How can i prolong the life of my rack and pinion unit?

Question

I have a 1993 Buick Century, and since my family had their share of bad rack and pinion units on their GM vehicles in the past i want to learn how to prolong the life of mine. My brother who went to the local junior college for auto mechanics said to regularly suck the old power steering fluid with a turkey baster out of the reservoir, and add new fluid. Could this be effective?

Answer 1

I have a car like yours.. changing the fluid is a very good idea. U can use a lubricating additive for powersteering that will lubricate well. also don't steer hard with it and that will help alot.

Answer 2

You should only need to flush your power steering fluid every 5 years.
The steering system is pretty maintenance free. It's odd that your family has experienced so many problems. If the roads where they live are full of potholes, that could bend the parts after a while. Maybe the vehicles they bought had defects from the factory. It's possible if they were all GM vehicles made in the same year or were the same model.

There's not much to the system except steel rods, a power assist cylinder, some gears and the hydraulic pump. You can check to see if you have grease fittings on the joints to lube the parts.

Check a maintenance manual for a lube chart. You will be able to check out a chilton's from your library. Or you might be able to get a copy of a lube chart from your local dealership. That will tell you the intervals to grease the fittings and where they are. You'll need to buy a grease gun but a small one isn't that much. Your owners manual or that lube chart will also tell you how often you should flush your power steering fluid.

Answer 3

yes changing fluid is recommended,also try to eliminate static turning,by this i mean try not to turn steering wheel when you are not moving.this puts excessive strain on components,always try to have car in motion when turning steering wheel.