beary58

I'm in the process of removing the balancer to replace the front main seal. I noticed the boots on the steering rack are rotting, so I need to replace it. It seems prices for a rebuilt rack and pinion are all over the place from around $165 to $400. Any recommendations?

Any other parts I need while I'm down there? I'm replacing the balancer, water pump, hoses, thermostat, belts.

Thanks for any help and guidance on this.

Beary

sean.b

most people here will tell you to mail it to Turn One. I was quoted $330 locally, which is in the same region as TO. Not sure which I'll go with just yet.. on one hand its nice to not mail it, and on the other its nice to know it's done right.

SG Lou

Crank Seal and seal centering tool

sean.b

oh yea.. any front/rear seals you can do if you're near them, thats just an automotive given. if i can SEE a front or rear seal, that thing comes out. i dont care if its a week old.

DetroitPlac

I got a rebuilt rack from Zip. I wouldn't do it again, they're pretty disorganized. The first one I got leaked, so they did a warranty return but seemed to have lost what I sent back. They squared me away, which is good, but man...you gotta stay on top of them to get anything.

I didn't know about Turn One when I first bought the rebuilt rack. I would have sent it up there. I had them rebuild my power steering pump, and they did an awesome job.

I would replace the high pressure power steering line while you've got the rack out, maybe consider replacing/rebuilding the pump and changing the pulley to an LS2 metal one.

Also, you're REALLY close to swapping the cam at that point...probably 20 minutes extra. I didn't do it the first time, and got a leak from the FMS because I didn't have the centering tool. I think it was the car telling me I should have swapped the cam.

Sam Handwich

Good to know about the cam swap thing. Some of us need the extra help understanding what our car/s are saying to us.

lionelhutz

If the rack is not leaking, you can get boots for around $40 each.

Sam Handwich

And for that super-clean look on clamping the ends you might want to get some Oetiker clamps and the tool for crimping them. Tool is available in a kit online from the big AmZn place; videos on YouTube for more info.
Hope that helps.

beary58

Well I got down and dirty looking at the rack and it appears the leak is coming from where the sensor wire goes into the housing. Most folks just try to seal it with some kind of silicone. That's what I plan to save time and hassle of rebuilding.

I will replace the boots at the same time. Oreillys has boots for either $10 a piece or $40 a piece. The guy at Oreillys couldn't see any difference, so I ordered the $10 boots.

I'm about to start the project to remove the rack and fix the sensor wire leak and replace the boots. But the project really started because my front seal is leaking, bad. Strange because the engine was dry 2500 miles ago when I change the oil. I always do a good oil drip check when I change oil because I hate oil drips.

Anyway, I am also replacing the Harmonic Balancer as well. So I am very open to advice for the whole process. I am reading about it, but I can use all the help I can get. I did by a $19 Harmonic Balancer installation tool from Amazon. A friend loaned me a puller. Is the bolt that hard to break free?

Hey thanks for all the advice. I'm pretty handy with motors, but the LS1 is new for me.

On a funny side, this all started as a project to replace the waterpump. Might as well replace the thermostat, right. Motor has been running a little hot, so I pulled the radiator to clean it. That is when I noticed the AC condenser was worse than the radiator. On and on until I noticed the oil all over the pan. This C5 is my daily driver with 120,000 miles and I'm starting to think it will never get off the stands. Shesh.

Thanks again.

Beary

Ludeaem

What is the $19 tool you bought off Amazon? I am tackling this soon and was curious.

beary58

Harmonic Balancer Pulley Installation Tool #14027T

It's just a simple long hardened threaded rod with nuts to torque the HB down. Could easier make one, but I'm trying to cut down the number of store visits. Actually it says $15.

Beary

Ludeaem

Ah ok thanks. From what I've gathered you slide the new HB on, use the OLD bolt to slide it the rest of the way down, back that bolt out, use the new bolt (hopefully you bought an ARP)

Also a new front crank seal would be good to order if you have not already.

beary58

Some here were saying the old bolt could damage the threads, I don't know. Since I'm saving $400 or so on the rack, I didn't mind the $15. I guess I'm more concerned about getting the bolt off.

Beary

Ludeaem

Good point. The threads could have stretched but I will make sure there isn't much resistance while doing it. I am doing the PS pump, rack rebuild and harmonic balancer all at once. Looks like a 'fun' project we have on our hands

lionelhutz

Heat the balancer to about 200*F and it should slide just about fully on. Then, you could torque the old bolt to make sure it seats. Otherwise, the new balancer is quite tight on the crank snout and needs to be pressed on. Having the reach more, the old bolt does not engage enough threads to do it without the risk of damaging the threads.

DetroitPlac

I've done the balancer twice now, and both times I heated it and it made little difference...the balancer barely went on the crank snout. The press tool is absolutely necessary. It's cheap enough to be a no-brainer IMO.