Steering rack support

silverkk · **Joined:** Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:27 pm **Posts:** 637

Here's a brace reinforcement for our week steering racks

http://www.ultimatepowersteering.com.au ... -04-12-07/

mawlkrawler · **Posted:** Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:42 pm

Nice find! Anyone had any trouble with their steering rack and replaced it?

Sent from my iPhone

JeepMonkey190 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:56 pm

I have been thinking about making these brackets

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

Some has had promblems with rack breaking at the mounts.

Sent with the power of children's screams!!!

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2014 10:50 am

Apparently a lot of Aussie guys go through them. It's been posted on the Cherokee forums.

carlosburitica · **Joined:** Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:07 pm **Posts:** 309

mawlkrawler wrote:

Nice find! Anyone had any trouble with their steering rack and replaced it?

Sent from my iPhone

I changed two in less than a year

Texasrugby911 · **Joined:** Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:18 pm **Posts:** 196

I know JeepnCrowd went through one as well, maybe he'll chime in about his experiences.

JeepMonkey190 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2014 9:01 pm

carlosburitica wrote:

mawlkrawler wrote:

Nice find! Anyone had any trouble with their steering rack and replaced it?

Sent from my iPhone

I changed two in less than a year

Were these replaced under powertrain warranty by chance?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2014 9:32 pm

Sadly that mount will not prevent the R&P mounts from cracking/breaking.Just insures the bolts to last longer and sorry if you shear one of those monster M16 bolts broken rack mounts will be the least of your worries.

carlosburitica · **Joined:** Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:07 pm **Posts:** 309

JeepMonkey190 wrote:

carlosburitica wrote:

mawlkrawler wrote:

Nice find! Anyone had any trouble with their steering rack and replaced it?

Sent from my iPhone

I changed two in less than a year

Were these replaced under powertrain warranty by chance?

yes both replaced under warranty, second time the pump was replaced as well.
still don't know 100% the reason of rack failure.

JeepMonkey190 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 10, 2014 12:58 am

Well at least they cover it, oh and I forgot to ask it was after you lifted it right????

And how do you know when it fails do you lose all steering or what?

Mikzor · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:28 pm **Posts:** 64

I blew an inner seal in my power steering rack back in April whilst out 4wding. I knew it had happened because one minute I had steering and the next I could barely steer. Sadly I knew instantly what I'd done since my other friends with KKs have both done it too. Jeep replaced it under warranty without any hassle... very thankful to them for that.

I now have that bracket installed on my KK and whilst I don't think it will 100% prevent blowing a seal I do think it will help since it should re-enforce the rack and help stop it flexing so much like it currently does and possibly stop it popping the inner seals.

What I believe it will really help prevent is this by helping to distribute that load a bit more....

This is my fiends and it has happened to both of them with the mounts completely snapping whilst off-road.

JeepMonkey190 · **Posted:** Thu Jul 10, 2014 10:09 am

I would love to get my hands on this CAD, so I can start making these.

Mikzor does it mount from the front or the back of the steering rack?

Livewildcard · **Joined:** Tue Jul 08, 2014 8:02 am **Posts:** 10

I just purchased one will see what its like etc when it arrives soon!

DirtyKK · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2014 4:35 am

I broke two exactly how Mikzor has pictured. It is caused by the tie rod end hitting the sway bar while the axle is drooping and causing the entire rack to deflect. All that's stress goes to the two mount bolts and the one on the passenger side is the weakest. It's much worse on it while steering left or right when the wheel is flexed out. I reinforced the first one I replaced and after the second broke I quit off roading.

JeepMonkey190 · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2014 11:25 am

DirtyKK wrote:

I broke two exactly how Mikzor has pictured. It is caused by the tie rod end hitting the sway bar while the axle is drooping and causing the entire rack to deflect. All that's stress goes to the two mount bolts and the one on the passenger side is the weakest. It's much worse on it while steering left or right when the wheel is flexed out. I reinforced the first one I replaced and after the second broke I quit off roading.

So disconnecting the sway bar should help take some stress off of it then?

KKnut · **Posted:** Fri Jul 11, 2014 8:46 pm

[/quote]So disconnecting the sway bar should help take some stress off of it then?[/quote]

IMO I'd say that would invite more problems.

I brought this subject up in the tech section a while back (March 2014):
viewtopic.php?t=39022#p826302

Although I expect the bracket to strengthen the rack mounting, Mik & I agree that it doesn't resolve the weakness of the design. If only the rack manufacturer had left more meat on the saddles where they secure to the bolts we probably wouldn't be discussing this.

It's great to see aftermarket products being made for our KK's and in return believe we should support the suppliers that have made this low / unprofitable effort to develop these products. P.S. Anyone that thinks its cool to copy for resale without doing their own design work deserves to be copied in return or worse as such acts only discourage future product development. [IMP]

carlosburitica · **Joined:** Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:07 pm **Posts:** 309

JeepMonkey190 wrote:

Well at least they cover it, oh and I forgot to ask it was after you lifted it right????

And how do you know when it fails do you lose all steering or what?

after lifted and both the same way
1st time left my car at the airport for three days i cam back and steering has hard like a rock. i look inside and down the car and no leaks...... drove the car to the dealer when i got there it was leaking
2nd time i parked the car at work for 8 hours and when i was ready to go home tuned the car on and steering was hard but not completely hard, work is 3/4 mile from dealer, on my way there i heard a powwww and when i got to the dealer steering fluid was all over the passengers side control arms, uca, wheel and tire.

i didn't as much but a friend that used to work for Chrysler told me the that a lot of cars have the same issue and the problem is that the steering using atf4 blow out seals when the get clogged pieces from with dried hoses or from the radiator

second time they replaced the steering pump as well

JeepMorrison · **Joined:** Thu Jul 16, 2009 11:34 am **Posts:** 1236

KKnut wrote:

P.S. Anyone that thinks its cool to copy for resale without doing their own design work deserves to be copied in return or worse as such acts only discourage future product development. [IMP]

So what your telling me is I cant make these and sell for half the price to my buds with out being shunned??

Thats non sense, do they have a patent on their design? Anything I make has my design in it and is gonna be different in some way. This is a piece of metal with holes in it for crying out loud, im gonna make some!!!

Sent with the power of children's screams!!!

JeepMonkey190 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 12, 2014 6:15 pm

4x4kayak2112 wrote:

KKnut wrote:

P.S. Anyone that thinks its cool to copy for resale without doing their own design work deserves to be copied in return or worse as such acts only discourage future product development. [IMP]

So what your telling me is I cant make these and sell for half the price to my buds with out being shunned??

Thats non sense, do they have a patent on their design? Anything I make has my design in it and is gonna be different in some way. This is a piece of metal with holes in it for crying out loud, im gonna make some!!!

Sent with the power of children's screams!!!

Let me know when you do be a use I want one for sure

Steering rack support

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