rack leaking , fixable?

[Jordan325iC]

My "new" 95 m3 rack appears to be leaking profusely from this spot:



I am having trouble finding that info on realoem.com. Is there a replaceable seal/gasket/o-ring/whatever right there that I can replace, or do I need to buy a whole new steering rack?

[der affe]

not much help, but if the seal isn't available from BMW, go to a bearing and seal wholesaler and match it up

[gearheadE30]

That's a strange spot, but yes, it should be fixable. Last I saw, rebuild kits were ~$60, but I can't remember where I saw that price. The issue there is that the new seals sometimes don't mate well with metal parts that already have a wear pattern. If you can bear the expense, I suggest taking it to a shop that remanufactures axles; often they can also do steering racks.

[george graves]

You'll be amazed at what some good ATF with leak stop will do. Look for Valolean(spelling?) ATF in a red/brown container with "leak stop". It will take about 2 quarts - the first quart will help a bit, it should stop by the second.

[Jordan325iC]

You'll be amazed at what some good ATF with leak stop will do. Look for Valolean(spelling?) ATF in a red/brown container with "leak stop". It will take about 2 quarts - the first quart will help a bit, it should stop by the second.

I'll give it a shot. This is a '95 m3 rack I'm working with, but I got it for relatively cheap and I guess there is nothing to lose since a leaky rack is worth nothing.


I did a bit more investigating. The e30 rack seal kit is $60 and readily available, but the e36 rack rebuild kit is quite a bit harder to find. I think I've found one, but it's $87, which just isn't worth it for something that may or may not work.