Solutions??

Just took my 355 in to check out a leak. The mechanic says that the seals on both ends of the steering rack are leaking. The leak isn't too bad, but it will need attention sooner than later. Is there a solution to this other than replacing the steering rack? Can the seals be repaired?

Craig

 

You could be a man and just delete the power steering altogether. I mean many of us 348 drivers cope with just such unsophistication.

 

driving with out power steering sux to say the least....not bad at speed but parking sucks.

 

I am of the considered opinion that the F355 is way overboosted in the PS department.

 

+1, I do wish it had more feel....

 

I was sort of jesting, but just think of how much more performance you could get without the weight and power train drag. It's like getting free power! Ask yourself, do you really need power steering? Do you regularly let women drive your car, or whimpy valets? Kill the mouse; kill the PS system.

 

There's a guy in South Carolina that will rebuild a steering rack for you and turn it around in 48 hours for about 300 bucks and warranty it for a long time. He did my 456 rack and a lot of other fchat members racks. If you do a search you will find his info. Its called Atlantic and they are very good. Getting the rack out in a 355 however is a big PIA, but once its out, its easy to get fixed.

 

mine works just fine, but if I ever have the time, the system is coming off.

 

The power steering in the 355 is perfect. Hey Vince if you want more power, buy a 355 . As for the leak, many of the racks leak a little bit. Unless your dripping heavy psf then leave it alone.

 

You have little to lose at this point....so perhaps this is worth a try.

I have successfully used a product called SteerX. It will soften the seals somewhat and, in some cases, stop the leak. Be warned this is not a "fix" but a stop gap. I got three extra seasons out of my TR8 after it started to leak. But after that, once the seals finally gave up, they really gave up....

Might stop the drips on the driveway & garage until you craft a plan for repair.

If you want to do it yourself, these guys are the experts at rack rebuilds on most cars. They have done two for me so far on Triumphs. Not sure if they do Ferrari ones, but worth a call to find out.... http://atlantic-ent.com/

 

never mind.

 

Funny idea Vince that I never thought of. Dumpping the PS with the weight and the pully and the heat it generates I bet is good for 15HP. But these guys carry hairdrys in their cars so "zero sum gain."

 

I'll look into the rebuilding option. As far as getting rid of the power steering all together, what would that entail? Do I just let out the steering fluid and drive it as is? Would that damage anything?

 

You would have to loop the lines together on the rack and at the very least remove the belt from the PS pump.

 

You NEVER want to run any pump like that dry.

 

And thus we now witness the OFFICIAL BOTTOMING of the 355 market.

When 355 owners begin looking for bargain-basement fixes and homemade remedies- rather than spending the money to do it right. obviously it makes little sense to spend tons of money on a $50K car... But now we begin to see the permanent $40K car with issues and the gradual but eventual rise in price of well-documented full-maintained cars.

These are expensive cars to maintain...that's the fact.

 

Without a doubt the proper fix is at an authorized service center.

 

There was never an intention of doing a bargain basement fix. I only wanted to explore ALL of my options. The option of gaining some performance by ditching the power steering is just one option to look at. I have yet to do any kind of repair to my car with bubble gum and duct tape. I like to FULLY research any modification or repair before I do it.

 

LMFAO!!!!

 

Sorry- was not aimed at you- was aimed at those folks who suggested yanking the power steering off- which seems completely nuts to me.

The perfectly balanced feel of the 355 is what blew me away when i drove one for the first time- Took a bit of dialing in on mine to get it right but it's perfectly neutral in corners, weighted just enough- yet fingertip sensitive at all speeds. When I get in my 88 Carrera it's a drag pulling out of the garage...

 

↑ Gel head.

 

What exactly is so funny about that? I don't get it.

 

"And thus we now witness the OFFICIAL BOTTOMING of the 355 market"

If you can't find humor in this statement, there must be something wrong. No offense, you must have a sense of humor when dealing with high depreciation (somewhat) and high maintenance costs.

 

..do it the right way and get it fixed. In the end you will be much happier.

 

Exactly!