At the core of your Integra or Legend's precise steering system is a tubular piece of equipment called the Acura steering rack. It shouldn't surprise you to learn that the Acura steering rack makes up a significant portion of the rack and pinion steering system, serving as the housing for most of the other steering parts not related to power assist. What about the pinion? Well, it's actually located in the Acura steering rack too. When you turn the steering wheel you also turn the pinion, which acts upon the teeth on your Acura steering rack. When the Acura steering rack pushes one way, it moves your front wheels in a particular direction, and when the Acura steering rack turns the other way, it moves the front wheels in the other direction. Voila, you have steering. Of course, it's not as simple as that, mainly because your Acura steering rack benefits from power assist. By adding power assist, the simple, elegant Acura steering rack becomes a hydraulic ram of sorts, responsible not only for the turning of your front wheels but also for containing hundreds of psi worth of hot hydraulic fluid. It's inevitable that, as time goes on, the Acura steering rack will eventually begin to leak, necessitating rebuild or replacement. Fortunately, though, an Acura steering rack rarely goes kaput all at once. Most of the time you'll gradually lose assist and power steering fluid as the Acura steering rack wears out, allowing you plenty of time to budget for a new Acura steering rack.