How the exhaust system can damage the steering. Repair of the Subaru Outback steering rack

A car is a well-coordinated mechanism, the creation of which usually involves a huge team of people: designers, technologists, mechanics, testers. In this mechanism, there are no unnecessary components and parts, each part has its own specific function and is connected with others. Removing one part, even the most insignificant, in the opinion of the owner or mechanic, will certainly affect the performance of others - sometimes in the most unexpected way.

Repairing a Subaru steering rack with power steering

The owner of a 2006 Subaru Outback with a 2.5-litre engine contacted us. At first glance, the problem was simple: the steering rack was leaking from under the tie rod dust cover. This happens quite often: the corrugated rubber part loses its tightness (most often at the fold bend), dirt, sand and moisture from the road get inside, forming an emulsion that causes corrosion of the tie rod.

The corroded rod ceases to be smooth and tears the gland at the entrance to the hydraulic rail housing. This is where the liquid begins to flow. As a rule, the problem is noticed already at the final stage, by red oil stains under the car - before that, damage to the anther is difficult to notice if you do not specifically engage in diagnostics.

In this Subaru, everything happened approximately like this, but with certain nuances. Firstly, the steering rack was repaired here quite recently. It was done not by us, but by our colleagues, or, according to the client, competitors. Since the initial symptoms were exactly the same, and very little time had passed since the repair, he lost confidence in them and turned to us.

And secondly, despite the fact that the leaks and corrosion were the same as always, the situation with the dust collector could not be called ordinary. Yes, it was leaking, but it was not soft, but stiffened and lost its elasticity. The plastic clamp that held it tightly stuck to it, and they had to be cut off together. It felt like someone had used a huge heat shrink.

The version of high temperature exposure was confirmed. The fact is that this Outback, like the vast majority of Subaru cars, has an opposed engine (in which the pistons run parallel to the ground) with two block heads, each of which has its own exhaust outlet. And each of the two exhaust pipes passes literally a couple of centimetres from the rail dusters. No wonder the rubber covers are constantly overheating and cracking.

In general, the manufacturer originally provided special metal shields, but when the customer recently had problems with the catalyst, the mechanics removed them both. And this was at the beginning of the exhaust system, where the temperature of the gases reaches 1000°C! From that moment on, there were constant problems with the tightness of the rail.

During the dismantling of the exhaust system, which is mandatory for the removal and repair of the steering rack, we discovered that the screens were not the only «extra» parts that disappeared during the repair of the exhaust system. The metal gaskets of the intake pipe were also missing, and sealant had been applied instead.

We did our job: the steering rack was repaired using the repair kit and reinstalled. However, we could not solve the problem of temperature damage to the rack, as the necessary protective shields were missing. The client was offered to fix the fault himself, possibly using heat-resistant tape or other similar methods, or better yet, by installing standard protective shields. In the absence of thermal insulation, we cannot guarantee either our work or the rail.

Conclusions

In order for a car to work smoothly, it is necessary that all parts are in place. Even those that are not very important at first glance. The fact that the repair was made recently does not mean that the problem will not return, so it is very important to constantly monitor the condition of the car, carry out maintenance and diagnostics in time.

To top it all off, all summer long, until the end of August 2024, there is a unique promotion from STS.Parts - free steering diagnostics. We hope you haven't forgotten: we provide a six-month warranty for all hydraulic, mechanical and electric steering racks we repair - six months from the date of sale, but no more than 20 thousand kilometres.

STS.Parts is a guarantee of the serviceability of your car and your safety!