My rack and pinion and power steering pump died out, and instead of paying $500 for the rack and $300 for the pump to be installed I did it myself..Pump was …
Installing a new Rack and Pinion 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan
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The wife and I are thinking about purchasing a 2007 GC and while
researching common issues, the sh!tty steering rack seemed to be one of the
most common.
Thanks for posting this. Looks pretty easy, so I won’t really worry too
much about that issue 🙂 
there was
Look as though from video there was no transmission in vehicle. Yes/No?
Thanks.
no im sorry I dont
Hey thanks for the video. Do you know the size of the roll pin that goes
inside the steering shaft? Thanks!
I have no Idea. Might be easy
How difficult would these be in a 1998 rav4?
2 hours with video recording it
I’m having a big problem to remove 1 bolt which i have no space for a
wrench to hold the nut, i believe is a 13/16 and i can’t find a crowfoot
wrench with that size without buying online. Any suggestions how to remove
that bolt?
how long did this take you
the rack will always be centered. they are rebuilt that way. always make
sure steering wheel is centered. i did the tie rods last
question though , when you connected the column back up did you wait till
the tie-rods were connected and wheels centered ?
Devon, The rack was leaking very bad out the passenger side boot. inner tie
rods were shot, and the unit itself was old. for the price I payed for a
remanufactured one it was worth it
Ps u need a new screwdriver bro. That thing was rusted to sh%t.
I’m gonna tackle this tomorrow, any problems or tips getting the roll pin
back in? Wish me luck!
avesher was just quoting something I said lol
where are you located? ill buy it
You should break the tie rod end nuts loose while they are still attached
the the vehicle so. You won’t struggle with it while there off the car
Yes, Clockspring..remember dont turn the wheel a million times.. Or you
will be replacing that thing I couldnt find the word for in my video lol..
what you ahve in the video is just a steering rack not a rack and pinion. A
rack and pinion is used on heavy duty vehicals. like f250. f350 or 2500 and
3500. The rack and pinion is used when more strenght is required in the
steering.
Just wondering have you ever changed the inner tie rods? I’ve just bought a
98 Grand Voyager and the outer tie rod ends have a little too much wear,
but I noted the inner’s have a little play also so figured I’d replace them
all. but I am hoping that it cam be done without removing the rack. Great
vids by-the-way!
buy a air bag suspension kt with a controler
No problem. Im making new Caravan Videos soon so subscribe!. have a great
day
I do all my own work except for when I get lazy or simply don’t have the
equipment. I used to work in the trade many years ago and have done just
about everything one could do on a car including bodywork. Having said
that, hats off to you for doing this on the side of the road. Lol! I found
this job to be a real witch. I got the rack out without removing the
cradle, but removed the cradle before installing the new rack. WAY easier.
Thanks again for the vid.
Thanks! The bleeping shop wanted to charge 8 labor hours to do this! Plus
200% markup on parts . total of $1150!!! I think I’ll spend a few hours in
the cold doing it myself instead!
Your welcome, I hope my computer can help
great, nice to hear you did it on your own. and be sure to get that pin back
Anything is possible. One thing I HATE is when people Say you CAN’T Do
something. Just about everything Automotive that Technicians have told me
NOT to do, and Cant be done has been done. Without any issue…There’s One
thing where the word Can’t Can come into play in my book. And that’s Time
Travel. If the word Cant was lifted from that, I would go back in time and
Change a couple of things..But wouldnt we all.. Good luck.
Great job, I’m glad you posted the video, thanks for showing us.
Is it really necessary to change this ASAP…?
With my health problems, there’s no-way I could do this pain in the ass job
myself. When I was a lot younger, maybe, but not now. Fuck it, I’ll junk my
damn van because they’re all junk anyway.
The cradle that you loosened up… Does it actually support anything? I am
working on my sway bar bushings and the passenger side was easy but that
drivers side is not so accessible… Looks like I might need to loosen mine
as well… Just don’t want crap falling on me unexpectedly… Any advice?
And great job! Very informative!
@soar233 you would probably have to do one if you moved the steering wheel
out of its original position while the rack was disengaged from the
steering column.. if you keept he steering wheel in place during the rack
replacement its fine.. you dont need to reset the clock spring…do
yourself a favor.. throw that haynes book away, and go on ebay and get
yourself a shop manual ..clear direct directions for your specific car
Great Video. I’ve done a lot of rack and pinion replacements but my caravan
has shown to be difficult in many repairs. I really like how you related
easier ways to get them out. Thanks from all us shade tree mechanics!!!!!
Hey you have a rack and pinion just like my dodge dakota and i just noticed
today that im loseing a lot of power steering fluid in a spot where those
plastic covers cover the tie rod bar so i guess that would be the seal,my
question being do you have to replace the entire rack and pinion for a seal
leak?like you can change a seal?
@2000darren By the way, Nice Third Gen Firebird.. I once had a 1990 and a
1988 GTA..R.I.P
did your power steering pump make a grinding noise all the time or when
your in gear? because my caravan makes a loud grinding noise!!!
1992 was a long time ago. I was just a baby then lol, I remember those vans
as a kid..my mom had one, then I had one..Its nice to see them around, it
reminds me of my childhood
most of this is what I did. However. I dont always recommend messing with
the cradle bolts. the Drivers side front bolt is known for breaking. be
very carful if you want to go down this road. I just broke one on a 98
grand caravan tonight with 200k