C5 X7 Steering Rack - Again!

[KennyW]

Have as separate forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kenny

[white exec]

Wheel out the redaction facility...

[cedrichn]

Hello,

I did read all the discussion And I like the way you look for solutions and root causes, and I also start to worry for my X7
So I went to check which rack I have on my reg 58 2.0 petrol, and it looks like i found what the screw is for !

[white exec]

Interesting. If we're talking about #75 and the heat shield #5, I don't remember these having been mentioned before.
If "lump" removal (to tidily fit a protective gaiter) is done, what does that mean for the heat shield - or wasn't it fitted to all models?

[cedrichn]

I have a petrol, so I would guess it is to protect the rack from higher exhaust temperature on a petrol VS a diesel...

[cedrichn]

I went to damage my back and take some pictures:



Sorry, the agraph didn't wanted to go, and I didn't feel so comfortable to disconnect the steering column...
I let you comment, you know more than me ! :p
Car is reg 58, 90k, 2.0 petrol

[GiveMeABreak]

Yes, the heat shields are only fitted to the petrol model, not the diesels.

Looking at your picture above - yes, looks like it won't be long before yours fails I'm sorry to say .

The rust build up is already there looking at that, but it's on the lower part of the pinion that is hidden inside the rack where the rust starts bubbling and deforming the seal until inevitably the leak will slowly start and get worse.

[cedrichn]

No worries at all, I prefer to go ahead with open eyes rather than being caught by surprise ! And if I can had my 2p comments/feedback...

So...what are the symptoms on a non-hydractive car ? Oil leak through this seal ? Contamination is the steering liquid bowl/tank ?

[cedrichn]

..and you need to dissasemble the cradle (berceau in french, not sure it is the same in English... Where the steering rack is fixed on EDIT : sub frame ?) to dissasemble the steering rack ? Or it is more "simple" than that ?

Sorry for all those questions :p

[GiveMeABreak]

If you have conventional metallic suspension, then you will have a smaller LDS tank just for the steering. So the same issue really - the LDS will start coming out from the top of the pinion area when it does finally deform. I think you can just about see the black seal from the last picture - it looks a bit squashed in places as the rust has started to misshape it.

[GiveMeABreak]

..and you need to dissasemble the cradle (berceau in french, not sure it is the same in English... Where the steering rack is fixed on EDIT : sub frame ?) to dissasemble the steering rack ? Or it is more "simple" than that ?

Sorry for all those questions :p

You can get the rack out from the right hand side after loosening the subframe (I think that is what you are referring to). That's what my mechanics did, so they did not need to remove the whole subframe.

[cedrichn]

Yes Marc, exactly ! Thanks, I will keep an eye on this...and save some money :p

2 years now since the thread started...Are people happy with the gaiters and/or reconditionned rack ? Or they started to rust again....like the Citroen "not improved" ones ? :/

Such a shame that steel quality cost so much pain, and money lost...Just building the same rack with good stainless steel should solve the issue no ? So much 21st century car issue: one component failure (by design or manufacture) forcing you to change a complete sub-system...

[GiveMeABreak]

I still think it's that dodgy Japanese steel (remember on the news a few years ago?) that found its way into the supply chain to be honest. These failures are unheard of in this quantity (on this Forum alone) and it cannot be anything else except the poor quality steel.

[jgra1]

my rack arrives tomorrow! my C5 has not been used since Spring, mostly down to the leak.. I will fit in the next few weeks I think, although sooner rather than later.

John

[Peter.N.]

I know about dodgy steel, I had a CX with a pourous block, had to replace the head gasket about every 15k and I did about 160k in it. Thats a lot of head gaskets!

Peter