1995 Impreza steering rack replacement.

[cwrs]

A few questions for a mechanic or anybody knowledgable. Any help is
appreciated.

My mother has a 1995 Impreza sedan with about 90K miles on it. She
gets the oil changed fairly regularly at a "grease monkey", or similar
place. Last week, they told her that the rack and pinion was leaking
and needed replacement. I've driven the car and there are no odd
noises or perceptable problems with steering or handling. There are
some oil spots in her driveway which could be coming from the rack, but
I haven't crawled underneath the car to confirm it.

If the rack is leaking, does the whole assembly really need to be
replaced? Or can you just replace boots, seals and such? Thanks for
any help.

 

[Bob Bailin]

A few questions for a mechanic or anybody knowledgable. Any help is
appreciated.

My mother has a 1995 Impreza sedan with about 90K miles on it. She
gets the oil changed fairly regularly at a "grease monkey", or similar
place. Last week, they told her that the rack and pinion was leaking
and needed replacement. I've driven the car and there are no odd
noises or perceptable problems with steering or handling. There are
some oil spots in her driveway which could be coming from the rack, but
I haven't crawled underneath the car to confirm it.

If the rack is leaking, does the whole assembly really need to be
replaced? Or can you just replace boots, seals and such? Thanks for
any help.

More than likely, it's the power steering hoses that are leaking, and
the fluid is dribbling down onto the steering gear. And it's probably
just the pressure hose, not the return hose. Get under the car and
have a look, but first check the power steering fluid level in the
pump using the dipstick attached to the pump cover. Make sure to
top it off if it's low, even if you're having the car repaired in just
a few days.

When you get the hose replaced, make sure the power steering
fluid (it's just Dexron ATF) gets flushed and changed too.

Bob