Hi,

I've got a 2005 Dodge Stratus sedan with 85k miles, the 2.7L V-6, SXT trim.

I noticed the past couple of weeks that there was a clunking noise coming from under the front of the car. It was getting steadily louder, and finally I realized it wasn't from the buttload of potholes that have cropped up in in the wake of the blizzard.

I put the car up on jackstands and had my son rock the wheel back and forth while I hunted around for the source of the noise.

I was able to quickly find the source of the clunking: something in the center of the power steering rack.

So, my question is... how hard is this to change myself?

Obviously, I would have to remove the p/s lines and remove the tie end rods. How much of an effort is it to get to the rack itself and remove it?

Any other advice I should heed? Should I also change the tie-end rods while I have it apart? Will I need any special tools?

Thanks!

 

I'm about to do the same project this weekend. Looking for advise on what I may be getting into. Any advise on "what to do" & "what not to do" when replacing a rack and pinion on a Dodge Stratus?

 

First off, you'll have to remove the crossmember that mounts to the frame and supports the bottom of the front suspension arms. Spray that down with penetrating oil of some kind and let it soak. I didn't do that, and broke off one of the bolts in the frame.

Also, several of the bolts were so rusted that the threads partially disintegrated when I unscrewed them, so I needed to buy new ones. This was a 3-4 day item from the dealer. I don't know if the penetrating oil trick would have saved them.

Removing the knuckles from the ends of the rack-and-pinion was also a PITA; I wound up having to use a cutting wheel on them. Penetrating oil might have helped there as well.

There's an aluminum block on the crossmember that the brake lines feed into. It has to come off, but it's a PITA to reach with a wrench. It got ugly for me. Use penetrating oil. It's bolted onto a bolt that also holds part of the suspension... might be the anti-roll bar or something. Anyway, the anti-roll bar is bolted to the crossmember, then the brake block is bolted onto it. So there are basically two nuts on one bolt.

The aluminum block does not spin, because it has a pin on it that goes in a hole on the crossmember. So you have have to remove the bolt, then pick the block straight up.

The steering-wheel knuckle that mates to the rack-and-pinion has a Torx screw holding it on. It's in the kneehole of the driver's seat, obviously. I think it had Loc-Tite on it, because I wound up stripping out the Torx head. Try heating it up with a soldering iron or something before unscrewing it. Ultimately, I had to cut the Torx bolt in half, drill out hole and threads, and replace it with a new hex bolt and nut. With lock washers and more Loc-Tite, of course... don't what THAT falling loose!

Removing and re-installing the lower ends of the front suspension was best done by jacking up the lower end of the front suspension. Then you can slip it in or out of the crossmember. I learned this the hard way. :-)

Hope this helps somewhat.

 

Thanks, that is exactly what we needed to do. Took about 5-/2-6 hours and that was more tehn everyone said it took ever