I think i need a Steering Rack
 

:( For the last couple of months there has been a rattle from my front end when I go over bumps in the road(big or small) and now my steering is getting difficult to turn periodically. I did some reading on the website and figured it was the o-ring and so I replaced that, but I think it may be the steering rack. By replacing the O-ring I got rid of the shudder in the steering, but it still will randomly become difficult to turn. Plus, there is a very bad vibration in my front end when I am at high speeds. I had a mechanic check my alignment and he claims it looks fine and I also rotated my tires, though the problem still persists. Any help?

P.S. When I jacked up my car to see if anything was loose I noticed that both of my CV joint boots were torn; could this cause the shaking in the steering wheel?

Aaron

None of the symptoms you describe could be directly related to only the steering rack. Without having contact with the car it is very difficult to be conclusive. You report that a mechanic had a look at the alignment. Was this the extent of his ability and desire to assist/ :confused: :eek:

Ive got a similar problem on my fwd.axles boots torn leaking grease and steering wheel jerks back and forth on hard acceleration. Start with the known faults first. if your boots are torn on your cv axles it would be a good idea to replace them first. advance auto parts has axles for 60 bux with a core and 70 without.

I don't know how bad your rattle is but check your ball joints and swabar links as well they will cause noise. also your upper strut mounts might be busted put a 17 mm on the top of the front strut assembely and try to turn it. you should feel a fair amount of resistance/ tension.

The shop was closing so he was only able to look at it quickly and i have yet to take it back due to final exams :eek:, but ill see to replacing the cv boots sometime next weekend; hopefully that will fix my problem. As for the rattling, it isnt very noticeable and doesnt seem to be causing any problems other then a "loose" feeling when going over speed bumps and such.

Ill let you know what happens when I replace the boots.

Thanks for the help

Replacing the boots will not solve your problem. If they are torn and allowed the grease to escape and sand and dirt to get in, the CV joints will be worn. This could account for your problem.

The 60$ covers the CV joint w/ the boot attached, right?

That's at the low end of the price range, but it is for the complete half-axle w/boots. The axle has a CV joint on the wheel end and a DDJ joint on the transmission end.

What is weird about the shaking in the steering wheel is that it goes away when I put more weight into my car.

1 person- shakes like crazy
2 people- its barely noticeable
3 or 4 people- its completely fine

Any ideas?

Ill be fixing the cv joints and such next Saturday....wish me luck!