how to buy a used ( rack and pinion ) ?

[ACCORD EX]

i am going to the junk yard next week ! so i was wondering , what to check in a rack and pinion when you buy it used !

thanx a lot !

MIKE

[YK86]

Check the boots, make sure nothing is ripped or leaking.

[AZmike]

You could save some money buying one from a salvage yard, but you have no idea what condition the seals and control valves are in. Even if the boots are still good (none like that arond here) the seals could have dried up and cracked while the car was sitting unused. Call around to your local import parts shops and see what a rebuilt rack would cost. The best deal I found was $132 with a $25 core for an orignal rack rebuilt by Crown: new boots, air hose, seals, and lifetime warranty. Of course that was after I already got mine for $140 with a $30 fee.

It's so much work to put one in you would want to get something that you probably won't have to pull out again any time soon (hopefully ever).

[ACCORD EX]

yes you are right ! but i won't get one to put it on ! i'll use the best parts of the 2 to get the best result i can !

MIKE

[rocky2]

Sometimes Boneyard parts are not a good cost effective option. Like front wheel drive axle shafts. Boneyard wants $40 and Auto zone wants $65, I would go with autozone.

If the rack was say $40 and Autozone wanted $250 then boneyards okay.

Maybe if you do get one from the bone yard ....hook it up to ps hoses on outside of 3-g temporaly to see if it moves.like laying on front bumper.
Smell power steering fliud is a good way of checking besides what has been mentioned.

[POS carb]

i dunno, I think parts for 3rd gens are harder to find out there, right?

[offthahook]

I agree 100% with the new purchase guys. I'm all about used parts (esp. body parts). But sometimes those mechanical parts sit in the sun, rain, snow, etc for YEARS. If it's a simple part that Honda wants a lot for (PW motors, etc), then used will normally be okay. But if it is a lot of time to get out and it is very important, then new/rebuilt is the only way to go. The guys at the yard will even tell you that. Your hybrid idea would be tough to do right...

[Jareds 89 LX-i]

I agree with offthehook....used parts are great but there's just some stuff that isn't wise to buy used, especially when it's something really hard to work on. Body parts, interior parts, switches, etc, the junkyard is GREAT! But p/s racks, brake master cylinders, a/c compressors, and some other stuff, I would always buy new or rebuilt. I need a new starter and I was thinking about just going to the junkyard, but I decided to get a new reman'd one so I won't have to worry about getting stranded or anything for another 300k miles (assuming it will last as long as my current original one, which does still work, lol).

Just my $0.02 also

[ACCORD EX]

i totally agrere guys ! but sometimes i can't find the new stuff here ( i am currently livng in egypt ) !

MIKE

[offthahook]

Originally posted by ACCORD EX
i totally agrere guys ! but sometimes i can't find the new stuff here ( i am currently livng in egypt ) !

MIKE

Oops. Didn't know that. Will mail order companies in the states ship there or would it be too $$$ to ship it?

[AZmike]

I know that NOPI carries remanufactured Crown racks, but I don't know what it would run to ship it to Egypt. They also sell a reseal kit for $60. If you have time you might be able to reseal the rack you have now (car not usable for 2 days min.). The factory manual shows some special tools, but you might be able to get by without them. Hopefully it's not the control valve that's causing your rack to leak because of excessive pressure, just worn seals.

[AZ89Accord]

I bought a reman rack and pinion for my 89 Accord LX for $ 135 dls at Checkers. Lifetime warranty. I installed it myself after I was told by my mechanic that it was going to cost me $700 dls.

Including the alignment, my total cost was $ 210 dls.

[AZmike]

I did the same job just a few months ago. Who did you have do your alignment? I eyeballed it and it has been working pretty well, but I'm planing on getting new tires soon so I figured it was a good idea. So far Beaudry Honda has the best price at $50.

Where in Tucson are you?

[AZ89Accord]

Hey mike, I got my alignment done at Firestone tires, they are at Kolb and Speedway. Decent service, may have been a little too expensive for a 4 Wheel alignment $65. Good guys.

I live near Speedway and Harrison, on the East side of town.

Where are you at?

[AZmike]

I'm near the university: Speedway and Tucson Blvd. $65 isn't too bad, but I'm cheap and have had good experience at that dealer in the past so I'll probably end up there.