What I find strange is asking someone that you don't trust for advice.

I can only think of one thread here about replacing a rack & pinion.

We know the ps motor is an extended warranty not a recall. There is never ending thread about that in the recall forum section.

 

The steering is fixed! It was the lower "knuckle" on the steering column, which was not moving very well because of rust. We took out the steering column, worked it loose and tried to get a little penetrating oil in the U-joint. It is completely freed up right now and will keep an eye on it to see how long it will hold up. At least I know which part to order when it is time to make the formal repair. Right now it works as free and easy as if it was new! For every ones information, the procedure we used to find the problem was this:
1) with the car up on the hoist, we grabbed a wheel and tried to turn it left and right. It was VERY sluggish and felt like it was binding and being "held" by something and yes, the first thought was the steering rack. This took about 2 minutes.
2) we unhooked the tie rods to see if the binding was actually the steering or if it was in the struts/suspension. Each wheel turned left and right with no binding what so ever, This took about 5 minutes more
3) with the tie rods hooked back up, we unhooked the steering column by the rack and pinion (below the U-jount which was all rusty), then turned the wheels left and right and found no binding what so ever again (that was to test the rack and pinion itself). Again, this took another 5 minutes
4) when we unhooked the steering we found the lower U-joint that is outside the vehicle, basically unmovable. That is when we figured that was the main problem, took out the steering column, loosened it up and reinstalled it. The whole diagnosis and repair took less than an hour.

That is the history of this repair. I found that my local dealer was, in my opinion, eager to want to make the "easiest" repairs which also cost the most money. My steering column is rusty, very rusty, but at least I know what the problem actually is. I went to the dealer originally after my normal indy mechanic was to busy to get me in because of a few weeks of harsh cold and snow in my area and "he" suggested I go just to have it checked out. They replaced the steering motor (which I am happy to have a new one) which I am not completely sure would have needed to be replaced. The service writer at the local dealer was someone that really did not know anything about this repair but tried to reassure me by telling me things that were just not true (like replacing only the steering gear and NOT the whole rack). The total repair cost $50, not $600. I know I might have to replace the steering column but my mechanic said that it also might last the remaining life of the car too so I will wait and see what happens. Thank you all for your responses. I am happy that I went with my gut on this one... What the dealer was saying just didn't seem right.

Matt

 

So, as I said in post #7 "it could be a damaged intermediate shaft u-joint" that's the part that has the rusty seized up u-joint, as you see it is easy to replace, I did this last July, the part was around $135.00 on EBAY.
I'm glad you waited till your #1 mech freed up time to save you some cold cash!!!

 

Thank you Oldblue!!! Yes, you were exactly right! I also know now that it is fairly easy to replace, other than the rust issues on the old one. I am very comfortable keeping my "cold cash" right in my pocket where it is safe and warm. :) I am very happy that my mechanic is also a trusted friend, with the costs involved with vehicles these days, you can't put a value on how important that is! Thanks again Oldblue!

 

You're very welcome, when you change out the intermediate shaft be sure to mark the splines on the steering column shaft so your steering wheel stays centred!

 

you have a very good friend for a mechanic ..... that seemed to be a quick and well thought out diagnosis .... process of elimination, much better idea than just throwing new parts at it ....... can be very costly guesswork..... glad ya got it figured out.

 

I was having the same problem .. My steering was almost like I had a flat tire, ok on the highway and up to speed, but "spongy" in slow turns and parking lots. I had to help it counter steer and force it back to middle. I took the EPS motor out and it seemed to spin up ok with 12 volts applied to the terminals. I also disconnected the sensors and everything to see how it felt with a dead motor (incredibly hard to turn the wheel, never left the driveway -- but just to test it). Your post inspired me to jack the car up and try testing things with the front wheels off the ground. At that point I discovered a binding feel in the wheel. I found the knuckle and discovered that mine too was rusty and corroded. I doused it with WD40 just to test it and clean it up and that was it ! Just want to thank you guys ... I know this is a old post, but without a doubt, your sharing of knowledge probabley saved me several hundred $$. I was getting ready to start calling garages !

 

It looked like this! Mine was rusty and the sleeve was seized, I replaced the shaft .