Steering rack noise - fluid, seals, or pooped rack?

Started by Secret Chimp, July 01, 2007, 03:18:25 PM

Secret Chimp

For a good while, my steering has kind of made a shuddering "whuuuuddududdudd" noise when I go to spin my wheel in the opposite direction after backing out of my parking space at my apartment's parking lot. Nothing actually shudders, but the noise sounds like something is kind of chuddering against a seal or something like that (yes, I do mean "chuddering," its a new word).
I doubt the fluid has ever been changed on the thing, and the local Tuffy shop said it looked like I had a slow leak in the rack the last time I had an alignment there (though they also didn't even get my steering wheel straight when I got the alignment done and I haven't had to top up the fluid at all, so I doubt that). I'm certain it isn't a different being made by my crapped-out front engine mount.
Would there be any preventative benefit to popping the high-pressure line off and having someone help me flush the system out and get new fluid in there, or should I just let everything be and wait for signs of the rack actually shitting out at some point in the future and just throwing on a new one? The steering wheel has been centering a little oddly for awhile, but I'm assuming that's because I really need to get an alignment rather than the rack going out (I'd have taken it in long ago except I'm trying to find places around here that won't do a terrible job like Tuffy did).


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