Joy's '75 Super Beetle has Rack & Pinion Steering. The front end is starting to feel a little loose, kind of like the steering damper has gone bad. I replaced the struts and a bad tie rod end a couple of years ago, then had the front end aligned, but even then it felt a little soft.
Well, today I put it up on ramps and checked to see if I could find the culpret. Everything seems tight . . . the slightest movement of the steering wheel start to move both wheels, and all the bushings, tie rod ends and ball joints checked out good. The struts still seem ok, as do the strut mounts (they were replaced when I installed the new struts). But I did find some problems.
First, there is no steering damper. It's not missing, it looks like it was never ment to have one.
Second, the frame head is covered with some type of hydraulic fluid. It might be brake fluid, but I don't think it is. Several years ago it was loosing brake fluid, and I couldn't find a leak for several weeks. I eventually figured out that it was leaking out the pedal end of the master cylinder, and since there was no boot on it, the fluid was leaking into the cavity between the front body support. I used a suction gun to get all the fluid I could out of it, but I suppose there could have been some that I didn't get and it's finally found a path to the outside world . . . but again, I don't think this stuff is brake fluid.
The final problem I found is that the boot on both ends of the rack and pinion unit are busted.
So, my question is this: Is there a hydraulic steering damper incorporporated into the passinger side end of the rack and pinion unit? If so, that would explain the problem . . . the damper has gone bad and leaked its oil all over the frame head through the busted boot. I don't know what the Bentley manual has on this . . . I've misplaced mine again!
