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Power Steering falling apart

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Regarding torque specs, I don't think the bolts in question are intended to be serviceable... Pretty sure Tesla advises replacing the entire rack. So not sure we have/can get them (unless someone knows/reaches out to the rack OEM and asks?)


Correct, Tesla will replace the entire assembly, the torque specs for those bolts are not available, only the bolts to remove the entire rack.
 
Kinda funny that I've been following this thread... I dropped off my car for service yesterday and was given a June 2014 P85+ loaner (just shy of 50k miles on it, VIN in the 44xxx range) that's exhibiting drive unit clunk, the milling noise, and is making loud popping noises as you approach steering lock in either direction at very low vehicle speeds.

I'm tempted to take the frunk apart to take a peek at the rack...
 
I searched and didn't find anybody else with a similar issue.
Yesterday, all of a sudden, my steering started making some bad noises - clunks and screeches. Today I removed the tub and found 2 of the 3 bolts that mount the electric steering assist to the rack had sheared off.
Another 2 bolts, along with those 3, hold two parts of the rack together. One of those is also broken. It can't escape because it's too long to come out all the way where it's situated.
Oddly enough, there are 3 more threaded holes (exactly adjacent to the 3 used in assembly) in the electric assist; so I didn't have to drill the broken ones out. I filed them down to flush and put 3 new bolts in. (The last one was bent.)
I'm pretty sure the originals are aluminum, but being Sunday I just went to the local hardware store and bought what they had. BTW they are 8mm x 1.25, 65mm long.
View attachment 256935
View attachment 256936
Its working great again, but I wonder if I should replace the bolts with OE. I did put some anti-seize on the threads since they're dissimilar metals now.

I hope the rack stays intact.
Hello everyone

I am new to the forum but i couldn't let this one go when i seen it your not alone here's what happened to my car 2 days ago and how I tried to fix it
IMG_6061.JPG
Went to leave to go to work and lost power steering so called in sick and decided to investigate this is what I found power steering rack motor sitting on the sway bar (rwd 85 Autopilot 150000KMs vin 65XXX Canadian) you can see one of the bolts in the picture on the plastic belly cover

IMG_6066.JPG

IMG_6068.JPG

Only found 2 out of the 3 bolts sitting in the belly cover over torqued failure method not a good choice of fastener
IMG_6073.JPG
up close picture of the corrosion from road salt All three bolts sheared off at the face had to be drilled out and easy-outted/tapped to the right of clean hole
IMG_6077.JPG

Damage was already done to the belt with it not aligned and cutting with the sharpe teeth of the cogged motor gear ripping pieces of rubber off the belt looks to be all fresh and not over time
IMG_6080.JPG

I replaced the bolts with new ones but the belt is too badly damaged it slips and makes the steering wheel jump at slow speeds going to have to replace the rack or try to find a new belt to replace I would suggest to anyone with one of these power steering racks in the rwd models s to replace the blots with steel grade 8.8 M8-1.25 at 65-70mm long (washers) before this happens to you $3.5 is better then $2000
 
Hello everyone

I am new to the forum but i couldn't let this one go when i seen it your not alone here's what happened to my car 2 days ago and how I tried to fix it View attachment 273293 Went to leave to go to work and lost power steering so called in sick and decided to investigate this is what I found power steering rack motor sitting on the sway bar (rwd 85 Autopilot 150000KMs vin 65XXX Canadian) you can see one of the bolts in the picture on the plastic belly cover

View attachment 273294
View attachment 273295
Only found 2 out of the 3 bolts sitting in the belly cover over torqued failure method not a good choice of fastenerView attachment 273296 up close picture of the corrosion from road salt All three bolts sheared off at the face had to be drilled out and easy-outted/tapped to the right of clean hole View attachment 273298
Damage was already done to the belt with it not aligned and cutting with the sharpe teeth of the cogged motor gear ripping pieces of rubber off the belt looks to be all fresh and not over timeView attachment 273299
I replaced the bolts with new ones but the belt is too badly damaged it slips and makes the steering wheel jump at slow speeds going to have to replace the rack or try to find a new belt to replace I would suggest to anyone with one of these power steering racks in the rwd models s to replace the blots with steel grade 8.8 M8-1.25 at 65-70mm long (washers) before this happens to you $3.5 is better then $2000

Nice looking work in the fix, sorry the belt wasn't salvageable. Question though, would the steel bolts cause issue with the aluminum casting (galvanic corrosion)?

@JonMc
 
Nice looking work in the fix, sorry the belt wasn't salvageable. Question though, would the steel bolts cause issue with the aluminum casting (galvanic corrosion)?

@JonMc
That's a fair observation but tesla makes the new racks with steel bolts holding the motor up. The aluminum factory bolts already have more then enough stress on them trying to hold up a 15 lbs motor with a lot of torque twisting action back and forth and from my pictures the bolts where torqued to yield (over torqued) that is thier failure mode put a little anti seize or dielectric to stop the formation of corrosion cells forming you will be in a lot better shape then doing nothing and letting it fall apart.
 
