It has come time, to repair my poor situation regarding power steering. For those unfamiliar with my posts this xj6 sat outdoors for approximately 4 years, which apparently didn't do the rack seals any favors. The car also has currently 139k on the odo and is over 20 years old so these things happen.

My rack and pinion seal on the drivers side appears to be totally shot, as the boot has come off the outer end and the fluid comes out of it pretty heavily. Ive been dumping various stop leaks in because I was planning on this repair anyway come tax season, and figured if something worked before then....yay!... The leak is up to one gallon per week, varying by whether or not there's Lucas in the system.

It appears these stop leaks have had ill effects, maybe too much swelling of certain seals, as any time one of them has almost cured the problem, I start building pressure in the reservoir and it blows all of my fluid out for a few days, one product left me with no power steering at all for a couple days.

The car has been driven daily with this issue as any down time longer than a weekend would leave my family without transportation when I'm at work.

I have decided with the abuse and failures of the system to replace the pump and rack both. I sourced a 9/10 condition pump with a ZF reman tag affixed complete with the front bell piece and short metal line for $89 shipped. I also sourced a reman rack and pinion for $209 shipped on sale. It is without the sensor, So hopefully that is correct for a 96 x300 w/o traction control.

My main questions are :
"How do I correctly remove and install each the pump and rack, with basic tools ( no lift )?"

" Should I replace the rubber hoses all while doing this job, and what are the proper hoses to use?"

"Did I order the correct rack, and if not can I adapt it with parts from my failed unit?"

​​​​​​"Should I use regular power steering fluid or something else like atf after the repairs?"
Due to the volume of the leak I went through a few gallons of Lucas sure-shift I happened to have a bucket of on-hand because it was there.

And just in general any tips and suggestions for the job would be great!

 

I haven't done the pump but the rack is straight forward.

Centre the steering Wheel before you start and try and lock it in position. Do not move the steering wheel while the rack is off (this can damage the clock spring for the Air Bag).

Make sure the new rack is centred also before fitting.

There are 4 easily accessed mounting bolts on the subframe which should not give any issues. The pipe unions may be tight but take your time and don't damage them. You should use a flare nut spanner on them to reduce the risk of damage.

The track rod ends - count the number of turns to get them off and use the same count to put back on the new rack. Get the tracking checked properly after the job is completed.

The knuckle for the steering column again should not present any issues.

Generally the hoses have a long life (the feed hose from the reservoir sometimes weeps). If you don't have any leaks from them then I'd just leave them alone. It's no big deal to change them as a separate job later if required.

The recommended fluid is Dexron III.

 

I never could cross reference the manufacture rack numbers of the 2 racks on the X300

One has the servo to dampen the steering at high speed with a attached servo



Hot sure this is the correct seal kit number



The rack manufacture is used on BMW's

See file attached

 

Thank you for the quick replies! I may have trouble anchoring the steering wheel since mine doesn't lock, but I'll figure something out. I was thinking a ratchet strap wrapped around the bottom of the wheel and anchored somewhere under the seat should do the trick.

Here are the parts I ordered, the rack just has a generic image.

 

Anyone know anything regarding changing the pump? Just trying to be prepared before the parts come in!

 

Alright...well the pump was very simple. I have the wrong rack and pinion thoigh which is not servotronic. The lines appear to be different and my steering shaft is too short. Can I just get lines and a shaft from a non servotronic x300? And if anyone has these please message me and let me know what you need for them. My car is currently stranded in a friends garage until i fix this

 

Well, I guess I have to replace mine. Has anyone sourced a remanufactured one that fits the 300. I understand that there are two different types. How do I know I have the right one and are there any other hints on changing it out because I can't find anyone to do it.

 

If you're referring to the rack and pinion, it will be listed as servotronic or not, and with or without servo attached. I ended up getting a reman one from rack Dr and it was a nice quality piece and worked well, MUCH nicer than the eBay unit I returned. As far as which is under your car, the best option would be to get under it and look. Servotronic will have a servo on it with a cable/plug going to it. As far as the pump they are very easy to swap with help from a camera to see the innermost bolt, I got a used unit off eBay with a reman tag from the original manufacturer.

 

As far as changing it out it's pretty easy, just disconnect the steering shaft, remove 4 bolts (nuts on back side), disconnect lines, and disconnect the tie rod ends. Make sure it's centered correctly, count turns when removing tie rods from old unit, put new ones on reman unit with the same number of turns, and hope it's close enough to drive to an alignment shop. After a few tries I got mine close enough to drive straight but still needed adjustment, I ended up trading off the car before I got that far but may pick up another x300 soon.

 

The power steering hoses are poorly placed in the vicinity of the exhaust. I am planning to insulate them from the heat when I get to doing power steering on mine.