A defective steering rack or power steering pump is never a pleasant experience for the car owner, but the repairs that need to be done can soon turn out to be even more extensive if the mechanic does not remember to clean the hydraulic system when installing the new power steering pump or steering rack. A new spare part in an unclean servo system can lead to undesirable wear of the servo system components, and in the worst case scenario they may be damaged after a short time.
"A servo system will over time be naturally contaminated. Small amounts of wear particles, e.g. small pieces of plastic, rubber and metal, accumulate in the hydraulic oil, and are thus taken through the servo system causing and accelerating wear on e.g. seals", says Troels Madsen, Product Coordinator at Triscan. He continues, "The filter in the oil tank can also become clogged, and these impurities are most effectively removed by performing a cleaning of the hydraulic system:
- Tap the existing fluid
- Clean the system for remnants of the old fluid and other contaminats *
- Fill up with the new fluid
* (this can be done with a machine designed for that purpose)
The above method is recommended in cases where the amount of impurities is small. If there has been severe damage to either the steering rack or the power steering pump, it is recommended to follow a different - and more comprehensive - procedure, which you can read more about here.
After cleaning the car's power steering system, the best conditions are created to ensure a long life of the new steering rack or power steering pump.
Remember that you can buy steering racks and power steering pumps of OE quality at Triscan – and also electric power steering pumps and steering rack kits, among others for Ford, Opel, Skoda, Seat and VW. Most power steering pumps and steering racks from Triscan are factory remanufactured and are part of an exchange system, and they meet all the requirements set up by the car manufacturers. All parts can be ordered over Triscan’s TriWeb.