Dear Jag community,
I got my 86 XJ6 a few days ago and I had a massive power steering fluid leak already🥲. The mechanic hasn't checked the car yet but I'm certain that the leak comes from the rack column, and I believe I need to replace the whole rack. So here are my questions:
is it possible to just replace the seals instead of the whole rack?
If I eventually do need to replace the rack, where will be the best place for me to find the rack? I don't know if refurbished or remanufactured parts would work and the price ranges from 400 to 700. Any leads that can give me a good idea of where I should get one? Or I just let the mechanic does the ordering since he'll have the warranty.
keith

 

Welcome aboard Kheitoris.
You will get more than one opinion concerning your power steering issue. They are all valid depending on your mechanical skill and pocket book thickness. I overhauled my rack/pinion, the seal/o-ring kit cost me about $62 on eBay and my pinion bearings were in good shape. It isn't a manually hard job, but I would seriously recommend getting the S3 shop manual for the step-by-step procedure as the process is somewhat technical. Many here on the Forum have replaced their racks and may chime in regarding price and vendor. If the seal/o-ring between the rack rod and the end housing is leaking, it can be replaced without a complete tear-down. Shaving the new o-ring is a definite possibility when re-assembling.
Take a look at post 65 and 66 of my thread below. Might be of some help.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...j6-lt1-211881/

Dave

 

thanks Dave,
I should've thought u through as I bought the car since my pocket is empty right now. I did take a picture of the leak spot but the picture is blurry. I'm not sure if it's viewable to you.

the leak came from the top of the rod so I believe that's the rack column. I think I'll let the mechanic do his job but it just easily go over 1000 including the labor fee, and I don't think there's any other rack other than the refurbished or remanufactured ones. That's why I panic and don't know what to do with it since it's a very pricey work.

 

The picture is showing the pinion shaft at the lower steering column (shaft). That's a seal that is know to leak, but it can be replaced without removing the rack.

For clarification, the long rod that runs length-wise through the rack/pinion housing and attaches to the tie-rods is called the rack rod (I guess that's my term, maybe it's correct).
The "rod" that runs perpendicular to the housing and connects to the lower steering shaft is the pinion. It has a helical-cut shape on the bottom end and engages with the rack rod.

Here's a print-screen of the brief description for replacing the pinion seal.

Dave

Picture on the left.

 

Dave,
That's what I suspect but the mechanic that will check my car say if the rack is bad there's no repair or rebuild, and that's where I'm concerning because the most common problem for rack leaks come from the sealings not the rack itself, but I think for most auto repair store they're not doing just the sealing change for some reason. I'll keep you updated of what he reports tomorrow and see what you think. Thank you sir it has been great help.
keith

 

There is no such thing as something that can't be repaired or rebuilt these days. Look on your other thread (of the same name) at other opinions. The only "mechanic" I ever take my cars to is my Son who is certified in all areas and works at the local GM dealership. General Service mechanics want the easy bolt-on replacement work, not the more time consuming repair work.

Dave

 

Bought the rebuild from CarSteering.com. Leaking for a mostly unscrewed part near spliine. Can I tighten this ? I just don't want to screw anything up

Can I tighten the screw thing to stop the leak? That's where its coming from

 

I wouldn't turn that, it looks like that changes pinion depth or backlash and you wouldn't want to change that on a rebuilt rack. That said, it looks like there is another drip from higher up in the pic, indicating that the leak is from a source higher than the pinion adjustment. I would investigate more closely. Maybe dry it off and take a video of it as you start the car, from above too if possible.

 

My mechanic just showed me the leak with the car up (which is a bad gasket on the flange). He said that he can do that and has done that multiple times. What he hasnt seen is an allen screw adjacent to the flange. See yellow highlight. He can remove the flange and replace the gasket. Does anyone know what the allen screw is and what its purpose is?

 

I agree with slofut. Do NOT turn that preload adjuster. Really clean that area, start the engine, and look again to see for sure where the fluid is coming from. The lines to and from the pump on the rack have to be REALLY tight not to leak, based on past experience. There are supposed to be cone-shaped copper seals in the pressure and return ports on the rack to make sealing easier, but sometimes they are missing.
Jon

 

Deleted. See below.

 

That makes sense. Thanks

 

The allen screw that is highlighted in your link is a "grub" screw that holds the pinion housing and rack tube together, don't remove it unless you are going to overhaul the unit. The small hex-head cap screw in the center of the large adjusting nut (in the middle of the flange) is removed to insert an appropriate sized rod to engage a notch in the rack rod. This centers the steering for alignments. There shouldn't be any oil under the large adjuster nut, if so, a seal has probably been damaged on the end of the rack tube. I can no longer send pictures, but if you can find someone with a shop manual, Section 10, Pg 57-11 shows what I'm talking about. If you are concerned about a warrantee, call the vendor and see what they say.

Dave

 

I have a call/message to the company that did the rebuild. But can the gasket on that flange simply fail. And by changing the gasket, fix the problem?

 

My bad, he's correct. My typing got ahead of my brain. I should have noticed the allen screw was staked in place.

Jon

 

I don't remember a gasket behind the flange, but it's been a few years since I overhauled mine. The flange/adjusting nut is not designed to hold back oil pressure, as would be inside the other part of the pinion housing and rack tube. If there is a gasket behind the flange, replacing it might be the solution.

There is a member (Jose) who has a website with the Shop Manual and other helpful info. It's free to look at and I believe you can down load it also.
https://jagupgrades.yourwebsitespace.com/

Dave

 

Dave,
my free manual does not cover changes in the 1986 or 1987 XJ models, it's good until the 1985 model/year.
However, you can download the sections to see if anything changed.

 

Jose -- great resource, Looking at everything, I'm pessimistic. There's a seal under the flange, but no gasket from what i can tell. I'm thinking the rack will have to be removed to fix it, in which case the least expensive move is to send it back for a replacement build. Since I bought it directly, I'll have to pay for the labor and realignment again. Arghh. Does anyone else see a better solution? I'm in Northern Cal. My mechanic says the leak is from the flange. He had someone in the car turning the wheel while it was raised up with him below.

 

Then I suspect the leak is actually from an o-ring in that area as I think that flange is just a retainer and does not provide any sort of seal. Pretty sure there is no gasket there but i could be wrong, it's been a while.

 

usually happens with remanufactured parts.
Tell the company you bought it from that it is leaking, not acceptable. They are supposed to pressure-test their rebuilds.

Happened to me when I replaced my rack years ago, I was sent a leaker. They sent another one that is still good today.