Steering Gear Boot Cheater Tips?

[TexasPettey]

I've got a leak in my steering gear boot where the clamp on the inside holds the boot to the rack. It's a drip, but very much there.

1) Any cheater tips to patch it up to last through a track weekend? I've got an event before I'll be able to get a new boot on it.

2) The service manual says that the boot has to be replaced with the steering rack out of the car. Is this true, or can I get the boot off and on with the rack in the car?

 

[SNKEBIT]

The boot is just a dust boot. The leak is from a seal inside the rack. Time to change the rack.

 

[TexasPettey]

Thanks. I forgot that. Oh well. Looks like some patch work and then a full replacement.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

The boot is Moog K7186. It should be the same as for the Dakota. You'd have to remove/reattach the outer ball joint to install it.

If you believe it is merely wear and heat that is causing the leak, you could try to run this last event with power steering fluid for high mileage cars. It contains seal swell and softening agents that might stop the leak. It won't fix a tear of nick out of the seal.

Before the audience starts the "cheap and wrong" chorus, you should realize that additives and components that do this are already in various lubricants and transmission fluids already, just at lower levels.

Try soaking a brake dust boot in brake cleaner, the brake master cylinder cap gasket in hydraulic fluid, or the parking brake arm seal in engine oil. All will grow about 50% larger.

After the track event you'll want to see how dark the fluid got - it may not be suitable for as long in your old car, high heat, track use.

 

[dave6666]

I saw you had posted to this thread Tom, and was preparing myself for... "Take an old inner tube and some clear tape. Not just any clear tape, but the..."

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Dave, you don't know me and you're insulting me.

I would have used a new inner tube.

 

[96GTS]

I had a leak and took it into the dealership and was told it was a leak in the rack. I dug a little deeper myself and found out it was one of the high pressure hoses that go from the power steering resevoir to the rack. Wipe the hoses with a clean cloth and check it for fluid. Think about how old the rubber hoses are on you car and take into account what stress they've been subjected to.

 

[TexasPettey]

Thanks. I've got some of the PS fluid in there to see if the leak holds. I'm definately needing a rack. Very disapointing, as I did the PS pump. Then had to do the resivoir. Then had to to the HP PS line. Now I have to do the PS rack. I wish I had done it all at once.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Save the old rack. You can't easily obtain the tie rods separately.

Although for Dave's benefit...

You can purchase a Dakota tie rod but you'll find it's about an inch too long. So you cut off the inch with a large ugly hacksaw, buy a die (larger metric size that I can't recall right now) and run the threads up the remaining shaft about an inch, and presto-chango, you have a Viper tie rod.

 

[dave6666]

OK Dave... Be cautious here. You're trying to weasel your way back up to Tom's good side.

Anyway, so Tom, that presto-chango trick, can you teach an old redneck how to do that?

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Dunno, Dave. Have to start with mono-syllable things first, like "****." Then we'd graduate to "foo-foo" dust. If you can still keep up, then we get to presto-chango.

 

[SYNFULL]

That was great!

 

[jayriddle]

I'm having this same problem at the moment. So the concensus here is that the rack really does need to be R&R'ed?

I've never done this job -- is it something the weekend warrior with a Service manual can tackle? And, how much is a new rack?

Thanks,
Jay R
'94 R/T 10

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

If it is due to an old, hardened seal, there are power steering fluids "for older cars" that contain seal softeners and seal swell additives. These additives do work. The downside is that the base oil is most likely a medium quality mineral oil, so it's not something you want to put in and forget.

Depending on the speed of the leak, it might be worth trying an old car PSF for a few months to see if it stops the drip. But mark on your calendar after a year to change it.

 

[jayriddle]

Excellent advice, thanks Tom. Based on the size of the drips in my garage and eyeballing the leak, I say it is a slow leak, and maybe a candidate for the "old car" PSF.

Do you think just replacing the all the fluid in the reservoir is ssufficient?

Thanks again,
Jay R.
'94 R/T 10
98,650mile

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Jay, I would drain the reservoir and fill with old car PSF, drive for a day or two, then do it again. Then clean up well so you can tell if the leak is slowing.

A new rack is expensive - shop around at Paul Sharf or Woodhouse. I think they keep used, good one. Maybe JonB, too.

You're just ahead of me - 94,000 on my '94.

 

[TexasPettey]

Check all the seals. A leak on the lines to the rack can appear to be leaking from the boot. Do those O-rings first. They are cheap ($10 for a set of 100 at Harbor Freight). Don't torque them down too much, as the O-ring seems to take most of the pressure.

 

[jayriddle]

Thanks for the tips. I'll post back after I've implemented these suggestions. Hopefully I won't need a new steering rack at this point.

JayR.

 

[bluesrt]

replace the rack and stop being a monkey,if u wana play u gotta pay,or buy a ****** and track it!

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

replace the rack and stop being a monkey,if u wana play u gotta pay,or buy a ****** and track it!

I hope he checks the seals before it puts it on the track ... in front of you.

 

[BullRider]

Just went through it. I hoped it was just the boot, but its the seal that went. I think it was 2hrs labor and the used rack that I put in was $400. Can't remember what a new one goes for, but it wasn't cheap.

I think 99 RT/10 said he had a rebuilt one for $900.

 

[jayriddle]

I drained the reservoir and refilled with Stop Leak fluid from Lucas oil. Drove it last weekend and it's still dripping, so it's not looking good.

I'll give the stop leak a little more time to swell the seals before taking her to my local Tech.

Jay R.