Help! Leaky Power Steering Rack?

[devitapd]

I recently purchase my first 1987 924s and have been quite happy with it, except for one problem. It leaves trails of power steering fluid everywhere it goes. I was under it today and found 4-5 holes in one of the boots leading to the steering rods. I tried to jimmy rig it, with no success, so i ordered a pair from Pelican. In an afterthough, are those boots just dust covers? or are they designed to hold fluid and lubricate the system?

They were full of fluid, so my question is do I just replace the boots and hope for the best or do i have bigger internal problems with the rack and it needs to be replaced?

Thanks

[TNT25169]

You're problem is the seals inside the rack are leaking fluid into the boots. The boots are pretty much just dust covers. I rebuilt my second rack last week thinking I screwed up the first one and when I took the first one off, it turned out to be the pump that was causing me problems, not the rack. So I have a rebuilt rack sitting in my shop. I'm not sure if it will fit your car though, it was removed from a 1987 944 turbo. Let me know if your interested and we can work something out.

[devitapd]

Thanks.
How big a job is it to replace the seals. Im assuming it involves removing the rack, which is fine. But would I be better off replacing with a used or rebuilt or doing rebuiding it myself once its out?

[TNT25169]

It's a pretty in depth job. Takes some time, patience and some knowledge. All depends on how dirty you want to get and how mechanically skilled you think you are. There is a write-up at www.clarks-garage.com if your interested in looking at it.

[many944s]

As stated before, it is the internal seals that need replaced. A rebuild of the rack is kinda a b!tch, unless you have several under your belt it can be troublesome. If you were closer, I would come help you rebuild it, as I have probably done 10 of them now! If you take your time and are level headed while working on it (don't pop open a beer til your done) then it isn't too bad, just take your time, and make sure you get the right seal in the right place!!

Go ahead and drop it and rebuild it, there are at least a couple of people here that have rebuilt them that can provide assistance. I took a bunch of pictures last time I rebuilt one, but I will have to find the memory stick with the pics on it.

Good luck!
-Nick

[devitapd]

Thanks guys, I'm just going to go with a rebuilt and swap them out. A little more money but not enough to risk having to do it more than once. Then I'd really be kicking myself.

[TNT25169]

I've got that rebuilt one sitting in my shop. If you're interested email me at APartAbove@aol.com

[ledhedsymbols]

FYI... Should be the same rack for 944, 951, and 968 they just use different tie rods.

The steering rack swap isn't that hard, and the Clark's Garage write up is spot on.

Micah