T4 transporter steering rack problem

[Jezza]

Hi there. I am new to this forum. I have a problem with a loose steering rack and need help. I have just purchased a 2000 model T4 syncro TDi from NSW and have taken it across the pits in WA. 130,000 km. It failed on play in the steering. I put my van on stands and pulled off the steering boots to find play in the rod that comes out of the steering rack like a bearing is worn in the rack housing. Have priced a new one from VW Aust. and have been told $3,500 plus labour. :mad: When my heart started again in a few hours I started to panic, have a bought the right vehicle if parts are going to be this expensive? :???:

Can any one help me out there? :rolleyes:
Has any one had the same experience?
Are good secondhand steering racks available?
Any good Transporter wreckers or mechanics that I can contact for help anywhere in Oz or overseas?

I have not yet heard from my car dealer if warranty will cover this expense, but he has been avoiding my calls. A bad sign!! :mad:

Thanks

[phaeton]

Welcome to VWwA Jezza j:

I'm not technically minded so I'll be brief with what I have to say.

It sucks that your having this problem even worse that dealer is not helping.

So if you can try another dealer also members seano & Green T4 have experience with T4 range so try Private Messaging them ;)

Also I'll link you to the UK based T4 forum as they maybe able to source the parts you need cheaper http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=11

Good Luck and keep us all up to date with what happens ;)

[Jezza]

I may have had some joy today. I got onto my dealer and he tells me that there is play of 4mm in the rack where it exits the housing. A design allowance. So if this the case and I confirm with Volkswagen I should be right! :) I'll keep you posted, full pun intended!

[phaeton]

LOL cool j:

[BobD]

Jezza,

Who is your dealer? Are you using Volkswagen Commercial Centre?

Parts are very expensive for VW so be prepared. My T4 had a new turbo under warranty at 94000km and the dealer told me the cost was around $3000. The worst thing is that the car was off the road for two months while the parts came, which seems to be pretty usual in WA.

I also had a truck smash into the tail gate while the car was parked. This caused no damage to the surrounds, just the door, and slightly damaged the left front where it was pushed into the cars in front. The cost to the insurance company for this lot was $11000 and again it was waiting for over two months for all the parts to arrive from Germany.

I wouldn't have bought another VW except that there is nothing comparable to the Multivan in my opinion, with its powerful diesel, well sorted suspension and interior quality and room etc. Hence, I now have a new Multivan, which I love.

However, I have already had the sliding door interior light switch disappear after less than a week and the drink holder in the table demolished itself after two days, with a wait of, you guessed it, about two months for the replacement parts that have just been fitted under warranty.

I suppose you get the good with the bad and we just have to live with it!

Good luck.
Bob

[Jezza]

Thanks for your reply, I won't say who my dealer is at this stage but it is not a VW Commercial Centre. He has been real good this dealer, specialising in Transporters and he seems to know a lot about them. I have heard that VWs are expensive parts wise, but like Toyota they are reliable so rarely need parts anyway. I had a 80 series Land Cruiser for years that I bought with 200,000km, everyone saying that Toyotas are expensive but I did two very major full on outback trips around Australia before I sold it with 280,000km and did not spend a cent on it other that routine maintenance. I hope my Transporter can be as good!

[BobD]

Jezza,

I haven't found Toyota parts too bad. I have a 1992 HiAce Commuter Bus with over 345,000km now, which I have had since 95,000km and it still goes fine on the original 2.4l petrol. It has had its share of repairs, such as rear wheel bearings, front fan belt pully, water pump, radiators, power stearing pump etc but the parts were priced OK.

I actually had quite a few warranty repairs on the T4 VW, not the least of which being a new turbo at 95000km, just inside the 100000km warranty. I hope the T5 is better, especially with the Multivan being nearly twice as expensive as my SWB T4 van with aftermarket windows and seats!

[Seano]

Jezza, if the Transporter you've bought has spent anytime on rough roads then you may find that the problem is in the tie rods between the steering rack and the wheels.

The offside rod in mine essentially failed after one too many potholes at around 60,000 kms. It's demise was indicated by a constant rattle over the corrugations. Replacement cost was about $150 plus fitting for a non branded part (fitted by a VW dealer though!) - the branded part was almost three times this!!

So far in a 5 year/107,000 km career which has included two partial circumnavigations of Oz and most of the first 75,000km on dirt roads.....this has been the only major 'failure'. Despite some reasonable yet un-warrantable mods specifically for touring this country.....

try www.brookvalespares.com.au for wrecked T4 parts from over East.

