400SE Power Steering Rack Wanted.

[Lean Machine]

After eliminating just about everything, we've come to the conclusion that the rack must be faulty. Though it works well, it is harder to steer one direction than the other. This may not bother a lot of people, but it bothers me. To have the existing one reconditioned, my man quoted £300.00 plus £200.00 to fit. This seems a lot to me and I am looking for alternatives. Any sensible ideas would be most welcome.

Tony. TCB.

[adam quantrill]

You should be able to do much better than that.

In the mean time have you tried this - put a few drops of neat washing-up liquid on the belt. It will cut through the grease in case the belt is slipping.

[Lean Machine]

adam quantrill said:

You should be able to do much better than that.

In the mean time have you tried this - put a few drops of neat washing-up liquid on the belt. It will cut through the grease in case the belt is slipping.

Belts are both new and definitely not slipping, and if it were, the result would be the same for either direction.

Tony. TCB.

[Wedg1e]

TWO HUNDRED QUID to tighten a few bolts and fit two hoses? Christ on a unisex unicycle, I'd fit the rack and get Dix to give you a blow job for that!

But then we're northern monkeys, we're used to working for peanuts...

[Lean Machine]

Wedg1e said:

we're used to working for peanuts...

From my experience, when you pay peanuts you get monkeys. Here in London, skilled labour costs money. These guys are qualified and experienced engineers. I wouldn't put my Wedge in the hands of just anybody. I am happy with the fitting costs, it's the rack itself that seems a little over the top. Having said that, in reality, I have been searching high and low for a reconditioned rack and the prices don't seem far off £300.00

Tony. TCB.

[SLB]

I went through a simialr experience in January with my '89 350i. The rack had been playing-up for years and least years MOT meant I had to get it done. Costs of £245 + couriers for a re-furb meant I took a risk on a guy selling "good" second hand units from Cortina Mk4 / 5's over in Essex. I went to see the two he had left and compared them to one I had removed - exactly the same, so I plumped for a cleaned-up old one for £150. I had to switch the gaiters but inside all the grease was new so I think I ended-up with an unused older refurbished one. It works fine but maybe I was lucky. Changing it was a pain in the neck and took ages. I had to remove the front anti-roll bar and geting the steering UJ's back on was awkward, so I would expect to have to pay a fair amount for a garage to do it.

I've ended-up with a spare rack but it's not in good condition, could be useful for spares though. Steve.

Edited by SLB on Wednesday 2nd May 12:53

[Wedg1e]

Lean Machine said:

From my experience, when you pay peanuts you get monkeys.

I my experience, far too many TVR owners would rather pay monkey rates and quite often the cars - and later owners - suffer as a result

Then there's the owners who are little more than monkeys themselves when it comes to spanners...

[adam quantrill]

Is that a dig at chimpandbkfrolicks and friends or, hang on, I feel a bit errr, oohh ooh ohhh ah ah ah ah eeeh eehh eeeeh eeehhhh eeeehhhh!!!

[Wedg1e]

adam quantrill said:

Is that a dig at chimpandbkfrolicks and friends or, hang on, I feel a bit errr, oohh ooh ohhh ah ah ah ah eeeh eehh eeeeh eeehhhh eeeehhhh!!!

No, it was a dig at some (not all) people who want an 'exotic' sports car but haven't the technical ability to fix it themselves so opt to pay others (which is fair enough)... but when confronted with the 'going rate' of a specialist they use back-street Billy whose bodges are usually only uncovered by the next owner.
That said, I have receipts from so-called TVR specialists in the history file for my car who should be bloody ashamed to be charging for the 'work' they've done...

[Lean Machine]

We are not all born, naturally gifted, grease monkeys, and so, I only tackle jobs that I clearly understand. After all, we must understand a problem, before we can find the solution. Anything beyond that, I use wallet power and make sure the job is assigned to someone with a proven record. Yes, previous botched jobs have been uncovered by the previous owners on occasions, but that's a risk you take when buying a second hand car, especially an 'exotic' one.

Tony, TCB.