Power Stearing Fluid leaking bad
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
Power Stearing Fluid leaking bad
the other day I noticed a large puddle of fluid under the car and it turns out to be Power Steering Fluid. What a PITA!! Any tips on finding the leak?
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 96,443
Likes: 9
From: Fort Knox, KY
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Check the pump, rack, and rack-to-resovoir pipe, too. It's pretty easy to detect once you have enough clearance under the car to see under there.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 26,196
Likes: 0
From: Orlando FL
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
I am currently without PS at the moment. I have a bad leak too. I replaced the hoses as suggested, and it still leaks. Next I bought a new pump, but have not put it in yet (hopefully this weekend's project).
Anyway, now that the system is completely dry, I have been driving around with no power steering for the past 2-3 weeks.
I have to say its an ABSOLUTELE BEAR to turn that wheel at low speeds. You have to use two hands and heft the wheel around corners and such.
At speed though, its not so bad, just a little extra arm muscle, but its not so bad.
What sucks is city driving. Lots of stoplight turns, stopsign turns, pulling in and out of your driveway, pulling in and out of parking spots, etc SUCKS. You have to either pull in fast (dangerous) or if you are pulling into a spot slowly, you literally have to grab the wheel with both hands and use all your might to turn that wheel.
I thought about just leaving it manual too, i mean hey, its free LOL... but it SUCKS to drive the car now.
... Just my $.02 from experience I am living through right now.
Hose kit is like $80 from Ecklers. New pump is like $130 from Ecklers. Its a cheap replacement and only takes a few hours to do with a few sockets and wrenches.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Less Talk, More WOT | Houston TX
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Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 26,196
Likes: 0
From: Orlando FL
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
That's not even the half of it. 
I need to start the "Cheap Bastards Car Repair" manual, I would make millions, then I could afford to fix everything properly
I would then move out of C4 Tech and over permanently to CF OT and then buy a new C6, a Super Model Wife, a 5000sq ft house with a 10 car garage, and... and.... etc LOL
-----------
And to the topic, Mine is all better now
I replaced the pump FINALLY on Sat evening, and it is back to 100% working again. The noise was gone after maybe turning from lock/lock 50 times or so, then just driving around to and from work the next day. Its quiet and working flawlessly again with no more leaks.
The pump was $110ish and took my buddy and I under 2 hours to replace it, including the trip to Autozone to get the pulley puller rental tool.
My only advice after that is... HAVE A FRIEND HELP YOU! IT SAVES 1/2 THE TIME IT TAKES TO DO IT YOURSELF!!!!
I need to start the "Cheap Bastards Car Repair" manual, I would make millions, then I could afford to fix everything properly
I would then move out of C4 Tech and over permanently to CF OT and then buy a new C6, a Super Model Wife, a 5000sq ft house with a 10 car garage, and... and.... etc LOL
-----------
And to the topic, Mine is all better now
I replaced the pump FINALLY on Sat evening, and it is back to 100% working again. The noise was gone after maybe turning from lock/lock 50 times or so, then just driving around to and from work the next day. Its quiet and working flawlessly again with no more leaks.
The pump was $110ish and took my buddy and I under 2 hours to replace it, including the trip to Autozone to get the pulley puller rental tool.
My only advice after that is... HAVE A FRIEND HELP YOU! IT SAVES 1/2 THE TIME IT TAKES TO DO IT YOURSELF!!!!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 998
Likes: 0
From: Indianapolis IN
You do NOT want to do this!!!
I am currently without PS at the moment. I have a bad leak too. I replaced the hoses as suggested, and it still leaks. Next I bought a new pump, but have not put it in yet (hopefully this weekend's project).
Anyway, now that the system is completely dry, I have been driving around with no power steering for the past 2-3 weeks.
I have to say its an ABSOLUTELE BEAR to turn that wheel at low speeds. You have to use two hands and heft the wheel around corners and such.
At speed though, its not so bad, just a little extra arm muscle, but its not so bad.
What sucks is city driving. Lots of stoplight turns, stopsign turns, pulling in and out of your driveway, pulling in and out of parking spots, etc SUCKS. You have to either pull in fast (dangerous) or if you are pulling into a spot slowly, you literally have to grab the wheel with both hands and use all your might to turn that wheel.
I thought about just leaving it manual too, i mean hey, its free LOL... but it SUCKS to drive the car now.
... Just my $.02 from experience I am living through right now.
Hose kit is like $80 from Ecklers. New pump is like $130 from Ecklers. Its a cheap replacement and only takes a few hours to do with a few sockets and wrenches.
I am currently without PS at the moment. I have a bad leak too. I replaced the hoses as suggested, and it still leaks. Next I bought a new pump, but have not put it in yet (hopefully this weekend's project).
Anyway, now that the system is completely dry, I have been driving around with no power steering for the past 2-3 weeks.
I have to say its an ABSOLUTELE BEAR to turn that wheel at low speeds. You have to use two hands and heft the wheel around corners and such.
At speed though, its not so bad, just a little extra arm muscle, but its not so bad.
What sucks is city driving. Lots of stoplight turns, stopsign turns, pulling in and out of your driveway, pulling in and out of parking spots, etc SUCKS. You have to either pull in fast (dangerous) or if you are pulling into a spot slowly, you literally have to grab the wheel with both hands and use all your might to turn that wheel.
I thought about just leaving it manual too, i mean hey, its free LOL... but it SUCKS to drive the car now.
... Just my $.02 from experience I am living through right now.
Hose kit is like $80 from Ecklers. New pump is like $130 from Ecklers. Its a cheap replacement and only takes a few hours to do with a few sockets and wrenches.
How did you bypass it to make it a manual system? Can you yank all the hoses and pumps and go around it somehow?
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
From: jax fl
place to check
I have a 91 that in 1998 started leaking fluid pretty rapidly. This leak was the low pressuer metal line from the cooler. The line had rubbed a pin hole in it from the front frame rail. I patched the line with rubber hose over the metal line and a couple of hose clamps. Hasn't leaked a drop of power steering fluid in the last 9 years and 80K more miles.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,624
Likes: 2
From: Canandaigua New York
Not to mention the gear ratio in the steering box is just too small.
If you really wanted to go with manual steering, then you would have to get a steering box from a car that has stock manual steering.
Unless you really want arms like a gorilla!
Last edited by Keystring; Jun 3, 2007 at 08:17 AM.
