Hello fellow Corvette Enthusiasts!

I'm working on the power steering on my 1977 C3 corvette.

I can't figure out why it keeps dripping power steering fluid. The power steering reservoir continuously leaks around the power steering box when sitting and I need to re-fill it after sitting for a few weeks. I wasn't sure the last time it was lubricated so I pumped some grease in the Zerg fitting located on the bottom and BROWN power steering fluid came shooting out from somewhere in the pump. Any advice? Only has 32k original miles.

 

Your terminology is very confusing.
The reservoir is part of the pump not the steering box.
There is not supposed to be any fluid in the steering box only grease.
The system uses a control valve which has a fitting but if you apply too much pressure you blow the seals.
So is the pump leaking and now you may have blown the seals on the control valve?

 

Hi, your power steering is leaking because you own a Corvette. This is ongoing. My 77 has more miles on it. Means absolutely nothing with a 43 year old car.
rubber parts perish with age. The mileage of your car is a shame. Apparently someone just let this car sit for a looooog time. This is not good for any machine.
brass tacks.
Your power steering reservoir is part of the pump. The steering box has no zirk. The control valve does but as stated above, too much grease will blow the seals out.
Finally, do you own a service manual?
if you do, start reading, if not, get one and start reading. Its hard to help when you don't even know the name of the parts or have even a basic understanding.

 

I am also a bit confused. Are both your power steering pump and control valve leaking? Can you post a photo or two?

The zerk fitting on the control valve should never see grease. It is unfortunate that GM placed it there.

I did the leaking component dance for a bit on two cars. I quickly eliminated the leaks by replacing components. On the 79, I did the Borgeson conversion with a new steering pump. On the 80, I switched to manual steering with factory components. No more leaks!

 

You may have only one leak point...but it is dripping down on other components. The P/S hoses are the usual leak cause. But, the O-ring seal in the pump could be leaking.

You first need to determine exactly what leaking point[s] you have. In order to do this properly, you need to clean off all the P/S components. Jacking up the left-front and removing the wheel will greatly aid in your search. Once all is clean and dry, start the car and then watch carefully for any leakage. If you have difficulty spotting the points of initiation, you might want to put some fluorescent dye in the P/S fluid and look for leaks with an Ultra-Violet light. You can get reasonably priced sets of dye/UV light at local car parts stores.

I rebuild my P/S control valve and installed new hoses almost 10 years ago and have not had ANY leakage since. If P/S parts are in good condition, they don't leak.

 

So to answer a simple question for you that these guys love to make a big deal about, your power steering reservoir has the pump built into it. If you pull the reservoir, then dissemble it the pump as an O ring that seals against the sheetmetal of the reservoir. They are prone to leak there and from other points as well, You can purchase a rebuild kit that has bushings and o rings and will work as long as the reservoir isnt dented or deformed. I personally have tried to rebuild 2 different ones that continued to leak due to the reservoir being too dented and the second one the O rings didnt seem to be a good fit. I ended up buying a new reservoir with pump installled. If you look on youtube theres various videos. Also the hoses will crack and leak, the power steering control valve will also fail and leak. It also can be rebuilt with kits. It has a zirq fitting that is only used while its being rebuilt, so dont grease it,

I've got a few that are awaiting rebuild, just havent gotten to them. I always seem to find a member selling a good one cheap when I need one so I save the old to rebuild...got 3 now
*** for the steering box it takes greease, not fluid but when the grease heats up and turns back to a fluid it can leak and will drip. they are also rebuild-able pretty easily regardless of the big deal you'll get around here about them...so long as the gears arent worn out

 

Find it first....then fix it.