Steering Rack Rebuild Advice Needed

[Jhollowell]

Has anyone rebuilt their OEM steering racks? I saw @BenBB post about replacing but i was wondering if its worth keeping the OEM rack and just replacing the seals. Rock Auto looks to have a seal kit for $50 and keeping the OEM rack seems like a good deal to me unless there's a big chance of ******** something up and then needing to have it towed to a shop. I called one shop and they don't rebuild them, just replace. I'm having similar issues as most people with just a little seepage but no puddles under the truck so I'm just looking for some preventative maintenance. 158K on the clock and I've had the PS fluid flushed once.

 

[TomDirt]

It's a couple hours to remove and replace it. A messy job, BTW you're supposed to replace those big bolts (metric wrench size is just over 1"). The power steering pump fittings are hard to reach, you need to lock the steering wheel in place to avoid ******** up the clockspring, and THEN you can start the rebuild. If you add the cost of fresh tie rods, maybe a rebuilt PS pump, those funky hoses, & fresh fluid; by the time you've committed to all that, why not find a reputable shop to rebuild your rack?