[Jezza]

Thanks for your reply Seano. There doesn't seem to be any play in the tie rods, they are tight as. The movement seems to be in the actual rack where it comes out of the assembly. The part that looks like a hydraulic rod. The movement is the rod going up and down where there is a bush in the assmebly. Both sides have about the same amount of movement. The van has no evidence of off road work or dirt road work. There is no dust inside any of the panels which is an obvious sign. Its first 3-4 years was a Patient Transport Vehicle for NSW Ambulance Service and the next few a delivery van in Sydney. Interesting that you have spent so much time on dirt with very little trouble. A good sign. Thats is pretty much why I bough this van, to be able to spend time on dirt and the syncro for the ability to find sneaky camps sights off road if need be, but nothing too serious!!

[Seano]

Sorry to tell you but your van has almost certainly been on dirt roads at some stage....the T4 syncro vans used by NSW Ambulance were all deployed into rural NSW. For sure, that doesn't mean it copped a battering on the dirt all the time but it would have happened....

VERY IMPORTANT............
1) change out all transmission and rear diff oils at soonest convenience. As a working vehicle, it would have copped a bit of abuse and changing the transmission oil was not always in the T4 service schedule back in the day.
2) It MUST have written evidence of a timing belt change at 120,000km. If not then it MUST be done NOW......this includes belt, tensioner and water pump.....so yes it is expensive.....about $1,200.....failure of the timing belt or tensioner or water pump (especially on the open road) will almost certainly be terminal for the engine.
3) As it has been an ambo and a delivery van all its life then your shocks may be cactus......you'll know if the front end starts pogoing on a bumpy road (my fronts died after only 50,000).....I can vouch for the Koni's

[Jezza]

I have all the service history of the vehicle. No evidence of gear oil changes but there is evidence of the timing belt change. I drove the van back from Newcastle to Geraldton in the last fews weeks and spent about 600km on dirt ranging from fast open recently graded roads to sandy, rutted bog holes. No pogoing on the front, it handled the dirt no probs.
Any tips on the steering rack, should there be any play in the rack like I have described above? I took it to a mechanic yesterday and he says there is definitely play in the rack and one of the rack ends has a small amount of play.

[t4tradie]

Hi There,

Brand new to the forum having just purchased last week an 02 TDI T4. My van required a few small things for roadworthy.( Van was bought from a dealer). One item was worn steering rack ends. My first thought was a tierod end, but on speaking to the mechanic he told me that it was the bearings in the end of the steering rack. I,m not sure whether the racks in the synchro's are the same as std T4's, but if they are the bearings are approx $100.00 genuine. ( The dealer supplied me with the invoice for the parts fitted to my van.) I can,t see this being a big job as my van was ready for me to pick up in 2 days ( This included full service, front pads an rotors an new screen. ) It seems that $3500 is a little steep! Hope this helps.

Cheers
Scott




Hi there. I am new to this forum. I have a problem with a loose steering rack and need help. I have just purchased a 2000 model T4 syncro TDi from NSW and have taken it across the pits in WA. 130,000 km. It failed on play in the steering. I put my van on stands and pulled off the steering boots to find play in the rod that comes out of the steering rack like a bearing is worn in the rack housing. Have priced a new one from VW Aust. and have been told $3,500 plus labour. :mad: When my heart started again in a few hours I started to panic, have a bought the right vehicle if parts are going to be this expensive? :???:

Can any one help me out there? :rolleyes:
Has any one had the same experience?
Are good secondhand steering racks available?
Any good Transporter wreckers or mechanics that I can contact for help anywhere in Oz or overseas?

I have not yet heard from my car dealer if warranty will cover this expense, but he has been avoiding my calls. A bad sign!! :mad:

Thanks

[phaeton]

Welcome to VWwA Scott j:

[Jezza]

Just a note to close this one off. Thanks all for your replies. It was good to hear from you all so promptly. My T4 failed a rego inspection in WA. The note just said to "rectify play in steering". I went home jacked it up, checked it out. There was seemingly no play between steering wheel and wheels, tight as. I took off the boots on the rack and with one wheel left planted on the ground and the other jacked up I played with the wheel/tyre side to side. There seemed to be play and it was the steering rack moving up and down in the housing. I contacted my dealer who assured me that this was normal but failed to give me evidence (a non authorised VW dealer, just second hand sales specialising in VW people movers) I tried my hardest with VW Australia to no avail. No one at VW would help me, no one would give me info over the phone. They all said come in and get it insected. I live 500kms from the nearest VW service dealer. I took my van to the nearest mechanic who has done work on VWs in my home town and was told it was just a steering rack end. He replaced it for $212 and I am back on the raod after passing rego. I am still after info on the play in the rack within the housing if anyone could look it up in a manual for me. Thanks again people!

[Jmac]

Mate after working on them for so long i can tell you the play will be in the knuckles themselves. You can buy them seperately complete with rack ends. They are notorious for that. Watch this space for the part numbers.

[Jmac]

As i mentioned the part numbers are 701419810b x 2 mate.
CHeers

[Jezza]

Thanks for that Jimmymac