[wgcc1994]

Driving my 2006 Brera 3.2 Q4 to work yesteday and noticed a very loud noise when steering, checked the power steering fluid and it was virtually empty! Discovered where the leak is coming from and took a few pictures. Does anyway know the best fix for this or what it is? Have heard so many things ranging from whole new steering racks to just replacing tie rods or seals.

Any help appreciated!

 

[JON156VELOCE]

I'm afraid that the seals have been damaged by wear or rust inside the steering rack and you will need a new steering rack.
Same thing happened to my car a few years ago, be wary of places offering cheap recon racks, they will usually need your rack to recon and often due to the rack bar rusting when they receive it they will be unable to recon it.
I got my rack from a company called Kelly bray steering who at the time had some new racks.

http://www.kellybraysteering.co.uk/pages/alfa_romeo_16725.cfm

You should also change the fluid to the correct green Tutela GI-R

 

[shug]

Definitely needing a new rack
Got mine done at Mclennans just before Christmas,no where near you i know but just for comparison it was around £600.
Shug

 

[IAMBRERA]

Judging by the colour of the fluid, it looks like rusty fluid. Someone has fitted jubilee clips. There not the ones supplied in the rack-end gaiter kits. When did you buy the car? It looks like it was known of before fitting those clips on the gaiters.

Also the inside edge of your tyre looks like there's excessive wear. Before it made the noise & leaked, was it pulling to one side with the steering wheel off set

 

[wgcc1994]

Bought the car in November last year. Yeah now you mention it the wheel was quite a lot offset before this happened.

 

[wgcc1994]

At what age or mileage has this happened to others? mine is a 2006 model with 81k miles.

 

[IAMBRERA]

It's more of a case of how the cars been looked after. Not it's age. The reason i asked when you bought the car is? Because it looked like ( in this case ) the previous keeper must of been aware of the seals had gone. They must have had them bodged by resealing them, then strected the gaitor over the evidence, which lasted untill the cold icey weather burst it all again.

If the car gets driven in bad weather i.e salted roads eccess water spray, the PAS rack can corrode at the ends & burst it's seals.
I will add it's nothing to do with red PAS fluid, and you need new tyres plus wheel alingment. You maybe even have some suspenion problem. Does it knock or creak at all?

 

[JON156VELOCE]

It is a poor design.There doesnt seem to be a connecting vent between either side to allow the air inside to move when the gaitors are collapsed and expanded with the steering so they are drawing in moisture which over time causes corrosion on the steel rack bar which damages the seals.
I had a new rack about 18 months ago and when I serviced it a few months ago I pulled back the gaitors to check and there was a fair bit of water in the gaitors already, I painted the rack bar with pas fluid to try to stop it from rusting and will be checking it again next service.

 

[IAMBRERA]

It is a poor design.There doesnt seem to be a connecting vent between either side to allow the air inside to move when the gaitors are collapsed and expanded with the steering so they are drawing in moisture which over time causes corrosion on the steel rack bar which damages the seals.
I had a new rack about 18 months ago and when I serviced it a few months ago I pulled back the gaitors to check and there was a fair bit of water in the gaitors already, I painted the rack bar with pas fluid to try to stop it from rusting and will be checking it again next service.

Is there anything like wax-oil that will help this? Or is it just best off every spring time, check and clean the sealed edges of the PAS rack it's self?

 

[wgcc1994]

No knocking noises or anything at all. Having the rack replaced next week with new track rod ends and tutela gi r green fluid. Tracking will be done as well. Hopefully this solves everything!