Rack Attack Redoux

[Jim Calore <jcalore@yahoo.com>]

Hi guys -

(Second try posting this, Yahoo burped in the
middle of it!) Put your thinking caps on for this
one...

First a recap of events is in order. I have an
'89 200TQ with 120K on it that I bought new, it
has never had a front end collision, has had all
major maintenance done by a competent
Porsche/Audi/VW dealer in the Philly area. Car
has stock-size BBS wheels and tires.

My brake light came on one day, and having gone
through several hydraulic pumps, bombs, etc. over
the years, I knew to look at the fluid reservoir.
Of course, it was low, and the handy bottle of
Pentosin I keep in the trunk was tapped to fill
the reservoir up. A week later, the light was on
again, and the reservoir was low. I take it to
the dealer, and he checks out the whole system,
and proclaims that the rack, which was original,
was leaking through the seals. Cost out the door
to repair, about $1,300. 

After regaining conciousness, I send a post to
the Q-List, and a number of you recommended using
Jorgen Automotive as a source for a new rack,
which I did. I was also given the name of George
Baxter, a local Audi tuner used by several of the
Philly area Q-listers... certainly no Monkey Lad.

While George is replacing the rack, I had him
change out the front struts, which also were
original, with Boge Turbo Gas units. Tie rods
were fine, and no adjustment was needed after the
rack install.

Now here comes the weird stuff... When driving
around normally, everything is fine. I noticed,
however, than whenever I made the hard right into
my garage, I got a funny sensation through the
steering wheel, like a change in motion or pump
actuation. Talk to George, and Roger at Jorgen,
and they tell me to look at a few things while
the SO turns the wheels lock-to-lock. Rack stays
firmly in place, everything looks OK, no leaks,
but what's this? The tie rod end, when turning
hard left, is actually contacting the bottom of
the strut and pushing it into the spring??

Take it back to George... on the way I hear a
loud whirring sound, much like a bad bearing
might make. It wasn't a bearing, it was that on a
hard-right the tie rod pushed the backing plate
into the back of the passenger-side rotor, which
was what was causing this sound. 

George and Roger talk several times, heads are
scratched, how can the rack be over-extended in
both directions, with the tie rod adjustments
dead-on, and the wheel straight up?

Also, George notices some wierd slushing noises
emanating from the pump now too, which didn't
occur before.

I talked to Roger at Jorgen today, and his only
idea is that these racks have an internal stop
setting, and it can be anywhere from 3.5 to 3.67
turns. He can only figure that mine is set to the
3.67 setting, and should have been 3.5. Except
that this is only on one side of the rack, the
other side is always limited by the rack housing
itself. Go Figure!

Jorgen is preparing another rack to send to me
with the 3.5 setting. Roger asked me to post to
the List this situation, in case anyone has
experienced anything like this. Also, Roger asked
if any '89 200TQ owners out there would be kind
enough to count the number of turns lock-to-lock,
left and right, of their vehicles for comparison.

TIA!!

- Jim
'89 200TQ
1.8 Bar

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