I am the proud owner of a 2003 dodge ram and have found myself encountered with a little leak in my rack and pinion assembly. This "little" leak is going to cost BIG bucks to replace and I was wondering if anyone has had this problem and if there are any cheaper fixes. The estimate so far ends up to be around $1000...that I don't have...how big of a problem is a leak in the assembly?....my truck is my baby and wan't to keep it healthy but if I can do that without spending $1000 that would be even better so any info or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated,
thanks!

 

Who told you a $1000? The Dealer? Call them and tell them to go to hell. Go to Sears and buy a set a wrenches for less then $100, then go buy either the steering box, or the pump. (Which ever is leaking) for at most $400. Take the $500 you saved, and send it my way if your that interested in spending $1000. [8D]

You can buy a NEW Power Steering Pump, Gear Box, and a set of wrenches for under $1000, and the odds that both the box and pump are leaking, is slim to none. They're screwing you, thats what they do.

Which is leaking first off, the bump of the box? My bet is the box. If its coming from the pitman arm, replace the seal, if its coming from the top of the box or something, try some Lucas PS Stop Leak. My advice is to start wrenching and see what you learn. Every time you pay somebody else to do it, your generally paying at least 4 TIMES what you would if you did it by yourself. Think how fast that adds up, and think how much money you've already gave away [&:]

 

I was going to say, "Who told you that you had rack and pinion steering?" but according to Allpar.com ... they did indeed add it in 2002.

The main changes for the 2002 Ram 1500 are:

* Whopping big four way disc brakes for much better stopping power
* A frame with hydroformed parts for less vibration
* A more friendly interior, with more storage space and facilities for child seats and extra passengers
* Four new grilles, one for each body style, the most muscular going with the Sport model
* Rack and pinion steering and an independent front suspension, even on 4x4 models, for better handling
* Another 40 horsepower in the base V6 as a result of the swap from the 318-based 3.9 liter to the much more modern 4.7-based 3.7 liter engine
* As of December 2002, much more power in the optional V8 as a result of the swap from the 318-based 5.9 liter to the much more modern 5.7 liter Hemi.
* A side airbag option

The Quad Cab lost three inches in the cargo box (now 6 feet, 3 inches), while the cab grew by 3.7 inches for the benefit of rear seating.

Learn something new every day. I'm not sure rack and pinion even HAS a steering box. I've never worked on one.

 

A rack and pinion system does have a pump and res., usually connected/mounted to each other. You need to get the price for the part and the labor separatly. If the part price is something you can afford, then just do the job yourself. Most of the time they are fairly easy to do, although I am a mechanic so I have a hard time gauging what others can/cannot do. With the right tools, I'd say its a 3.5 out of 5 on the difficulty scale. If its something your not comfortable doing, then find a friend mechanic, or go to the shop at quitting time and ask one of the mechanics if he wants a sidejob. About the only thing you should have to pay for, if you do it yourself, is getting an alignment done afterwards. If you were in Colorado I could do it in about an hour or two. Anyway, good luck, and I hope these tips help save ya some green.

 

this might help find the leak, our mercury wagon was leaking real bad from the rack itself. i guess it was too close to the exhaust manifold and the seal let go. was told this problem was pretty common. something to look at.

 

My steering rack has failed twice on my 2002 1500 4x4 with 5.9L.

The first was at two years old with 30,000 kms and was covered under bumper-to-bumper.

Last week it failed again, but this time isn't being covered.

The failure resulted in a complete lack of steering (while at speed) and near crashes. It requires hulk-like effort to turn the wheel even 2 degrees after this happens.

If anyone wishes to discuss this matter, please call or write:
Sean Newman
Petawawa Ontario
(613)732-6139
karrie7@sympatico.ca

 

the rack is gonna cost around 550-600 at the dealer and labor is around 5 hrs at around 85 an hr thats arond 975 so and estimate of 1000 is not out of line. Now with that said we parts people and techs have to make a living too and this is how we do it, by providing a service to those who cant diy.

Personaly i would do it your self its a really easy job just do likethe other guy said and have it aligned