Well my rack and pinion is really starting to leak fluid and cause a mess. I put a bottle of Lucas power steering stop leak in it and it slowed the leak down but it’s still leaking and seems to be getting worse. Just wondering what my best option is for a replacement would be? Buy 1 from oreilleys or Autozone if they even sell them, or gamble buying a low mile used 1. Car is a 02 z06 with 122,000 miles on it. Thanks

 

Can the DIY mechanic rebuild this unit at home? If I can find a rebuild kit that is. I’m thinking all it is is bad seals, or tie rod end boots. The power steering works great, it just leaks pretty bad is all.

 

Turn One are good rebuilders. I would send both the rack and to PS pump to them. Yea you can spend less, but you will know history with the rebuild

 

You have checked the hoses, right? The pressure hose is bad for developing leaks right through the rubber. Leaks out right under the rack near the steering shaft input.

 

 

Look under the alternator. It's covered with a piece of corrugated sleeving you might have to pull off to get a good look at it.

 

Thanks!

 

Call Turn One and ask for Junior Describe what is going on, but sounds like internal wear in the rack.

 

I'm a little late to the party but I'll share my rack issues on my 01 C5. I rebuilt the whole system in 2018 with a rebuilt rack and new pump from Corvette Central, plus new hoses and reservoir. The first rack failed after 2 HPDE days. It was replaced under warranty but I was still out the labor cost, as this job is way above my pay grade. The second rack failed without any track time so I ordered a Turn One rack and their racing p/s pump on their advice too. It worked great for 2 HPDE's last fall, then mostly sat in the garage until February when I noticed it was leaking again. I tried adding stop leak, which only slowed it down. I had my mechanic put it on the lift and he said it's the rack. I don't think so. The rack and bellows are dry but there is a lot of fluid all over the lower sub frame. When I called Turn One they said I could send the rack back for testing on their dyno but their tech guy felt it was most likely the high pressure line. It's possible I guess, even though it's only got a couple thousand miles on it. I don't want to keep throwing money at it until I have more info. Does anyone out there have any other ideas or experience with this? I know someone in my race club with a C5 Z06 who's also on their 3rd rack, so this may be rare but it's not unique. HELP!

 

one place they commonly leak is the magnasteer electrical penetration. There are 2 wires that come out of the rack under the left cooling fan. If it is leaking there there is zero hope you can stop it. Some have had a little success forcing epoxy in the rack where the wires come out, but eventually, it will start leaking again. It is one of those leaks I ignore because it does not ever seem to rise above nuisance. Magnasteer isn’t needed on the track imho.

The high pressure line goes from the bottom of the pump to the pinion hub of the rack. You have to leave the pump fitting slightly loose so the fitting at the rack can be started without cross threading. Both fittings are double-flare, so it is very possible this line was not installed correctly, as it is one real b!#|h to get tight. I’ve replace a few pumps, and to get the fittings gutentite, I’ve always had the fans out, and the EBCM loose so it can be pushed out of the way. If I had a leak there, that would call for attention.

I’ve had great luck with Turn One. Rebuilding is always a crap shoot, but hey, with all the chinese knockoffs around these days, new stuff fails out of the box

 

Thanks for the advice. From your description it sounds more like the high pressure line as you described. Besides, the guys at Turn One were so adamant about the quality of their rebuilds I didn't want to take them on until I exhausted the other possibilities. The tech told me they've had race teams send back racks they swore were defective, and they always passed the dyno test and were usually traced to some other component in the system. I'll get under the car again and check that out. I'm sure it would lose a lot more fluid under high pressure than it would on the magnasteer fitting. Trust me this is way beyond a nuisance leak. I can't go back to the track until this is fixed. Thanks.

 

Having just replaced the rack on my 02 Z06, I can sympathize with the OP. The original factory rack lasted 15 years but I'm now on my third replacement, so the next one will be from Turn One. They've told me they check to see if the above mentioned electrical connection is leaking before doing a rebuilt and if so they will decline the service.

I had similar PS issues with my previous C4. I went through four high pressure hose failures (autocrossing) before I finally took the last failed hose down to a shop that services Caterpillar hydraulic systems and had them fabricate a "real" high pressure hose in the same configuration, never had an issue after that.

I hope this never becomes an issue on my C7 Z06 :-).

 

I got mine lightly used in 2007 but still got a good ten years with 3 or 4 HPDE's a year. Great tip on getting the HP line fabricated by Caterpillar. They should know a thing or two about high pressure hydraulics. If your rack does leak at that electrical connection you can buy a complete rebuilt rack from Turn One, not cheap but this is not a job you want to make a career of. Their p/s pump is good too. Spend now, save later. So it sounds like high pressure line is the weak link in this chain.
I'll let you all know if that's what pans out.