I have a 91 Camry LE with 180k miles on it. I noticed recently that it was leaking oil. To investigate, I crawled under the car today and found leaking from the area of the passenger side boot of the rack and pinion steering assembly. With 180 k miles on it, I am not surprised that the assembly might have a seal leak. My question is.... Can I fix the seal on this thing or should I buy a rebuilt unit from my auto supply store? I would appreciate thoughts about this.
Al Kondo
Replace it.
If they have oem seal kits and you have special tools - i'd fix it.
I have been told that this is an exercise in futility. Someone who knows better please correct me.
The story I am fed is that it is not just the seals that go, but there may be wear on the metal parts which prevent this from being a long term fix.
I read some processes for rebuilding these units, and to do it correctly involved resurfacing the involved metal bits as well as replacing the seals.
I have personally tried rebuilding powersteering pumps which had leaks past the shaft seal and found it to be not worth the time involved. I know it isnt the same thing.
Either way you still have to pull the rack out.And unless you have rebuilt a rack before or are aware of how it should be done,your best bet would be to just purchase a remanufactured one.
JT
The best thing you can do is replace it with a long rack assembly which includes new tie rods and inner sockets which are undoubtedly worn at 180k. A bad seal in a rack is usually accompanied by a scored rack cylinder which requires sleeving to repair properly.
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