How can you tell if your rack and pinion is bad? I have a 2003 caravan sport. I have been tracking down the classic "knocking" in the front end. When you turn the wheels left and right, there is a distanced thud/knock. While i was rotating the tires today, I was poking around trying to see if I could see anything. While I had up up on the jack stands, I turned the steering back and forth with my hands, trying to identify the knock. Now the front end The front end shutters when I steer left or right....rack and pinion?

 

Does it do it if you turn the steering wheel while the tires off of the ground to see if it is still there?

 

check your sway bar links and bushings.

 

the shudder comes from air in the system. For some reason, if you lock the lock the steering in the air without it running, it kind of aerates the fluid. It will eventually work it's way out or you can apply a vacuum to the system to remove it quicker.

The clunk noise swearving back and forth while driving is usually the sway bar bushings