Hi,
Need some advice. Just had my mechanic do a complete once-over on my 2000 XK8. Among other faults, he said my rack and pinion steering is leaking, as well as the power steering pump, and it all needs to be replaced. It's been leaking big-time, no doubt...I've seen it myself. Have to add more PS fluid just about every time I drive it at all. If I replaced everything with genuine Jag parts, it's estimated to be around $4k-$5k...insane!!! However, Ebay, Parts Geek, etc....are all full of remanufactured or refurbished racks and pumps that claim to fit, and range from $175 - $500 (not counting a new PS pump). Are these reman/refurbs any good, or just a waste of $$$$$? The cheapest ones seem to be "Marval"(?), and the most expensive are made by Bosch. Has anyone ever replaced a bad rack with any of the remans/refurbs, and do they work?
Steve

 

To my knowledge, the weak/aging part is the hose on the high pressure output of the pump, sort of on top of the alternator. There is a Norma connector (that helped Jaguar at the time of assembly) that fails and is now hard/expensive to locate. Most on this forum replace it with a set of barb fittings from the plumbing section of the hardware store plus the suitable worm clamp instead. I would start there and see if it stops leaking before committing to a lot of additional parts.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

^^ What he said. It is a $10 fix for a good-quality brass barb and a short section of new hose. You completely eliminate that lousy plastic Norma connector from the system. This fix 100% solved my leaking power steering fluid issue several years ago....

 

You identified what seems to be a common problem on our aging XK8 steering systems...the leaking seals of either the PAS pump or the HIGH PRESSURE connection and/or the "O" ring seal. However, you and the next member posted repair info about the LOW pressure connector.

I have been scouring these threads for weeks to Get a good "grip" (no pun intended) on the removal of the flare or line nut on the HIGH pressure line-to-pump connection. I've tried all the things I have read about and NONE of them have worked to break that nut loose. 5/8" stubby, brake line tool, etc. I have not tried a crows foot, but I cannot imagine getting enough torque on the long shaft it would take to break it loose without rounding the edges of the nut or twisting the lone itself. This cannot be by design.

So, given that many of the thread starters don't report back with their exact method for R&R, is there some DETAILED SOURCE for doing this frustrating step???

FINALLY!

My son placed a 1/2" X 36" round breaker bar against the a/c pulley and gave the 5/8" stubby a little push. The nut FINALLY broke loose. That's way over the top for normal maintenance.

We have been searching for an "O" ring seal. So far, not finding one on the line connection or up in the pump with a small pick. All the replacements I see for sale have an "O" ring at the end. So....hmmmmmmmmm.....I guess removal of the pump has once again become mandatory.

I would rather keep this original HP line with the 90 degree bend. The newer lines/fittings look even harder to line up and start threading in.

Anyway, "good" for now.

Ken