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User avatar
By butcher
#3865436
Hi all,

After selling my beloved 2002 EP3 in 2011 to buy my house i have now managed to buy another EP3 -2004 cosmic :D ! I bought the car with couple of minor faults which i don't mind as its very clean. One fault which i was hoping would be an easy fix is the sticky steering most noticeable at speed.

It feels sticky and i have to constantly make minor adjustments which is very annoying, especially on a motorway. I know the EP3 suffers with a crap rack so i thought ill get another rack and fit it no problem. I managed to get hold of a clean rack with 90 days warranty , put it on and to my disappointment its still the same. I know the tracking will need to be checked again but its exactly the same so i cant see that helping at the moment.

Im struggling to see that i have 2 racks with the exact same problem although it is possible. I am mechanically minded but cant seem to figure this out. Iv also had my local workshop look at it and they also agreed its a fault with the steering rack ( that was before iv put in the new rack). I would rather find the problem rather than keep putting in second hand racks. Is this a problem with the steering ECU? Can the rack be Reset? Should i be taking it to a specialist?

Im hoping someone can point me in the right direction or recommend someone who can help. Im located in Brentwood, Essex.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
User avatar
By Lewisgame
#3865437
The racks can get internally dry with grease and get stiff. A second hand steering rack has probably been sitting for a long time and probably has similar faults... I’ve experienced before and bought a second hand steering rack that was worse than the one fitted.
Wheel alignment will have an effect on the steering feel. Also if there’s any play or seizing ball joints this can also contribute to your fault.


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User avatar
By parsimony
#3865439
My rack was like this when the car was brand new but the effect wore off after a few weeks.
User avatar
By butcher
#3865643
Just to update in case anyone else has this problem which i suspect they do as iv had the same problem with 2 racks. !!!!!!This problem is why your steering will not self centre!!!! ( if your tracking is all good and everything else has been checked)

The problem is the worm gear and nylon gear within the rack not engaging correctly due to wear and tear. Parts are not available to repair it so it is just a case of testing racks at a breakers yard to finding one thats OK. i will explain how.....

Find a rack and take off the motor assist 2 x 12mm socket bolts

Find a way of gripping the column part of the rack so it can be turned left to right ( I used a set of mole-grips with a cloth). The reason the motor needs to come off is because it dampens the feel of the notchyness to the point it cant be felt.

If its shagged then it will feel really notchy, like two gears not engaging correctly.

If its good then it will feel a hell of alot smoother, you will still feel the gears turning on each other but nothing like as bad.

I used this method to find a decent rack, fully stripped and serviced the rack and to my delight its worked a treat. ( stripping and re-greasing worm gear etc on a bad rack will not cure this problem, if its notchy the best thing to do take it outside and smash it up with a sledge hammer)

TIP - dont turn the wheel once the rack is removed like i did to test is anything in the column was shagged unless you put is back exactly where it started, this breaks the wires in the clock spring behind the steering wheel...live and learn, easy fix.

Problems with these racks seems to be very common so hopefully this will help a few people.

Long time ago I had and Ep3 for 220k kilometers in[…]