changing steering rack, any tips?

[jpneary1000]

hey guys changing my steering rack tomorrow on my 05 golf. any thing to look out for or any tips. thanks. ps never done this before so any help would be great.

[smiffy86]

Hi just wondering what the symptoms you had to make you change the steering rack? And how did the replacement go?

[SMEG]

Hi,

i am having my steering rack changed on my 58 plate 27000 mile car at the main dealers on Monday, the symptom was a loud "hum" when turning left.

[jpneary1000]

Hi just wondering what the symptoms you had to make you change the steering rack? And how did the replacement go?

the car was all over the road and i got a mechanic to check it out and he reckons its the rack so got a second hand rack off traynors so put that it took about 4 hours with the help of my brother, when i finished and got it tracked it was still no better, so got another one off traynors thinking the first rack was broken, same thing when that went in so got another and still the same.

so the car is still pretty much the same as when i started.

anyone got any ideas? what else it could be, its doin my head in!

[grover]

I coincidentally am putting in a new rack in my mk4 next week, but my seals blew in a a big way...

Yours: there must be some play somewhere, and before you lift another spanner i would advise you jack up each wheel (or better still use a ramp) and check for movement in all the joints - even the back - just because you feel it through the front doesn't mean to say thats where the issue is...

A link or bush must be worn, and holding it while the wheel is forced up and down/side to side should reveal which one eventually, though sometimes you must use a lever and pry joints/bushes carefully!

Good luck

Tom

[chancer2]

Hi Fellas,
does anybody know if a golf 30 edition 2008 gti rack would fit a 2005 gt tdi 140 ?
very gratefull for any help !
Cheers

[jpneary1000]

hello all just an update. got my mates mechanic to look at my car yesterday and he found 3 things wrong! first the shock that i put in 6 months ago is leaking and is a lot weaker than the other side. second is the back wishbone bushin on the drivers side. third is the front wishbone bushin passenger side and this was also changed only bout 3 months ago, crap parts dont ever use FIRSTLINE parts!!!. so looks like i'm going have a busy day in the near future.

so looks like my mechanic was wrong about my steering rack

will repost when all is done.

p.s the shocks are kyb hoping to get another for free

[Crasher]

Changing a Golf 5 rack is a big job.

[Withnail]

If you are using an exchange rack - don't be in too much of a hurry to take your old unit in to reclaim your deposit: it helps to have the old one around to check such things as how the pinch bolt groove is oriented on the column splines when the rack is centred. I did mine a few years back and am pretty sure that the new one had been assembled 180 degrees out, but didn't have the old unit to compare. Consequently there was a certain amount of messing about making sure that the clock spring for the airbag wasn't stretched overmuch in either direction. Another small point is that bolting the old rack to a piece of stiff board and making up a couple of "floating" wooden sockets to mate up with the tapers on the track rod ends (which you then screw to the board) makes for a jig which speeds up reassembly. Obviously both racks have to be held in the central position whilst this is being done. If you take care to keep the rods in line and the tapers vertical, this maintains your tracking as good as it was before and saves having to get it reset.

[jpneary1000]

replaced the bushings last week and the shock. it did seem to improve the handling of the car but still not 100 percent. today ive noticed the handling getting worse again it just seems seems to have a mind of its own, the steering has a vague feeling.

has anybody ever had this problem???? or even any idea what it could be??

this car is doing my nut