ok so i have been going through rack and pinions lick crazy (or at least i think i have) but i finally got tired of the aftermarket ones and got a used ford one at the junk yard. the problem i have been having is the power steering not working sometimes. seems like since i put the locker up front it has been eating racks. so the stock one started leaking so i decided to get a new one...like 2 years ago. then that new one i got from kragen stopped working out in cow mountain about 100 miles from home and 2 miles down this gnarly trail. it just stopped having power steering and never came back. so i took it in and swapped it out. that 2nd aftermarket one was good for a while and only sometimes when i was in 4x4 it would not work and be really stiff. well had it in for about 8 months and changed it out last weekend because the power assist would go out sometimes just driving down the road and was getting really loud. both that one and the first one i ran power steering fluid in. so when i got this new one last weekend i put it in and used ATF this time. still whined but it worked. so this Friday i went out to the riverbar and used 4x4 once and it still worked after wards. then coming out i used it again and it stopped working a couple times while i was in 4x4 but when i took it out of 4x4 it started working again. so i was driving out with my hubs locked in and it was driving weird. the steering just felt wrong. so i figured it was cause my hubs were locked in, so i unlocked them and it still did it. what it was doing was when you turned the wheel was kinda jerky feeling. and when you turned it would kinda shake back a forth and felt like the power assist was turning on and off really fast. tried putting power steering fluid in instead to see if this fixed it. it did not. also when you were going around turns after you got the wheel past a curtain spot...like past 2 o'clock or 10 o'clock, it would kinda like stick there and you could let go of the wheel and it would keep turning.

so today i switched it out for a used ford one. and i get it all in and everything and now it is whining REALLY bad. and i have no power steering. i used power steering fluid. it is just whining while it is sitting there and when you turn the wheel from side to side it doesnt change. i have now power assist at all. it is kinda a nasty grinding whine and when you rev up it changes. it goes away sometimes at certain RPM's but then just comes back. what could be wrong? also i jacked the front up and steered it from lock to lock a couple of times and i check the fluid and it was really hot and like bubbling and it squirts all over the place and soaks my engine compartment in fluid...also does this when you turn and the power assist isnt working...similar to turning the wheels with the truck off....so any one have any ideas? do i need a pump? i just dont get why it would go bad at the same time i was changing out to this other rack. could this rack be even worse than my other one? thanks

 

could the problem have been with the pump instead of the last rack and pinion? im not a mechanic and i dont know a lot about internals of engines and stuff but there has to be something wrong somewhere if you have went through 4 that quick. I would think.
i have always put ATF in mine because that is what the owners manual said to put in it.

 

Usually fluids only boil if you're over-using or overloading the sytem. If you're having trouble with that many racks then my next guess would be the pump??



GB :)

 

I've been having a similar problem with it going in and out. Noticeably worse in 4wd. I'm about to try a new rack.

I'd get that power steering fluid out and put atf in it. I'm interested to hear what you find out to fix it.

 

i think what im gonna do next is the pump. i have a 2000 4.0 that i bought that im going to switch in sooner or later but it came with a pump and if it is the same om going to put that on...if it isnt im going to buy one of those Saginaw ones or what ever they are called......

 

well i think i broke the return line fitting off the 4.0 one when i was putting it in....not sure but i didnt notice it being off when i pulled it and didnt notice it not being there till i was all done and that was the last thing to hook up...FML...so i guess one of those saginaw ones it is...

 

well i got one of those saginaw ones in and the steering still didnt work....wtf...so i was going to pull the JY rack out and go get another kragen one...i pulled off the lines and had an idea...when i was putting it in i stuffed a chunk of paper towel in both line holes to stop the fluid from coming out....then i pulled them out and installed the lines....but i checked the high pressure one and sure enough there was a little chunk of paper towel in there blocking the flow...got it out and the steering worked perfectly. with that new pump i could stand still and turn the wheel lock to lock and it wouldn't make sound....i was stoked. then like always after having it in 4x4 it is no good again. now it doesn't like to turn if im not moving and sometimes doesn't work even when i am moving. also it makes kinda like a clicking whining sound if i try to turn sitting still....and if i rev my motor up it starts to turn but still sounds horrible....so any one have any ideas what im doing to my rack to make them do this? im about to pull the front locker and be 3wd again. id rather have reliable steering.

 

I would say that something in the front axle is binding it up and keeping it from turning. I would start by removing the locker like you stated and see if it fixes it.

 

ya but the rack doesnt work after i take it out of 4x4 and dont have my hubs locked in or anything....its like the stress from having the locker in it when i have it in 4x4 ruins something in the rack....but i dont get why it still works sometimes afterwards....like today it was working this morning....and now i have now power steering....wtf is happening in it? so frustrating lol.

 

This may sound like a no-brainer , but have you replaced the serpentine tensioner yet ? If the spring is getting weak it won't keep the belt tight enough . That will cause the chattering feeling like the pump is turning on and off. PS pumps take quite a bit of power to turn.
The belt may not necessarily squeal when it slips on the pump pulley.

 

i haven't checked that yet....but why would it not work after using 4x4 and work fine before that? idk but that would make sense.

 

did you jack up the front end and then bleed the system
when you change or replace the steering rack -- you always have to bleed the system
( keeping the cap on the resevoir does not help bleed air out of the lines )

 

ya ive done eveything...like i said it worked for a couple of days perfectly, then i put it in 4x4 and the locker did something and now it doesnt work. i think im gonna put one more rack in under warranty and if that doesnt work im gonna try to get my money back and either way im gonna finally put in that SFA ive had laying around for a while. not having power steering is BS.

 

any one have any idea what is going on in these racks?....it is not working at all unless i rev it up. i was thinking the check valve could be messes up or something and it not letting pressure through fast enough. idk what to think. now im just trying to decide what axle to use for my sas but having PS would be nice in the mean time. lol