Hello everyone

I am new to the forum but i couldn't let this one go when i seen it your not alone here's what happened to my car 2 days ago and how I tried to fix it View attachment 273293 Went to leave to go to work and lost power steering so called in sick and decided to investigate this is what I found power steering rack motor sitting on the sway bar (rwd 85 Autopilot 150000KMs vin 65XXX Canadian) you can see one of the bolts in the picture on the plastic belly cover

View attachment 273294
View attachment 273295
Only found 2 out of the 3 bolts sitting in the belly cover over torqued failure method not a good choice of fastenerView attachment 273296 up close picture of the corrosion from road salt All three bolts sheared off at the face had to be drilled out and easy-outted/tapped to the right of clean hole View attachment 273298
Damage was already done to the belt with it not aligned and cutting with the sharpe teeth of the cogged motor gear ripping pieces of rubber off the belt looks to be all fresh and not over timeView attachment 273299
I replaced the bolts with new ones but the belt is too badly damaged it slips and makes the steering wheel jump at slow speeds going to have to replace the rack or try to find a new belt to replace I would suggest to anyone with one of these power steering racks in the rwd models s to replace the blots with steel grade 8.8 M8-1.25 at 65-70mm long (washers) before this happens to you $3.5 is better then $2000
Land Rover?
 
I also noticed the name ZF Lenksysteme in the pic and found Bosch completes acquisition of ZF Lenksysteme - Automotive World.
On January 30, 2015, the Bosch Group completed its acquisition of ZF Friedrichshafen AG’s 50-percent share in the joint venture ZF Lenksysteme GmbH (ZFLS). The antitrust authorities have approved the acquisition. This means that Bosch now owns all shares in the formerly 50:50 joint venture. It will be incorporated into the Bosch Group as a new division with the name Robert Bosch Automotive Steering GmbH. A vote was held among ZFLS associates to determine the new name.
...
ZFLS is a leading manufacturer of modern, fuel-saving electric steering systems, with which it currently generates around 60 percent of its sales.
I suspect ZF Lenksysteme is the actual supplier and it happens to be part of the Land Rover parts catalog.
 
Tried to report it to Transport Canada, filled out all the questions. Pressed Finish and then got message
"An error was encountered on the page, an e-mail has been sent to the administrator."
Go figure!
Brown85, please report this. There are quite a few failures like this. Here is a link to my pictures:
Power Steering
I also tried to repair it with new bolts but the belt was worn just like in your case.
 
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Hello everyone

I am new to the forum but i couldn't let this one go when i seen it your not alone here's what happened to my car 2 days ago and how I tried to fix it View attachment 273293 Went to leave to go to work and lost power steering so called in sick and decided to investigate this is what I found power steering rack motor sitting on the sway bar (rwd 85 Autopilot 150000KMs vin 65XXX Canadian) you can see one of the bolts in the picture on the plastic belly cover

View attachment 273294
View attachment 273295
Only found 2 out of the 3 bolts sitting in the belly cover over torqued failure method not a good choice of fastenerView attachment 273296 up close picture of the corrosion from road salt All three bolts sheared off at the face had to be drilled out and easy-outted/tapped to the right of clean hole View attachment 273298
Damage was already done to the belt with it not aligned and cutting with the sharpe teeth of the cogged motor gear ripping pieces of rubber off the belt looks to be all fresh and not over timeView attachment 273299
I replaced the bolts with new ones but the belt is too badly damaged it slips and makes the steering wheel jump at slow speeds going to have to replace the rack or try to find a new belt to replace I would suggest to anyone with one of these power steering racks in the rwd models s to replace the blots with steel grade 8.8 M8-1.25 at 65-70mm long (washers) before this happens to you $3.5 is better then $2000

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE advise Tesla HQ of your findings ASAP, and retain all parts for their analysis. This is a serious safety hazard and a recall is needed, but Tesla needs time to spin up for the repairs: parts need to be ordered, and suppliers take time to spin up as well, all before the recall can be announced. Obviously, I would think that the supplier will be on the hook for the costs, but contracts vary . . . .

Thank you--you may save a life or two by doing this.
 
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE advise Tesla HQ of your findings ASAP, and retain all parts for their analysis. This is a serious safety hazard and a recall is needed, but Tesla needs time to spin up for the repairs: parts need to be ordered, and suppliers take time to spin up as well, all before the recall can be announced. Obviously, I would think that the supplier will be on the hook for the costs, but contracts vary . . . .

Thank you--you may save a life or two by doing this.
I'd be shocked if Tesla didn't know about this. Perhaps a tweet to Elektrek might be in order, or contact Consumer Reports?
 
Guess i'm gonna go take my car apart tomorrow...

My preowned car has always had a light "purr" sound when turning the wheel quickly. I just assumed this was normal of the older racks (I hadn't noticed it in the P100DL I test drove), but now i'm wondering if there's more to it... Power steering is still smooth and works very well, and I don't notice any changes in effort required over the range of motion.