench fits and was the way to go.
  • The 12mm bolt on the low pressure retainer plate is tucked between the pipes. I had to use an offset wrench to get a grip on it from the front of the vehicle
  • I had to remove the oil filter and oil cooler to get the old rack out and put the new one in. There just wasn't enough room. I lost less than a quart of motor oil, easy to top off. Change that oil cooler gasket if you have not already as it would add about a minute to the job
  • Same with the power steering pump low pressure lines, had to get them out of the way.
  • I used most a 33 oz bottle of Pentosin chf 11s fluid because I read that's what OEM uses. But any chf 11s fluid should work fine in the power steering. The bottle was about 75% empty when I topped off. I'll be checking it daily.
  • Need to lift the entire rack up and pull the bottom to the front of the vehicle to get enough room to remove it. Then I jacked up the driver's side wheel, removed it, and worked the rack out the side.
  • I left the tie rod ends on, then used the entire rack to measure the new tie rod ends links. It got me pretty close to straight.
  • Upon reinstall, I had to twist the new steering shaft to get it to mate with the u joint. If I would have lined it up while it was out of the car, I could have saved 20 min of fiddling with tired, oily hands. I looped my seatbelt through the steering wheel to keep everything aligned. Twist the steering shaft, not the u joint, so things stay aligned.
  • I replaced all the o rings, but there were two washers with fused rubber on the banjo connection for the steering pump that I didn't have on hand. Mine didn't look bad, but none of my o rings kits had this and I have a ton of extra o rings. LRs manual just says "replace the seals".
Overall it was straightforward but a messy job that took longer than I expected mostly due to limited access. It took me a while to simply find the right size wrenches, which is why I noted the sizes of hard to access bolts in this post. Hopefully it will save others some time.
 
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  #7  
Old 07-15-2024 | 10:52 PM
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From: Gta
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Originally Posted by abran
Not hard, no seal kits that I am aware of.

I have had 50/50 success with reman units.

it helps to unbolt the engine oil cooler to remove the rack.

get new seals for the lines.
Thanks for the tip
 
  #8  
Old 07-15-2024 | 10:58 PM
Pwd3's Avatar
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Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 25
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From: Gta
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Originally Posted by kels83
Just finished this job. I used an aftermarket with a lifetime warranty. I read some bad things about remans. I couldn't find a single reman unit that said they replace the steering gear, which is what I suspected was my issue. They all list seals, fittings, clips, etc. I was having some play in my steering that was causing drift at high speeds and figured it was play at the gears when going straight. The manual is good, but there are some little details I didn't pay as close attention to at first.
  • That little 8mm torxs bolt at the lower steering rod needs to come ALL the way out to remove the u joint. There isn't much room, tighten it back in if it gets too difficult. My u joint felt good but I sprayed it with grease to keep it that way. A 12 point, 8mm ratcheting wrench fits and was the way to go.
  • The 12mm bolt on the low pressure retainer plate is tucked between the pipes. I had to use an offset wrench to get a grip on it from the front of the vehicle
  • I had to remove the oil filter and oil cooler to get the old rack out and put the new one in. There just wasn't enough room. I lost less than a quart of motor oil, easy to top off. Change that oil cooler gasket if you have not already as it would add about a minute to the job
  • Same with the power steering pump low pressure lines, had to get them out of the way.
  • I used most a 33 oz bottle of Pentosin chf 11s fluid because I read that's what OEM uses. But any chf 11s fluid should work fine in the power steering. The bottle was about 75% empty when I topped off. I'll be checking it daily.
  • Need to lift the entire rack up and pull the bottom to the front of the vehicle to get enough room to remove it. Then I jacked up the driver's side wheel, removed it, and worked the rack out the side.
  • I left the tie rod ends on, then used the entire rack to measure the new tie rod ends links. It got me pretty close to straight.
  • Upon reinstall, I had to twist the new steering shaft to get it to mate with the u joint. If I would have lined it up while it was out of the car, I could have saved 20 min of fiddling with tired, oily hands. I looped my seatbelt through the steering wheel to keep everything aligned. Twist the steering shaft, not the u joint, so things stay aligned.
  • I replaced all the o rings, but there were two washers with fused rubber on the banjo connection for the steering pump that I didn't have on hand. Mine didn't look bad, but none of my o rings kits had this and I have a ton of extra o rings. LRs manual just says "replace the seals".
Overall it was straightforward but a messy job that took longer than I expected mostly due to limited access. It took me a while to simply find the right size wrenches, which is why I noted the sizes of hard to access bolts in this post. Hopefully it will save others some time.
Great notes.. thanks very much. Looks a right PITA job.
On closer inspection it seems I am not losing fluid and just have poor pas at a crawl and idle. I don't feel any noticable play in the steering. I tried a pas fluid flush and fill. It helped a little but not fixed. I used Pentosin CHF 202 fluid which I am informed is what the dealer uses.

What aftermarket parts manufacturer did you use? I generally only buy genuine LR parts for my lr3 and 4. I've used Britpart and other non LR pattern parts on my defender with mixed results. Genuine parts seem always to be good.

 

Last edited by Pwd3; 09-13-2024 at 01:15 PM.
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