A Tutorial on Car Steering Parts

How does the steering on a car work? Pretty simple really; you turn the steering wheel and the tires turn, right? Well yes, that’s right at the simplest level of understanding. Using several of the basic simple machines of physics, the concept of steering a vehicle is not that difficult. It is amazing, however, to the average driver how many parts are involved in such a simple process. And as any driver knows, the more parts involved in operating a car then the more parts that could need replacing and therefore the more money repairs will cost in the future. And there is nothing simple about the cost of car repair.

First let’s take a look at the number of parts in a steering wheel, and for the purposes of this article we will limit our discussion to the power steering wheel. We have the gearbox, tie rod, Pitman arm, track rod, and steering shaft. Continuing on you will find the ball nut rack, ball bearings, worm gear, sector gear, pump, and pulley. Let us not forget the rotary valve, steering gear, hose fittings, vane, rotor, relief valve and finally the torsion bar. Suddenly the simple process of turning the wheel doesn’t seem so simple.

Any driver who has ever owned a car knows that replacement parts are expensive. They can range from $20-$500 depending upon the make, year, and model of car. The highest cost will be found at a dealership. Moving down the cost ladder you will find slightly lower costs at auto parts stores like Schucks, Auto Zone, or O’Reilly’s. And cheaper still you will find parts at a salvage yard for savings of up to 60%. More on this option later.

The greatest expense of any car repair is labor. Depending on where you take your car for repairs the labor costs can range from $40-$100 per hour and no matter who you are that is a serious expense. So that brings us back to the good old neighborhood salvage yard for a logical solution. Many car owners are afraid to tackle a repair by themselves but there really is no need to fear. With the advent of the internet one can find a tutorial on how to repair any part of any car; all one needs is the willingness to try it and the tools to complete the job.

So head on down to a salvage yard and pick n pull the part you need, save some serious cash, and do the work yourself. Any junkyard that has been in business for a number of years and is serious about helping customers will have a warranty on their parts so the buyer need not fear the quality of the part. Add to that the quality of automobiles today, especially the Japanese imports. These cars are built to last and with proper maintenance most parts will last several hundred thousand miles. So worry not, grab your tools, head down to the junkyard, and do the work yourself. Just imagine how good you are going to feel knowing how much money you have saved.