easy p-cheesy

when I had the clutch done in my 86 n/a, I also had them look at the power steering to see where the leak is. I knew that the pump was working because when I put fluid in it would work, but only for like 5 turns because all the fluid would leak out. they said there was a leak in the rack and pinion seals, but the way they said it, it sounded like I would need to get a whole new rack and pinion.

so my questions are these:
is there a way to tell whether the rack and pinion is ok other than taking it out, replacing the seals, putting it back in and testing?

are there any parts to the rack and pinion that are a 'one time use'? in other words, take it off and its broken. any parts I should get anyway?
- I don't want to take it out, and have to wait a few days to get parts, then put it in and have to take it out for more parts. I want to take it out once, and have the parts there to do it quickly.

and last, what do you have to take out to get to it? I want to do it myself. It seems like something that I could do. so are there any querks? any reasons why I shouldn't do it myself (any tuning involved?)

thanks.

copandengr

According to my factory manual for the '86NA, the rack and pinion power steering unit is rebuildable. It does show the use of several special tools to service the unit however. From the looks of things, these tools consist of a piece to remove the oil seals, a tool for removing the bearings, and a tool to compress the seal rings during reassembly. There are more special tools used to set the unit up once it is put together. I believe that other tools or methods might be substituted for the first two, but the seal compressor looks to be a highly specialized tool. The measuring tools are also highly specialized. Frankly I doubt you can rebuild the unit yourself.

Replacing it with another one is easy though, and you should be able to do that with only a good selection of hand tools.

Check with Mazda, or a large auto parts store. You might locate a rebuilt unit. Failing that the best bet would be looking on a web site like The Parts Trader for a salvage rack and pinion.

easy p-cheesy

well, I get the feeling the shop would screw me on parts. they say it'll cost several hundred. but I can get the parts out of victoria british. the only shop I've been to besides when my uncle owned one is this one that did my clutch. they lost the power steering cable and I'm not too happy with them. but then again I'm pretty sure every shop has problems. so I guess I'm screwed.

if the shop takes it apart, they'll probably get a whole new rack and pinion with new seals and put it in. they said 2 and a half hours of labor, so it'd probably end up a $300 to $400 job. and what if I have leaky tubes? and what if I have a bad pump? that'll end up with at least $300 more. I don't have that kind of money for a car I'm selling in a few months. so should I have it fixed? or should I just leave it. it would definately be harder to autocross without the p/s

easy p-cheesy

bump