windstar bumsteer
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From: cincinnati hamilton
windstar bumsteer
hey guys, i recently took my wife's windstar in for a pre-vacation checkup. the garage said the steering rack was leaking, and recommended replacing the whole thing. he said ford has a "problem" with them. anyone heard of that? cost of part approx. 300$ .labor to do it approx 400$ it has 74 thousand miles on it. seems way early for seals to fail, can't the seals be redone? its been growling when we turn it for awhile, i guess i got used to it. i did put some fluid in it several months ago, then sorta forgot about it. its not so much that you can see it on the driveway or anything. leaking in ohio, 
rick
rick
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From: Washington state
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From: cincinnati hamilton
sorry,i know, i'm out of the aerostar platform here,just looking for a little help. thought you guys might have a thought or two. i had a 91 aerostar for a while and always got great info here....any way, rock on!!
rick, (previous owner of "the green bean" 1991 aerostar xl ext. got 217,700 miles or so before we parted ways, still sorely missed,especially as i try to load all my kids and wifes stuff in the windstar ouch!! )
rick, (previous owner of "the green bean" 1991 aerostar xl ext. got 217,700 miles or so before we parted ways, still sorely missed,especially as i try to load all my kids and wifes stuff in the windstar ouch!! )
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From: staten island
First of all it is usually a lot easier and cheaper in the long run for a shop to replace the rack than to take it down, redo the seals and put it back up. The actual leak is a tough call. Many of us have had small leaks that have lasted for years. Adding a bit of fluid every few months may not be so bad, however if the car is making noise on a turn and has CV joints, that needs to be attended to. Racks tend to run near 300 bucks for the part.
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From: cincinnati hamilton
well,my wife finally tells me that she also had power steering fluid added to it several weeks ago when she had some brake work done. i figured its been leaking more than i thought. so,i went ahead with the replacement at the local garage, they treat me better than the dealer. it was covered by the used car warranty i purchased from the honda dealer i bought the van from last year. ford dealership doesn't like to play with them... now its smooth as silk, no noise at all. i guess i kinda got used to the low growl. cost me 100$ and some change out the door. not a bad deal considering the prices we've talked about. thanks guys rick
rick
