Folks,

Have any of you experienced frequent steering rack boot failure, but only on the RH side? I've had mine go bad twice, and never the LH side. I replaced with Lemforder parts, just did it for the second time. Both times it ripped open on the top, which is kinda a serious problem because it collects and holds water, causing rust on the end of the rack.

This time I caught it early enough that there was no significant corrosion. But the first time it was a jacuzzi in there, no bueno. Don't know for how long either. At that time I pulled it apart, found lots of rust on the rack, so I steered it left to push the rack out on that side and spent a good long time with decreasing coarsenesses (is that a word??) emory cloth, then crokus cloth. It left quite a bit of pitting and I thought my rack assembly would start leaking soon. Miraculously, it's been quite some years and miles and that has not happened, don't know how that's possible but knock on wood. This time I spent a little time with fine emory and crokus cloths, but as I said it was not full of water this time.

OH, that whole thing did cause my PS oil to become dark and cloudy. At the time I performed several oil changes. I never really tried to flush it out (was gonna do, but didn't). I just sucked the reservoir dry, refilled, run it a little while steering lock to lock, repeat. That did a pretty good job of cleaning it up. Since then I've noticed it will darken over some time, so I do that drain/fill routine now and then to gradually flush out the rack and pump. And it's worked fine...

I just find it puzzling to have only the RH side fail, both times ripping at the top.

 

Just curious, how many miles on the car and has it lived elsewhere in the past besides your area (AZ). Wouldn't think there would be much of a water intrusion problem down that way but perhaps the winters can be wet at times in the desert...

 

Hi Daft. We've owned the 2005 car in Tucson since 2013. Bought with 60k miles, now 190k. The PO was in Prescott, AZ, and I have records that indicate it originally came from CA. So, always the SW US. The thing about rain (and we do get heavy rain from time to time, even in Tucson), the boot keeps the rain out. Unless it's torn or breeched in some fashion. Mine has torn twice in the same way, only the one side. One of those times it must have either coincided with a gulleywasher, or I degreased the engine and filled it from the hose.

 

Couple of things.

Generally rack (and for example sway bar link or even axle CV dust boots) are long lived. I've had to replace a sway bar link dust boot and two axle CV boots (well, I had a tech do this) but only after ~200K miles. Sure that is rather exceptional service life but even with cars I've only driven to 50K miles none of the dust boots failed.

Long shot but any chance some critter (mouse, rat, chipmunk/squirrel, skunk, porcupine, cat) has been at the dust boot?

A premature failure of a steering rack boot suggests a bad boot (or two) or the wrong boot being used or it is not installed properly. Or some steering component/bushing is worn this subjects the boot to excessive motion or movement.

It is not uncommon for say a water pump to fail prematurely (well soon than what was expected). And then the replacement water pump fails early, too.

Or my experience with another vehicle is the low pressure fuel pump failed and about 5K miles the replacement (factory pump too) failed. A dust boot can suffer from the same infant death syndrome. Premature failure. So it could be you just got a bad dust boot or two.

But, maybe not. A failed steering rack dust boot should not cause the power steering fluid to discolor. And to after removing a good portion of the fluid to have it quickly discolor again this has me suspecting there is a problem with the power steering system, maybe even the rack.

A power steering system does not like to run low on fluid. They get low on fluid they get noisy. But while one can top the fluid up the damage has almost certainly been done.

One failure mode had a rack seal leak. But the dust boot catches the fluid. There was no signs of any leak. Finally noise prompts the customer to bring the car in and the fluid level is topped up. But the noise persists.

One time I was at the mechanic's side when he covered a suspected bad rack's dust boot with a rag and pried the dust seal off. It came off with a pop and soaked the rag with fluid.

Unfortunately in these cases the entire power steering system must be replaced. Rack for sure but power steering pump, lines, etc. These all get contaminated and it is almost a given that not all of the contamination can be removed. Any left over contamination will ruin the new hardware.

For a suspected bad steering rack -- which could account for the short lived dust boot -- is to on a level surface -- empty parking lot -- at low speed make a u-turn. As the turn completes let the steering wheel return to center. Note (take a pic) of the wheel's position. Do this u-turn thing several times 1st in one direction then the other. If the steering wheel doesn't return to the same position each time that's a sign the steering rack is bad.

But in going bad it could have spread debris throughout the power steering system.

 

Hi Rock, thanks for the input.

Longevity – Agree, most boots last a good long time. Did you replace an end link boot, or the entire end link? Can you replace just the boots?

Critters – great idea, it’s pack rat ville out here, but the Mini lives in a garage with no rodent access. The other vehicles, however, are not always so lucky.

The boots have been OE, and installed properly as far as I can tell. Both ends are clamped in the right spots. The failure does not occur right at either end, but rather several folds from the inner (larger) clamp, on the top of the boot. I have no reason to believe the steering is turning too far to the left to over extend the boot.

RE: discolored fluid – it doesn’t discolor again quickly, it takes a while. I’m pretty sure the problem there is that the end of the rack was REALLY rusty the first time this happened, because the boot was open at the top, took on water, and that water had no place to go so it filled the boot for some unknown period of time. That rust and tiny bits of water must have been pulled into the rack assembly when turned sharp right. It blows me away that it doesn’t leak fluid after all that, knock on wood. I mean, I don’t have my records in front of me but it’s probably been 6 years and 60k miles since that first boot rupture and rust extravaganza.

No fluid leaks, no noise, never ran the fluid low.

Thanks for the food for thought!