Steering rack corroded under the D bushing

Went to turn into my driveway the other night and found the steering acting funny. Got out, heard the power steering pump howling a bit and saw the fluid leaking from underneath. Great.

Ordered parts - It has 144K Miles on it so I ordered a new rack with inner and outer tie rod ends and a new D mounting bushing.

Got the armor off and found it leaking by the D bushing. Stripped it down some more and still couldn't see a crack or leaking fitting or seal. Added power steering fluid (ATF) and saw it weeping out.

Untitled by Doug Hansen, on Flickr

Untitled by Doug Hansen, on Flickr

Got the rack out and on the ground and still nothing obvious except the corrosion. Must have become porous. I live on Long Island in New York and I guess the road salt got trapped behind there. The frame's been through the recall and passed and I don't have other corrosion related issues. Just this one spot.

Untitled by Doug Hansen, on Flickr

Untitled by Doug Hansen, on Flickr

New shiny rack:

Untitled by Doug Hansen, on Flickr

Can't say I'm thrilled to be doing this but I can't blame Toyota for it either.

 

How much did the new one run you?

 

Is that new rack OEM or aftermarket?

 

It's a New Aftermarket Rack I bought from Rock Auto for $231.79. The Outer Tie Rod Ends are Moog and they were about $32.50 a piece. I didn't shop around - I've had good luck with Rock Auto in the past so I just hurried up and ordered the items. I ordered them Tuesday Night after they were closed and I received them today, Friday, my day off.

New rack is in, just need to put the wheels and armor back on and take it for a ride. Now to find a good alignment shop.

 

Here's a link to the rack:

http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3600078&cc=1418453&jsn=8

 

Looks like bushings were bad and it was rubbing back and forth.

 

Bushings were OK, just rusted out under the D bushing. There also were raised rust bubbles under there. I was tapping, scraping and wire brushing on the spot. I was so confused that I didn't see a bad seal, fitting or even a crack. I wasn't sure why it leaked all the fluid out inside of three minutes. I immediately ordered a rack and I'm glad I"m not returning it. I hate returning stuff.