Power Steering Leak
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 322
Likes: 0
From: Alexandria VA
Power Steering Leak
I have a power steering fluid leak (at least thats what it looks like). I know nothing about power steering components. Anyone out there have any knowledge of where I should be looking and what fixing it is going to cost (time wise)? Thanks in advance.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 10,896
Likes: 2
From: CO
Re: Power Steering Leak (pingdashf)
My powersteering pump leaks.
I wiped the bottom of the pump clean. Drank a beer. Went out and there was fluid on the bottom. Thats how I knew :cool:
They do have some stop leak for PS pumps but I would assume that is a temp fix. The O ring in the pump is what leaks from what I have read. They do sell rebuild kits.
I would post some links but they block links and kick members out if its a non-supporting vendor. So Im not going to risk it. :lol:
If its beyond the pump that is leaking you would have to price your parts accordingly. There is a send and return link that run from the pump to the cylinder I suppose thats where it could be leaking from. I would clean the components and see if you can determine where its leaking.
I have heard that the send / return lines can be hard to replace due to the threading on them. Don't want to mess it up.
And there is also a rack and pinion set from steeroids that is supposed to rock. Its about a 900 dollar kit though :eek:
[Modified by flood, 9:41 AM 4/15/2003]
I wiped the bottom of the pump clean. Drank a beer. Went out and there was fluid on the bottom. Thats how I knew :cool:
They do have some stop leak for PS pumps but I would assume that is a temp fix. The O ring in the pump is what leaks from what I have read. They do sell rebuild kits.
I would post some links but they block links and kick members out if its a non-supporting vendor. So Im not going to risk it. :lol:
If its beyond the pump that is leaking you would have to price your parts accordingly. There is a send and return link that run from the pump to the cylinder I suppose thats where it could be leaking from. I would clean the components and see if you can determine where its leaking.
I have heard that the send / return lines can be hard to replace due to the threading on them. Don't want to mess it up.
And there is also a rack and pinion set from steeroids that is supposed to rock. Its about a 900 dollar kit though :eek:
[Modified by flood, 9:41 AM 4/15/2003]
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 29,077
Likes: 0
From: Deep East Texas
Re: Power Steering Leak (flood)
First you need to determine where the leak is... Could be the pump, the ram or the connections. The description above is pretty good. Wipe everything down, crank it up and look for leaks.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 43,136
Likes: 155
From: Thomson Georgia
Re: Power Steering Leak (Mack76)
Lucas power steering additive. I highly recommend this stuff. Added it about 1 year and a half ago and have not had a problem since. May be temporary fix but so far so good :cheers:
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 29,077
Likes: 0
From: Deep East Texas
Re: Power Steering Leak (pingdashf)
Just a rag. All you need to do is get it clean enough that you can tell where the leak is. It doesn't need to be completely clean.
Edit: I guess the description is more like "wipe it off" rather than "clean it".
[Modified by Mack76, 7:13 AM 4/16/2003]
Edit: I guess the description is more like "wipe it off" rather than "clean it".
[Modified by Mack76, 7:13 AM 4/16/2003]
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
Likes: 46
From: Huntersville NC
I sprayed with simple green, hosed, then wiped.
Source of leak may be obvious, but it also could be very hard to find.
I had to have car running, up on ramps, and turning steering wheel very slightly, with my head directly under the car! :eek: Not fun! and I still couldnt find the leak!! :(
The fluid can drip down to the lowest point (likely a hose) and then drip, which can make it very hard to find the exact source of the leak. I ended up wrapping my hoses in white towels, wrapping the towels with aluminum foil, thus determining with 97.4% certainty I had a leaky hose - easy fix!! :hurray: (I didnt have to mess with the pump) MJ
Source of leak may be obvious, but it also could be very hard to find.
I had to have car running, up on ramps, and turning steering wheel very slightly, with my head directly under the car! :eek: Not fun! and I still couldnt find the leak!! :(
The fluid can drip down to the lowest point (likely a hose) and then drip, which can make it very hard to find the exact source of the leak. I ended up wrapping my hoses in white towels, wrapping the towels with aluminum foil, thus determining with 97.4% certainty I had a leaky hose - easy fix!! :hurray: (I didnt have to mess with the pump) MJ
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