Now, you, guys, getting me paranoid :-) I feel like I need to get in there and check it asap. The only thing that calms me down is the fact that I do not hear any noises turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel is straight. I can also pop the cover and check the steering fluid level to tell me if there's, in fact, a leak in the steering rack. I shall provide the findings here.

 

Just feel obligated to update it.

A local shop confirmed that my steering rack has slight leak, and they suggest to leave it as is because a replacement costs around $1.5K

I hope it becomes severe sooner, it seems to be fun project.

 

I've done a rack in a first Gen Lexus and it was NOT a hard job other than lining up the wheel linkage and mailing sure you transfer the tie rod ends correctly. On my current one, the set up looks almost the same. It won't cost you 1.5 K if you DYI.

 

Thanks a lot for this info, HtownBlue!

I am thinking about to DIY. Actually I checked the rack today during my first DIY oil change. Your info will definitely make me more confident.

I will put an update here if I decide to start this project..

 

Why is the cv axle outer end so easy to remove ? Is something wrong here ?