Chrysler Steering Rack Bush Wear Signs

The steering rack bushes are rubber or polyurethane items that form part of the steering rack’s mounting in its “cradle”. They wear with mileage and as they soften, crack and even flatten, the rack ends up moving about under load.

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What Bushes Actually Do

By stopping the steering rack to move around in its cradle, the bushes enable smooth steering, braking and driving on rough roads. When they soften, start to crack or even wear flat, their properties will change, which affects the steering characteristics of your car negatively.

Clunking Over Bumps

Dull clunking sounds typically develop when a steering component rubs against worn components, in this case the worn out mounting of the steering rack. The sound is typically noticed when driving over speed bumps and potholes.

Steering Wander at Speed

Worn bushes often cause a car to wander down a straight road and require constant small corrections to stay on course. As the steering rack ages on higher mileage Grand Voyagers and 300C models the bushes will have begun to flatten, causing this type of problem.

Knocking Through the Steering Wheel

A knock when steering at low speed will also be a sign of rack movement, again a problem that tight bushes would prevent. If you are looking for Chrysler Steering Racks, see https://westernpowersteering.co.uk/vehicles/chrysler/.

Visible Cracking or Flattening

You can check for signs of bush wear by looking at the steering rack’s mounts. Look for signs of cracks in the rubber, and check to see if the rubber has split from the sleeve. Many steering components are now classed as failure items in the MOT, and steering rack movement greater than normal is classed as excessive.

Uneven Tyre Wear

Outer or inner tire wear – especially to the edges of the tread on the front of the car – can occur more quickly if the rack is undergoing unusual movement. As with any uneven wear, check the tracking and if frequent adjustments are required then bush wear could be responsible for changes in wheel alignment.

Just because you see some wear on your steering rack components doesn’t mean that they will fail suddenly. An early sign of wear must be checked before further damage occurs to other parts of your car’s steering system.