Power steering rack replacement how-to
09-11-2018, 11:45 AM
#42
Excellent write-up, I just did the job over the weekend and this write-up was an excellent help.
A couple notes:
The subframe bolts are absolutely NOT torque to yield bolts. My neighbor is a mechanic of 20 years and when I showed him the bolts, he absolutely said they could be reused. They are not stretch bolts. The steering rack bolts are not stretch bolts either. They're just regular 13mm bolts. There are absolutely no stretch bolts through the entire job. I don't know where this rumor got started but when I believed the hype too and went to the Audi dealership and bought new subframe bolts. The Audi mechanics thought I had 3 heads when I said I needed stretch bolts for the subframe and said that no one in their right mind would put weak stretch bolts to hold up a subframe that needs to be solid and takes the kind of stress during driving.
What you ACTUALLY need to replace:
You SHOULD replace the crush washers on the lines, I did not because I completely forgot to pick them up (because I was so worried about the damn subframe bolts). I torqued them down and extra ft lb and they are fine. I will keep an eye on them over the next few months and if I do get a leak, they will be the first suspect.
Save yourself 3 hours of struggling and remove the hose on the opposite end of the upper power steering line. This will allow you thread the bolt very very easily and reattaching the hose to the power steering reservoir is quick and painless.
All in all, I did this job in the pouring rain in my driveway and I would absolutely not rate this job on the level of a timing belt replacement. In fact I would highly recommend any noob that needs this done to do it themselves. Local shop wanted $1000 for the job, I got the rack for $187, some fluid and a special 21mm socket. In total, I paid around $230 and it took about 4 hours. Once you rethread the banjo bolts, it's easy peasy.
A couple notes:
The subframe bolts are absolutely NOT torque to yield bolts. My neighbor is a mechanic of 20 years and when I showed him the bolts, he absolutely said they could be reused. They are not stretch bolts. The steering rack bolts are not stretch bolts either. They're just regular 13mm bolts. There are absolutely no stretch bolts through the entire job. I don't know where this rumor got started but when I believed the hype too and went to the Audi dealership and bought new subframe bolts. The Audi mechanics thought I had 3 heads when I said I needed stretch bolts for the subframe and said that no one in their right mind would put weak stretch bolts to hold up a subframe that needs to be solid and takes the kind of stress during driving.
What you ACTUALLY need to replace:
You SHOULD replace the crush washers on the lines, I did not because I completely forgot to pick them up (because I was so worried about the damn subframe bolts). I torqued them down and extra ft lb and they are fine. I will keep an eye on them over the next few months and if I do get a leak, they will be the first suspect.
Save yourself 3 hours of struggling and remove the hose on the opposite end of the upper power steering line. This will allow you thread the bolt very very easily and reattaching the hose to the power steering reservoir is quick and painless.
All in all, I did this job in the pouring rain in my driveway and I would absolutely not rate this job on the level of a timing belt replacement. In fact I would highly recommend any noob that needs this done to do it themselves. Local shop wanted $1000 for the job, I got the rack for $187, some fluid and a special 21mm socket. In total, I paid around $230 and it took about 4 hours. Once you rethread the banjo bolts, it's easy peasy.
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