The photos below are a badly rusted Toyota HiLux Power Steering Rack Shaft.
Rust is the largest issue faced with the sealing of the power steering fluid. Some manufactures do not install enough lubrication inside the rack boots and over time the rack shafts rusts. Once the rust has damaged the shaft, the rack shaft seals cannot retain the fluid and the steering rack will leak. In most cases this can be prevented by removing the rack boots and installing some grease to lubricate the shaft to prevent any rust from forming.
Other problems with steering racks are wear and tear on the rack shaft and pinion teeth area. As the steering rack is out of sight and out of mind the steering rack is generally not looked at until it has major issues. Issues like free-play due to worn teeth areas or free-play in the inner rack ends due to misuse, excessive use or lack of maintenance on the vehicle.
In the cases of worn teeth areas the only way to rectify this is to replace the hard parts i.e. the main rack shaft and the pinion, this is very costly, so to help save your money we recommend that your steering system is inspected by your mechanic at each service, this preventive maintenance will insure that the system functions correctly for as long as possible and this will save you money in the long run.
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