Can bad strut mount cause steering rack problems

[95se]

My struts and mounts have been bad for a long time now. Do the struts rotate when you turn the steering wheel. The pinion in the steering rack would not allow the rack to come back to center starting 3 years ago. I've had same set of struts and mounts on since '09. My rack was just rebuilt and was wondering if the bearings were bad in the strut mounts if they could cause binding in the steering possibly causing damage to the pinion?

[oLemurs]

yes the struts do rotate when you turn the wheel but i dont think having bad struts would cause problems in your steering

[TheRealSy90]

Yes if the radial bearing in the top mount of the struts are bad they can bind and cause stiction or "memory steer". As in you make a left turn and the car will pull to the left, then you make a right turn and it pulls to the right instead, even with straight alignment.

[95se]

Originally Posted by TheRealSy90

Yes if the radial bearing in the top mount of the struts are bad they can bind and cause stiction or "memory steer". As in you make a left turn and the car will pull to the left, then you make a right turn and it pulls to the right instead, even with straight alignment.

Could it damage the pinion in your rack though? My rack was just rebuilt and it corrected the problem with the same strut/mounts on the car. Though, just couple of weeks ago if the steering wheel is centered it pulls to the right.

[Dirk Jan]

Just replace the damn struts/strut mounts?