Type 44 steering rack installation update...

[JustaxPHX@aol.com]

Well, as it turns out, it wasn't the rack after all but the new high-pressure
hose I installed recently.  As I was removing it, I noticed some pentosin
poured out from between the hose itself and the outer sheath at the end
nearest the rack ... after I got the hose off the car, I could see that the
gap between the hose and sheath was FULL of pentosin and it felt squishy in my
hand, which further confirmed this.

Upon further inspection, I determined that the fluid would run down the metal
fitting and onto the rack, where it would then drip onto the ground hence my
original misdiagnosis.  After all, who would suspect a new hose, right?
Anyway, since my mother's '87 5k rack definitely has a slow leak, I wonder if
I can use this rack on her car instead of returning it and buying another one?
The part numbers on them are different but they look identical and appear to
be physically interchangeable ... can anyone confirm this for me?

Lastly, I found that instead of struggling with a box-end wrench to get the
banjo bolts for the PS hoses off the rack, I was able to get a socket in there
by using 24" worth of extensions and a flex joint, then using a ratchet from
the other side of the car ... this is probably common knowledge and I mention
it here only because no one ever mentioned it to me before and it made what is
an otherwise difficult job (at least for those of us with big hands!)
significantly easier.

HTH...

JG