Thread: Steering Rack Replacement Questions

2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3800 Series 3.

Steering rack has a bad leak and planning on replacing soon, but I have some questions. Got under car today trying to figure out if it's magnasteer or not. Found wiring coming out the bottom of the steering gear (just below where the main hydraulic lines connect), found a plug at the end of it that had a rubber cover on it, as if it were disconnected and covered up. Found what I believe was the connector from the wiring harness that plugs into it. Can I assume it's magnasteer? Even with this disconnected, when the reservoir is full with fluid, the power steering works fine. Next question is, do I need to replace this rack with magnasteer, or will a less expensive non-magnasteer work just fine? Another question, is there an easy way of getting that rubber boot to slide off where it connects to the steering column to access that 11 mm pinch bolt? I tried today and couldn't get it to slide off. The leak appears to be coming out the driver's side seal. Thanks for any help.

I would replace it with the Magnasteer rack, but that's just me. I'm sure a standard rack would work fine. I had to cut a slit in the boot on my 00 GT to get it to slide up to get to that bolt. Its a PITA. And yea, if you have a 2 wire connector coming from rack near that boot then you have Maganasteer. IIRC the magansteer harness runs over the top of the trans near the black gear selector box for the trans. Think mine is blue in color.

Thanks FordMan77. I just wasn't sure about the connector because it comes directly from the bottom of steering gear (on the housing that has the main hydraulic fittings on it), and the pictures I see from local auto parts store sights, show it coming from the front. Didn't really know if any other steering racks for these cars even had wiring/connector. And yes, the harness connector I found was in that location and blue in color.

Does it matter where you make that slit, and how far up did you have to go?

I wouldn't think it matters. I cut mine in the front where I could reach it. Either did it through the wheelwell or from underneath, can't remember. I know it wasn't fun, lol. I cut it just enough so I could get a screwdriver under the edge of it and worked it around to break the seal loose and then just slid it up. I RTV'd the slit once I got the new rack in place and made sure everything was working 100%.

Thanks for the pointers.

Thanks for the advice scottydoggs. Also, would it help at all to move the brake booster to better access the boot? Any other tips to make the steering gear replacement easier are welcome.

Ok, thanks. If you or anyone thinks of anything else, let me know.

I've got a new problem. Looking at steering racks from NAPA, the NRP 221025 has an input shaft diameter of 11/16". The NRP 221023 has an input shaft diameter of 5/8". Does anyone know what the input shaft diameter of a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3800 Series 3 might be?