Hey all, first post here. Just recently purchased a used '08 H3 Base with 78k on it. Very clean truck, inside and out, appears to have never been used off road, and all servicing had been done on schedule, so far haven't had any problems in the 7 days I've driven it. Just did the torsion bar lift yesterday up to the recommended 23.5", and took it in today to get an alignment. Went in to pick it up, and was told I needed a new rack and pinion. I haven't noticed any slop at all when handling, and was just under it last night and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

I have a 4 month/4,000 mile warranty on the vehicle from the dealership, and after calling around they're going to take a look at it to confirm whether or not it really needs to be done. My question is this; could the tightening of the torsion bars have caused this potential issue, or do you think I'm getting scammed here? Thanks!

 

Seems I can't edit my original post, but it's supposedly the passenger side bushing. After doing some research, it appears this is a common issue by design. Repair shop quoted me $180 for parts labor, and allignment. Hopefully its covered under warranty, if anyone has any suggestions otherwise let me know, thanks!

 

The rack itself may be just fine. The OEM passenger side bracket allows the steering rack to move when it becomes worn.

Contact Outfitter Designs and pick up their steering bracket kit. You can just use the bracket from the kit then you don't have to remove the steering rack. But the bushings make a big difference also!

Steering Rack Reinforcement Kit - OUTFITTER DESIGN



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Thanks for the quick reply! I'll give those a try, seems like people have good success with them. Thanks again, I'll post up when I get it taken care of and give my two cents on them.

 

I have an Outfitter Design steering rack reinforcing kit in my H3. I highly recommend it.

And for the record, I'd bet that the steering rack support was already an issue. The torsion lift did NOT cause it to go bad. It just exposed the problem. Just want that out there before someone chimes in saying that you should have used a "leveling kit".

 

I figured that the torsion lift didn't have any connection, but I am glad I did it just for the fact that I was able to expose any potential issues. Had I not, I would have had to find out the hard way.