2004 pontiac grand prix gtp rack and pinion repetitive failure.
I have 137000 miles on the car. The first one went bad at about 5 years ago. I have had Three rack and pionions installed in this car in the last five years. 2 of them did not even make it out of the warranty period, so I only payed for 1. Well the last one I had installed, the third one , just went bad in three years. It is not covered by warranty so it will not be free. My question is what could be causing the repetitive failure of my rack and pinion seals. The car has an automatic transmission.
front end suspension in bad condition will put more stress on the steering system.
the suspension is bad, i do have to slow down for all bumps so I don't beat things up as bad. Never thought it would cause rack failure, It has had 2 tie rod ends installed on both sides twice in 9 years. But I would rather buy thirty dollar tie rod ends than I would 600 dollar rack and pinion, 1500 installed.
Sloppy suspension = sloppy wheels
Sloppy wheels = sloppy steering
Where are you getting $600 for a rack. Here they are for around $250. If you get your other suspension parts properly repaired, these racks should last the life of the car.
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/find/2004-pontiac-grand-prix-rack-and-pinion.c6349
Napa auto parts have a 300 dollar rack but they are remanufactured, never liked the idea of a reman. I thought that is why I keep going through the racks because the shop is putting in a reman and charging me for an Oem part. Thank you both for your input.
Are you using brand new or reman racks?
I suspect reman, it is a shop who is putting these racks in the car. That is why I got two free racks. This shop did not make it out of the one year warranty period for the first two, and the third rack lasted three years. Don't really know if I want the same shop putting in the forth rack and pinion.
Like @mmj said, fix your suspension first, before installing the next rack. And yeah, it’s a good idea to use a brand new rack, even if it’s aftermarket. Who knows how long reman racks may last..?
@itwt - the one I attached has a limited lifetime warranty.
@doc
on parts only. Not labour.
Yeah, and plus a few hundred dollars for costly front end alignments, each time.
@mmj - Correcto mundo. I agree with you Joe. The front suspension components are probably so badly worn out that they are beating the hell out of the steering rack.
The repeated failures suggest that debris is getting into the rack. I'd replace the 19-year-old hoses, maybe the pump as well, and start with all fresh power steering fluid as well. You could also install an inline power steering filter.
