Leaking E36-M3 rack....

[2mAn]

I just recently finished up a E36 steering rack swap and now the new rack is leaking...

I really dont have the time to pull and swap the rack out, nor the funds to pay someone to deal with this, assuming it will cost at least $300 to do the job, likely more.

Im wondering if I buy the power steering delete and live with it if it will it mess up the Steering rack since it wont hold any fluid at all?

What a clusterfuq this turned into...

[e30davie]

Where is it leaking from? It might just be leaking from a hose.

[Todd Black 88]

You have already done the hard part (modifications required to swap in an e36/46 rack), just get under the car and swap a new e46 rack in. It really should only take you an hour, hour and a half now.

[2mAn]

Where is it leaking from? It might just be leaking from a hose.

I was hoping it was something simple like that, but I tightened it all down and it hasnt made any difference.

You have already done the hard part (modifications required to swap in an e36/46 rack), just get under the car and swap a new e46 rack in. It really should only take you an hour, hour and a half now.

Easier said than done. Im probably being a wuss about it, but the next free weekend I have is also the weekend I want to autox one of my cars haha I guess if I dont, then I will be fixing this then

[earthwormjim]

How much is it leaking? ATF is honestly very thin stuff. You could try a stop leak additive to thicken the fluid up. Can't hurt anything at this point.

The power steering pump on my touring would randomly leak. I put about 1/4 bottle of Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak in, has not leaked at all since. Been about 6 months now.

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Ehhh I wouldnt use stop leak. Where exactly is it leaking from? Theres like a dozen places within the power steering system that are known to leak...

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[2mAn]

How much is it leaking? ATF is honestly very thin stuff. You could try a stop leak additive to thicken the fluid up. Can't hurt anything at this point.

I go through a whole quart in about a week! haha you should see my street

Ehhh I wouldnt use stop leak. Where exactly is it leaking from? Theres like a dozen places within the power steering system that are known to leak...

Hard to tell exactly because I have a skidplate and its dripping from the sides of it after the rack is leaking on it.

Its bad. I definitely should've rebuilt the rack when I got it from Jake @ Classic Daily. Now Im not sure if I should pull it off, rebuild it and reinstall it, or buy another rack and swap that on... This whole rack swap ended up costing me a lot more than I expected due to unexpected things like this.

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Lol. Pull the skid plate off and figure out where its leaking! It may not be the rack... most likely its something simple like a hose

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[2mAn]

Considering that my old rack didn’t leak and the E36 rack came from Michigan and was not new, my money is on the rack. I already got down there once to clean up the mess and tighten the lines. Nothing was so loose to the point that a quart would leak so quickly

[e30davie]

Then fix it:)

[2mAn]

Then fix it:)

excellent insight....

anyone want to take a stab at asking the original question I posted?

[Powling]

excellent insight....

anyone want to take a stab at asking the original question I posted?

From what I remember, when people run a power steering delete they still leave some oil in the rack for lubricant. I could be completely wrong though.

[cscracker]

You have to pump most of the fluid out of the rack when you do a delete, otherwise the fluid blocks you from hitting full lock. You do this by turning the rack lock to lock with the hoses removed before putting the delete plate on.

However, there is still enough in there to coat the inside, and it shouldn't damage the rack. A proper delete is still sealed, and has a pass-through for air. I have the UHMW one from Condor Speed Shop on my iX, and I'm happy with it.

[earthwormjim]

Isn't this your daily? I would not want to daily drive a car as heavy as an E30 without power steering. The E36 M3 rack is pretty heavy feeling too without power assist, I lost power steering on my M3 for a day one time.

At least try something slightly thicker than ATF before going through the delete ordeal. Certainly can't make things worse, I mean you're ready to throw parts out.

[ForcedFirebird]

If you delete power steering, there is zero advantage or disadvantage of fluid in the rack itself. It will simply bypass one side to the other, weather it be air or fluid. Doesn't matter.

If you delete power steering and cap the banjo bolts, you can cause resistance in steering since you are pushing against a closed hydraulic system.

If you leave the banjo bolt wide open, the fluid will stop coming out eventually, but you now have open to atmosphere banjo fittings that can collect dust/dirt and wear your pinion/rack gears.

To diagnose:

Peel tie rod boots of rack body, and clean everything liberally with solvent or brake clean. Start the car and turn back/forth several times, then turn off and inspect.

If you are leaking from a banjo(s), replace all the crush washers (there's two per fitting).

If you are leaking from the crimp high pressure lines, replace high pressure lines (hose clamps DO NOT hold high pressure side, they must be crimped or -an/etc to hold 200+psi, similar to AC lines).

If the leak is from where the tie rod boots attach to the rack body, then you need new rack seals.