Power Steering Rack replacement/leaks info

[sheepdog]

Taken from another post to create a how-to.

The seals in the rack go due to wear, using powersteering fluid, and age.
Apparently a ton of e30's are all getting them replaced right now, so wear and age is likely a big part of it.

Powersteering fluid does not apear to harm the pump, though I would not stake my pump on it. It will eat your seals, as will power steering leak stop. Mor eor less, I would not trust anything other than Dexron Mercon ATF or the BMW equivalent.

Note*
While the install seems oversimplified, it really is not. It is very straightforward.


To repair it, you have serveral options.
An e36 rack works, as does an z3, both do require some mods. Not sure how much though, I think Pelican has a how-to.
An e30 M3 rack bolts in, but is EXPENSIVE!
You can also buy a rebuld kit for $60.

Reman'd racks run from about $200 to over $500 for a 318IS. So be sure to shop around!

To change it out  (easy and fast job really)
I bought a remanufactured rack from discountsteering.com With a return shipping box, core charge and 2 day shipping, it was a bit over $300. Core was $50, so well under $300 and these are Sachs racks, very nice. The only bad thing is the packaging could be better, but then again, it got here fine, so I guess I cannot say much.

Rebuilding is fine, but I looked at it like this, it it is worth the money to be able to put it in and know it will work, as opposed to spending $60, put it together, put it in, only to find I damaged a seal.


I recomend buying 2 new tie rod ends (the tie rods are included with the rack, just not the ends).

A pickle fork, and about 3 hours is about what you need to install a new rack. 2 people make it easier.

I propped the front up on stands, popped the tie rod ends, loosened the rack (do this first or you will be working in fluid), then teh collumn, (try to keep the wheel straight), then remove the lines. Finally remove the rack itself. A twist and then slide to the right (of the car) allows it to fall out.

Before you do anything, get the setup as straight as possible and measure from the center of one end tie rod end to the other (on the back side). Now remove the collars, put them on the new rack, then the tie rods (try to get the pointing same direction as before, look at the car if needed), measure, tighten.

Put a bit of fluid in the pump to flush it out. Have a catch can handy. Run some fluid through a paper towl to ensure there is no metal coming from the pump. Rack warranties are void if you do not do this. If there is metal, replace the pump.

Put the front end back together rack in loosely (watch the lines so they are not damaged), install lines, then tighten rack in place with some locktite. hook up tie rod ends, make sure the boots are straight. Hookup steering, eyeball it straight, install bolt. Take it for a quick drive to center the wheel (place tape on the wheel vertically, while the front wheels are straight this way when you park you will know when the wheels are straight), remove steering bolt, re-center wheel, install bolt with locktite.

Done.
If you are good, no alignment necessary, though this is not recomended. I got away with it.

[MelbourneMike]

Hello,  Is there a "how to" on the proper way to delete the power steering all together..including draining the rack etc....Come on peeps sock it to me

[PumpItUp]

I did this like two months ago. Procrastinated for about 2 years then it started leaking like mad all of the sudden the day after an oil change so I had no choice. "How long could this take, 30 mins?" So I got some cardboard, put some plastic grocery bags on top, slid them under the car and got to work. Didn't really finish the 'delete' either since I didn't grease the rack yet.. and I'm not sure if I drained 100% of the fluid out.. put all that off for later. But let me just say, feels like a car should again. I say again because the first e30 I test drove didn't have it, and all my previous cars had manual racks or ps deleted.

After the novelty of no-ps wears off after that first day, it does get really annoying to parallel park. But once I finally ditched my airbag 4-spoke and got a junkyard 3 spoke it felt drastically better and more fun to drive, I thought it would be the same as they're the same size, but the sport wheel has a lot less baggage inside, and the leather wrap (or virgin rubber if you unwrap it) is a lot better than the synthetic goo I was used to. I should also note, plastic grocery bags don't retain liquid well even for 30 mins. :rolleyes: If your car is lowered go get a low-profile drain pan.

It's easy
-Open the trunk
-Take the negative lead off the battery (As with any project)
-Open the tool-set on the trunk lid, get the wrenches (it's cooler if you do the work without snap-on tools)
-For the banjo bolts you'll also need a 19 and a 21mm I believe. Whatever it was I remember the bottom one was ~2mm smaller than the one above. Of course I'm just estimating because I ended up using an adjustable wrench for that part. :cool: Someone on here said they're supposed to be torqued to 29lb, I'm guessing mine was off spec on account of I opened it with an adjustable wrench. Maybe that's why it started leaking ._. Of course you won't need to torque them afterwards as there won't be any pressure in the system and they'll just be used to keep the dirt out assuming you slide the washer in there (I just cut up rubber from the two hoses).

Where's the best place to start? Probably the banjo bolts. Drain the fluid out (you can open the reservoir cap) and turn the wheels lock to lock 10-20x. So lift up the car with a floor jack or put trays under your tires. You don't need to get under the car except maybe for wiping up. After the fluid is gone take the belt/pump out. It might be less messy than if you tackle the pump before the banjo bolts.  

First its the 3 bolts on the pulley, then the pulley (and belt) slides out. Then like 6-8 much more corroded bolts and you're done. I had no idea what I was doing, was using a bad array of tools while doing it under bad lighting. So I just unbolted everything and took the pump out in 3-4 separate pieces. Obviously you can just take it out in one piece but if a bolt is too corroded or you can't reach it with stock tools there's always my option

I found this
http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=162329
but it looks a bit different. 325? I still got all my parts in the trunk I can take a pic of them if you're worried
He actually dropped the plastic covering or engine shielding as he calls it. When I looked at it, and I was doing this around 10 at night, it looked like a bigger job than the pump delete. So I got some rags to compensate, and honestly I don't regret the decision. 20 seconds of wiping fluid off plastic, or fking around with black plastic and rusted screws in the dark. It can get messy around the banjo bolt holes though so get some brake cleaner or something like that.

http://m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10885&highlight=power+steering+delete

edit.

Here's my contribution. The brace that holds the snazzy looking PS reservoir and the belt itself. Sorry, I wrapped the rest of the stuff in plastic to prevent leaking in my trunk and now I'm too lazy to unwrap it for a helpful cellphone pic. But trust me it's easy peasy.

edit. found this on r3v's zen of maintenance thread:

If you cut the belt, you don't have to bother with the pulley (3 bolts)
But that guy only took out his ps system to replace it with brand new, poor fool.