Corrigated rubber tie rod boot leaks
Champion
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 4,737
Likes: 374
From: Northwest Louisiana
Is it oil on the boot, or is there power steering fluid dripping out?
If the former, it depends on where the motor's leaking.
If the latter, the rack itself is leaking past the seals (presuming rack and pinion, you didn't state if it was 2WD or 4WD) and you'll need to replace the R&P unit.
I found on the 1988 I have that the R&P only really hard part was that the factory service manual didn't mention the roll pin, so I had to figure it out myself to get the intermediate shaft off the R&P input shaft. By 1996, they were supposedly all cap head screws, which is a lot more obvious.
While in there, plan on flushing the rest of the power steering system.
A new (reman'ed) R&P should have the inner tie rods and the boots already on it.
At RockAuto, the R&P is available for about $100, albeit with a $150 core fee for the A1 Cardone unit.
I don't know if there's any direct relationship, but it appears the ACDelco units work better and longer for the Ford MN12 cars (like my Cougar), but that's just anecdotal evidence, not statistical.
Take a good look at the rest of the front end first - if the outer tie rods are not in the best of shape, I'd do them also.
I'd also add a filter so that you can keep any trash still in the lines from killing the new R&P.
One more thing to consider is replacing the power steering pump - not that it's needed, but if you do that, flush the lines, and replace the rack, you'll have all the actual moving parts new in that part of the truck - one less thing to worry about.
DO keep a sharp eye on the hoses - if in doubt, while replacing the rack, replace them also. You really don't want the new rack to fail because a 18 year old pressure hose blew out and it ran dry ...
RwP
If the former, it depends on where the motor's leaking.
If the latter, the rack itself is leaking past the seals (presuming rack and pinion, you didn't state if it was 2WD or 4WD) and you'll need to replace the R&P unit.
I found on the 1988 I have that the R&P only really hard part was that the factory service manual didn't mention the roll pin, so I had to figure it out myself to get the intermediate shaft off the R&P input shaft. By 1996, they were supposedly all cap head screws, which is a lot more obvious.
While in there, plan on flushing the rest of the power steering system.
A new (reman'ed) R&P should have the inner tie rods and the boots already on it.
At RockAuto, the R&P is available for about $100, albeit with a $150 core fee for the A1 Cardone unit.
I don't know if there's any direct relationship, but it appears the ACDelco units work better and longer for the Ford MN12 cars (like my Cougar), but that's just anecdotal evidence, not statistical.
Take a good look at the rest of the front end first - if the outer tie rods are not in the best of shape, I'd do them also.
I'd also add a filter so that you can keep any trash still in the lines from killing the new R&P.
One more thing to consider is replacing the power steering pump - not that it's needed, but if you do that, flush the lines, and replace the rack, you'll have all the actual moving parts new in that part of the truck - one less thing to worry about.
DO keep a sharp eye on the hoses - if in doubt, while replacing the rack, replace them also. You really don't want the new rack to fail because a 18 year old pressure hose blew out and it ran dry ...
RwP