Alignment: Impossible with H&R springs-follow-up

[Phil Rose]

At 7:56 AM -0700 6/28/03, Bernie Benz wrote:
>  > From: Phil and Judy Rose <pjrose at frontiernet.net>
>>  Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2003 10:00:17 -0400
>>  To: Bernie Benz <b.benz at charter.net>
>>  Cc: 200q20V mailing list <200q20v at audifans.com>
>>  Subject: Re: Alignment: Impossible with H&R springs-follow-up
>>
>>  At 9:49 PM -0700 6/27/03, Bernie Benz wrote:
>>>>  From: Phil Rose <pjrose at frontiernet.net>
>>>
>>>>  Could be Pentosin, but I had similar symptom (smell of burning tranny
>>>>  oil when car was stopped) when the passenger side differential
>>>>  (output shaft) oil seal began to leak. The seals on both sides
>>>>  probably have an equal liklihood of leaking. That's a relatively
>>>>  common problem with these cars by 100K miles, I believe.
>>>  With proper PM, rotary shaft seals should be no problem for the life of the
>>>  car.  300K/400K?
>>>>
>>>>  The steering rack could be leaking Pentosin if its internal seals
>>>>  _and_ its rubber boots are shot. It should be relatively easy to
>>>>  reach in and feel each boot to detect presence of Pentosin. My bet is
>>>>  on the differential oil seal(s).
>>>  The rubber boots do not contain hydraulic fluid, they are only dust shields
>>>  and their replacement is never justified short of a rack overhaul.
>>
>>  Duh. Thanks for that insight, Bernie. Who the heck said anything
>>  about the boots _normally_ containing hydraulic fluid? Or about
>>  replacing boots? And you claiming that a steering rack cannot leak
>>  fluid into the boots? And the boots can never have a tear?



>I was just disputing your implication that a shot boot could be the cause a
>leak.

>  Sorry that my message was unclear to you, apparently in all respects.
>Obviously, I made the statement about replacing boots.  Are you objecting to
>the fact of the statement, or its message?  Further, my message stated only
>that a boot could not contain fluid (from a piston rod seal leak).  Thus, a
>defective boot is of no concern relative to leaks.

In no way other than by twisted reasoning did my suggestion imply
that a "shot boot" (your term) causes a leak. Sorry that was unclear
to you "in all respects". I simply stated that feeling the boot area
would possibly show evidence of a rack leak. Multitudes of listers
have reported that hydraulic fluid from a rack seal leak can enter
the boot and can be felt inside even when the boot is intact--in
which case fluid would be felt on the exterior if the boot is torn.
Have these folks been lying to us (you seem to be saying)? Where does
the fluid from a leaking piston rod seal go?

Phil
--

Phil Rose
Rochester, NY
mailto:pjrose at frontiernet.net