I'm having a nightmare with replacing my 2007 FL2 2.2 power steering rack after a front end suspension refurbishment. I thought it would be a simple case of replacement with a unit from Western power steering which was generally fine but moaned at very low speeds when turning heavily. Note I have changed the PS reservoir twice & flushed twice too. I changed the power steering pump as well for a Brit part one but to no avail as the very low speed issue (approx.5 mph) still existed. I then thought I'd buy a new GSF Elstock unit which when fitted was awful & groaned all the time if I turned more than a quarter turn to the left! I took it to a specialist in my town who duly changed the reservoir, pump & power steering rack (GSF again) but the vehicle still makes a noise when turning the wheel either way now. Fortunately no charge but I'm still left stumped on what is essentially a very good FL2 with less than 90k miles & previously good reputation. Do I have to buy a genuine FL2 steering rack at £1000 as the only answer to keeping my FL2 on the road ? Has anybody else had issues with reconditioned parts or non genuine replacement steering racks please?

I can't see how a rack can make a noise. Noise is always air in the fluid, normally as a result of incorrect bleeding technique being used. Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate. The family car.
2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Gone.
2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE. Gone.
Audi A5 convertible, my daily driver.
1972 Hillman Avenger GT, the project.

Nick D wrote:

I'm having a nightmare with replacing my 2007 FL2 2.2 power steering rack after a front end suspension refurbishment. I thought it would be a simple case of replacement with a unit from Western power steering which was generally fine but moaned at very low speeds when turning heavily. Note I have changed the PS reservoir twice & flushed twice too. I changed the power steering pump as well for a Brit part one but to no avail as the very low speed issue (approx.5 mph) still existed. I then thought I'd buy a new GSF Elstock unit which when fitted was awful & groaned all the time if I turned more than a quarter turn to the left! I took it to a specialist in my town who duly changed the reservoir, pump & power steering rack (GSF again) but the vehicle still makes a noise when turning the wheel either way now. Fortunately no charge but I'm still left stumped on what is essentially a very good FL2 with less than 90k miles & previously good reputation. Do I have to buy a genuine FL2 steering rack at £1000 as the only answer to keeping my FL2 on the road ? Has anybody else had issues with reconditioned parts or non genuine replacement steering racks please?

Hi, my Freelander 2 makes a groaning sound & the steering wheel vibrates. Not sure it can still be air in the system as its the same sound/steering vibration after my son (a trained mechanic) & the specialist changed the rack twice with a new GSF rack each time? Car is drivable but the steering should be a little smoother.

Re your question regarding replacement steering racks, I got one for my FL2 from https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/sslautoparts

Works fine , no issues after 6 months of using it.

Have to send your old unit back to get yr £100 back, and you need to remove inner tie rods from old rack when you send it back to them.(so it fits in their packaging)

Theres a few pics and a description of my installation somewhere on my previous posts

i suppose £1000 for genuine part to keep vehicle on road compared to a lot more to replace car would be my issue if it turns out to be requiring genuine rack.
Hope its something else though that is easier/cheaper to sort.
good luck.

Last 'rego' Down Under (Australia) my mechanic said the steering rack needs replacing (quote attached).

I put if off till 2024 rego (add few dollars inflation) will get it done. But to be fair the car has had a hammering on outback highways (about >4000km of corrugated roads, even with 20 - 24psi tyre pressure, & often on stones... not sand as per video) https://vimeo.com/364281135 even without stone strewn 40kph Oodnadatta Track goat track conditions for the upper end 120km start of the track (had to repair roof rack due to over stressing). There was a LandCruiser that ended up destroying 2 tyres, as we the "turtle" that overtook them at 40kph saving the cost & inconvenience of a 2 tyres & long term damage to the car itself).

Click image to enlarge

Have you replaced the hoses. Im sure i have read on here someone having a nightmare after changing and re changing several components and it turned out to be a duff hose that had failed internally.

Nick D wrote:

I'm having a nightmare with replacing my 2007 FL2 2.2 power steering rack after a front end suspension refurbishment. I thought it would be a simple case of replacement with a unit from Western power steering which was generally fine but moaned at very low speeds when turning heavily. Note I have changed the PS reservoir twice & flushed twice too. I changed the power steering pump as well for a Brit part one but to no avail as the very low speed issue (approx.5 mph) still existed. I then thought I'd buy a new GSF Elstock unit which when fitted was awful & groaned all the time if I turned more than a quarter turn to the left! I took it to a specialist in my town who duly changed the reservoir, pump & power steering rack (GSF again) but the vehicle still makes a noise when turning the wheel either way now. Fortunately no charge but I'm still left stumped on what is essentially a very good FL2 with less than 90k miles & previously good reputation. Do I have to buy a genuine FL2 steering rack at £1000 as the only answer to keeping my FL2 on the road ? Has anybody else had issues with reconditioned parts or non genuine replacement steering racks please?

So......it turns out that Chrism551 from Blackpool was correct in his diagnosis for what was causing my Freelander 2 power steering to groan. Despite having replaced the power steering pump to power steering rack hose - it was this hose that was breaking down internally over a period of a few months. I mistakenly believed I had bought an OEM landrover one from LR parts but it turned out to be pattern part. I took it to the Freelander Specialist in Methwold, Norfolk who found the problem & fixed it with a genuine hose at approx. £95 against the £38 I paid. I live and learn but when you've already changed a minor part you tend to think its something more serious. Next time I'll not change 2 hoses at once & will be much more aware of 'new' faulty parts. The chap who fixed it for me (Norbert) said its not uncommon for this pipe to break down internally over time and restrict the flow causing the 'groaning' sound. He said stick to Landrover OEM parts for hoses if you can. I'm happy to have my FL2 back to its best again & to have shared my problem to save others the grief I've been through.
Footnote - just for the record, my 2007 diesel, manual, Freelander 2 did 44.5 mpg on the trip to Norfolk at very sensible speeds on the motorways and 39.5 mpg on the way back across country with several stops.

Thanks for updating your post with the fix, it really helps us.
Pleased it all sorted. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)