Power Steering Racks

Description

This page describes the differences between power steering rack manufactuers and variants.

Manufacturers

There were two main manufacturers: Saginaw and TRW, each having a few variants for different turn ratios, valving, and stops. These are some of the known variants:

Saginaw
- 3.18 turns, standard feel
- 2.50 turns, firm feel
TRW
- 3.25 turns, standard feel
- 2.50 turns, firm feel
- 2.06 turns, firm feel, 15" wheel stops

There are application differences between L-bodies, K-based bodies, and minivans, due to differing geometries of their respective platforms. Not all variants are available for all platforms.

The key difference between the two manufacturers is the routing of the hydraulic lines between the rack and the pump: the fittings at the rack valve body are reversed and offset. So it is not straight-forward to switch between Saginaw and TRW racks unless you also change the lines (though the recent aftermarket situation seems to ignore this routing difference in some applications). If you intend to swap both the rack and the lines, then you can choose whichever is available. Note that this difference has no relation to the pump itself. Earlier models all came with Saginaw pumps (larger, tear-drop shaped metal reservoir), with later models (circa ’88) switching to ZF pumps (plastic reservoir, different tensioner). ZF pumps have their own, unique line set.

Identification

One way to identify the manufacturer is to look at the orientation of the lines that enter and exit the valve body and main body of the rack. Saginaw racks have the upper pump line fitting (A) towards the front of the vehicle with the lower fitting (B) more towards the center of the valve body. The lines between the valve body and rack run parallel to each other (C and D).

TRW racks have the lower pump line fitting (B) towards the front of the vehicle with the upper fitting (A) more to the center of the valve body. The lines from the valve body to the rack are not parallel, with the shorter line (C) on top and the longer line (D) facing more forward.

Aftermarket

Information is becoming scarce and confusing and rebuilders often pay little attention to the various differences above. That said, the following part numbers were at one time available for Terrepower (now BBB Industries) racks:

102-0101: Saginaw, standard feel, 3.18 turns, for 14″ wheels
102-0102: TRW, standard feel, 3.25 turns, for 14″ wheels
102-0103: Saginaw, standard feel, 3.25 turns, L-body
102-0104: Saginaw, standard feel, 3.18 turns, L-body
102-0105: Saginaw, firm feel, 2.94 turns, L-body
102-0106: Saginaw, firm feel, 2.50 turns, 14″ wheels
102-0107: TRW, firm feel, 2.50 turns, 14″ wheels
102-0108: TRW, standard feel, 3 turns, minivan
102-0109: Saginaw, firm feel, 2.38 turns, L-body, 15″ wheels?
102-0110: TRW, firm feel, 2.06 turns, 15″wheels

Some models are available “new” rather than remanufactured, which have an “N” prepended to the part number (i.e. N102-0101). Whether these parts are still available is a different issue. As of this writing, the 0101 and 0102 variants are not difficult to find (both new and reman). However, the firm feel racks are harder to find and may be special order only (if available at all). There is also a risk that the rack inside the box will just be made from random parts from random variants.

An alternative to replacement are the rebuild kits, which are available for both Saginaw and TRW. These are universal across the subtypes. If the issue is mainly with leaking or sticking, a better route may be to disassemble, clean, and rebuild the rack rather than to take a risk on an expensive reman replacement of questionable quality.

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Updated 12/15/2025.