I am chasing a persistent leak from my steering rack in my 1984 S3.









Does anyone have the procedure for replacing the seals at the lock nut junction? I have already replaced the seal at the top of the stem where the steering shaft enters. Really hoping to not have to drop the rack.

 

i ended up using Teflon tape

 

JUST A THOUGHT:
Your GM power steering pump may be putting out too much pressure. From what I have read, the Jaguar steering rack needs just about 1100-1200 psi.(average) Others would chime in on the actual pressure required for the Series 2/3 in particular. Higher pump pressures can cause leaks at the steering rack.
On my LT1 conversion, my steering was a bit twitchy and I had a minor leak at the rack. To solve the issue I removed 2 of the shims located under the spring of the pressure relief valve in the steering pump. No more leaks and no more twitchy steering. GM power steering pumps of particular model year/s have varying pressure outputs depending on which vehicle the pump was used on.

 

Appreciate the input. I actually ran this same engine/PS pump in another car (Crown Victoria) and folks recommended reducing the pressure output to prevent the rack from feeling overboosted, which I did. It's been a few years but I recall installing the kit that lowered the pressure to about 1100psi.

In any event I found that my grease fitting was ever so slightly loose, so I applied teflon tape to it and retorqued. I also applied some sealant (RTV) on the main rack pad seal. No leaks since.

 

Read through this thread and see if anything helps you, others have used a kit to reduce the pressure release on the GM pumps.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...g-pump-197145/

Dave

 

So, back to the beginning…still chasing a leak on this rack. It seems to have stopped from the tension block, but now the left boot is pouring fluid when under load. I am on the fence about a DIY rebuild as my reseach indicates it’s a finicky process. Last thing I want is to spend $100 and a couple days on a rebuild just to have it leak again.

Is there a reliable source for rebuilds? I am trying to avoid buying a whole new expensive rack.

 

If I'm not mistaken you can buy a rebuilt rack from Rock Auto and the usual jag suppliers. But how long they last idk. May I ask where you got your LSx motor and transmission mounts? And what exhaust manifolds are you using?
Hey just notice the answer to your rack may be at the bottom of this page, related thread

 

I find it easier to replace a rack than to try to rebuild it. Too.much time wasted looking for a seal kit and then the labor, and the forum questions, And the rack must be removed anyway.

 

Found This on E-BAY... "I have no experience with them"
Rgds
David

REBUILD service for your ORIGINAL STEERING RACK 1982-1987 XJ6 1982-1993 XJS ssbsto re2018 (6424) 98.1% positive

US $563.06 Was US $599.00 Condition: Remanufactured Remanufactured

““You send your OLD rack and pinion we rebuild and ship back to you””

Free Standard Shipping. See details for shipping Located in: Florida, United States

Delivery: Estimated between Thu, Aug 24 and Tue, Aug 29 to 93433 Returns: 30 days returns. Buyer pays for return shipping.

 

Hmm, that's an option, but quite pricey for a rebuild.

I am striking out on finding sources for refurbished racks in stock - my usual sources (Autozone, NAPA, Advance Auto, and Rockauto) show no inventory of anything.

Even the big parts houses on Ebay, etc are not showing anything. It's looking more like I will have to either rebuild it myself or find a specialty rebuilder that can handle it without charging an arm and a leg.

I wonder if racks from the XJS or newer models are interchangeable? RockAuto shows nothing at all for my 1984 XJ6. I see that a rack from a 1990 XJS is listed as CARDONE 26-1916, and for a 1996 XJS: BBB INDUSTRIES 3070108. Just eyeballing it, the mounting points look the same.