Rack and Pinion

Remanufactured Racks

The first sign of a rack needing replacement is drops of power steering fluid on the ground beneath the car. The seals have worn, and fluid leaks from these seals. Eventually, debris works its way past the worn seals, causing damage to internal parts of the rack and the power steering pump.

If fluid loss becomes more significant, and the system does not get topped off, fluid levels could fall so low that the power steering pump no longer has enough fluid to assist in turning the wheels. If this occurs at the wrong moment, the consequences could be catastrophic and fatal. We strongly recommend replacing a worn rack before significant damage occurs to the system.

Is a remanufactured rack any good?

Actually, a remanufactured rack is better than original equipment. OEM racks tend to suffer pitting of the rack shaft. This pitting abrades and wears the seals, leading to eventual failure.

During remanufacture, the rack shaft is ground an polished to remove pitting and insure that the diameter is consistant from end to end. Each shaft spends from 2 to 4 hours on specialized equipment, and the final result must be a mirror-like finish. The rackshaft is then sleeved with stainless steel sleeves. The stainless steel sleeves prevent the pitting that damages the rack seals.

After cleaning and reworking, our racks are reassembled with new seals pressed into place. Of course, we use the best seals available. They also get a fresh coat of black paint.

Before our racks pass final inspection, they are pressure tested to insure proper operation and leak free service. During normal service, rack and pinion units operate at about 800 psi pressure. We test our remanufactured racks 3 times at 1500 psi. We're sure that when they leave our facility, that you're getting a great product.

All our racks, either remanufactured  or new, ship with an inner tie rod.

Oh, and a remanufactured rack and pinion unit is about half the price of a new unit.