Your rack and pinion can go bad for a number of reasons, a wreck, hitting the side of the curve with one of your tires too hard, driving your car with bad suspension will put extra strain on your rack and pinion causing it to go bad , and normal wear and tear
you cant steer
The rack and pinion effects the steering of the vehicle directly. It is definitely not recommended to drive a car with a bad rack and pinion because of this.
Sounds like you have a bad seal on the rack and pinion. The bellows is only to keep dirt and water out of the rack and pinion, it is not a seal to hold pressure in.
Rack/pinion doesn't have adjustments for wear. If it is bad, replacement is needed.
No, you risk having a accident. The rack & pinion is what is used to steer the car.
Some possible symptoms of a bad rack & pinion: Excess free play of the steering wheel. Excess effort to steer the car. Leaking fluid.
It is important to recognize the signs of part failure in a car. The signs of a bad rack and pinion are unusual tire wear, the steering is off, and fluid leaking from the front end of the car.
Lack of lubrication or it was contaminated with dirt or moisture.
vibration's and pulling to one side
It depends on the type of vehicle and the steering system that it has. If the vehicle has rack and pinion steering, it may be a bad rack and pinion. If the vehicle has a steering gear, like most older cars of pickup trucks, It could have a bad steering gear.
You can tell that the rack in opinion steering is bad when there is excessive play in the steering will. You might also feel a shimmy in the steering wheel.
Usually this is due to a bad rack and pinion. Expensive parts....