rack and pinion, what is it?

[vinnY]

so the mech says 'the rack and pinion have to be replaced'

my first question is what is it and what does it affect? are there any physical tests i can do at home? i just saw him wobbling the wheel and said it was broken
he sorta left before i had the chance to ask (mobile mech)

[Boban]

not sure about the pinion, but the rack is the steering rack i'm pretty sure

have a look underneath and see if there is any power steering leaking anywhere

[vinnY]

no fluids leaking as far as i know, power steering feels fine and no shudder in the wheel from what i've read would be a characteristic

from i've also read that if the wheel shakes(grabbing the wheel while off the ground and giving it a wiggle) its usually just the bearings? which can probably be had <$100/side

[MDL30N]

rack and pinion is the type of steering rack used in the car.

[MDL30N]

ask the mech WHY the steering rack needs replacing..

[teh_mechanic]

rack and pinion is the steering rack,more precisely its the type of gear used,your steering column is the pinion and your steering rack is the rack.

wiggling the wheel,there should be no movement,if there is movement your problems can be (from most likely to least likely):
1- wheel bearing needs adjusting
2- rack end has movement in it(part thats screws onto the end of the rack,not very expensive) and needs replacing
3- tie rod end has movement in it (part that attatches your rack end to the hub) and needs replacing
4- movement in the actual steering rack,caused by wear in the teeth on it. (very expensive!!!)

in my opinion the guy is trying to rip you off.my bet would be that its one of the option 1 2 or 3. steering racks will normally leak before they get movement in them,its quite rare to replace one because the teeth have worn.
its a huge job replacing the steering rack,have to drop the front subframe,big $$$'s,and last quote i got on just a reconditioned rack was $500,thats just for the part.

get a second opinion,the other 1st 3 options are easily fixed in under an hour for low $$$'s.

to test-jack car up,wiggle the front wheel and you will feel this movement the mechanic is talking bout,short sharp wriggles,you will feel the play in it.
- put your hand on the tie rod end (ball joint that connects rack end to hub)wiggle the wheel and see if it feels like the movement is in that (be careful,movement i the rack end can sometimes make the tie rod end feel like its got a lil movement).
- through the rack boot on the steering rack you will be able to feel the ball joint at the end of the rack end,put your hand on this,wiggle the wheel and see if the movement feels like it is in this rack end.

if the movement is quite large,and it doesnt feel like any of the other parts then sure it might be movement in the rack from wear,but it is quite rare

[vinnY]

yeah i have a suspicion that the wheel bearings are gone ($100/side i can live with)
i can hear a light metallic grinding sound while moving slowly back and forth(sounds like the brake pads contacting with rusty rotors)
any ways to check for busted wheel bearings? no noticeable noises while driving normally though

strangely enough the mech said that there was more play in the drivers side than the passenger side, is this even possible since the wheels are both connected to the rack?
will probably jack it up tonight and give whatever bolts i can find a small nip up incase they've become loose

[trism]

dead wheel bearings will make a humming noise as the wheel spins when you are driving

[vinnY]

nevermind i was stupid to consider the wheel bearings when theres no weird noises(well the noise i was hearing was the brake pads wearing the rust off the rotors ;))

had a quick look last night and found that the driver side tie rod seems to have 2-3mm movement in it(same movement as moving the wheel)
no leaking fluid so i assume that the tie rod probably needs replacement due to worn ball joints?

[teh_mechanic]

yep if thats where the movement is then your best bet is to replace that tie rod.the ball joints wear over time.its quite a common wear part.

[Limbo]

you only really replace the rack if it leaking or not moving.
If its move more on one side than another its more likely as teh mechnic says, the ball joints.