Steering Column Drippage....
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 407
Likes: 2
From: Mesquite, Texas
Steering Column Drippage....
Noticed this fluid seeping out at the bottom end of my steering column....can anyone tell me what it is, and what might be causing it?
(Picture was taken looking at the bottom side of the end of the columnn where it passes through the firewall. Oil/fluid is running down the cover towards the carpet.)
Thanks in advance,
Mike
(Picture was taken looking at the bottom side of the end of the columnn where it passes through the firewall. Oil/fluid is running down the cover towards the carpet.)
Thanks in advance,
Mike
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Theres a seal on the fire wall that the steering shaft goes through. That could be water that leaked through that seal. Squirt a water hose on the seal and see if water comes through.
BC
BC
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Check your brake master cylinder in case it's brake fluid working it's way over there and running down. Might even try unbolting it from the booster and pulling it forward slightly to see if it's wet behind the mounting flange.
HTH
BTW, wouldn't hurt to check your clutch M/C too.
HTH
BTW, wouldn't hurt to check your clutch M/C too.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 407
Likes: 2
From: Mesquite, Texas
Check your brake master cylinder in case it's brake fluid working it's way over there and running down. Might even try unbolting it from the booster and pulling it forward slightly to see if it's wet behind the mounting flange.
HTH
BTW, wouldn't hurt to check your clutch M/C too.
HTH
BTW, wouldn't hurt to check your clutch M/C too.
I don't see any signs of leakage from the outside in through the column seal, and after consulting the service manual, I'm leaning towards it being some type of lubricant that's possibly coming from the telescopic column actuator. The actuator is mounted directly above the column, and if anything is seeping from it, it would fall onto the column and eventually find its way to the location seen in the picture. I'll keep an eye on it for a while.
In the meantime, could some of you take a look at the same area on your car, and see if you're seeing the same seepage?
Again, thanks for the help.
Mike
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Thanks for the input guys.....
I don't see any signs of leakage from the outside in through the column seal, and after consulting the service manual, I'm leaning towards it being some type of lubricant that's possibly coming from the telescopic column actuator. The actuator is mounted directly above the column, and if anything is seeping from it, it would fall onto the column and eventually find its way to the location seen in the picture. I'll keep an eye on it for a while.
In the meantime, could some of you take a look at the same area on your car, and see if you're seeing the same seepage?
Again, thanks for the help.
Mike
I don't see any signs of leakage from the outside in through the column seal, and after consulting the service manual, I'm leaning towards it being some type of lubricant that's possibly coming from the telescopic column actuator. The actuator is mounted directly above the column, and if anything is seeping from it, it would fall onto the column and eventually find its way to the location seen in the picture. I'll keep an eye on it for a while.
In the meantime, could some of you take a look at the same area on your car, and see if you're seeing the same seepage?
Again, thanks for the help.
Mike
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Both brake and clutch fluid have that certain alcohol aromatic type smell that's very unique and tends to dry fairly quickly.
If you're pretty certain it's not brake/clutch fluid, I would next suspect water.
Does it wipe off cleanly with just a water dampened cloth or does it take some kind of cleaning product to remove the stain? Is it sticky?
To the best of my knowledge, there is no component involving the steering column that uses a lubricant with that thin a viscosity, that would allow it to "run". Any lubricants in the column assembly would likely be using a grease of some type such as lithium or something similar and if they were ever being heated to the "running" point, you would have a lot more serious problem from just the heat alone, never mind any leakage.
Also, don't assume that where you're looking is the source of the problem. If you happen to have excess water in your HVAC duct work it may be coming from the duct work. Where you're seeing it just may be where it happened to become visible. You might even try pouring water all around the base of your windshield and into the plenum area too to see if it shows up inside.
HTH
If you're pretty certain it's not brake/clutch fluid, I would next suspect water.
Does it wipe off cleanly with just a water dampened cloth or does it take some kind of cleaning product to remove the stain? Is it sticky?
To the best of my knowledge, there is no component involving the steering column that uses a lubricant with that thin a viscosity, that would allow it to "run". Any lubricants in the column assembly would likely be using a grease of some type such as lithium or something similar and if they were ever being heated to the "running" point, you would have a lot more serious problem from just the heat alone, never mind any leakage.
Also, don't assume that where you're looking is the source of the problem. If you happen to have excess water in your HVAC duct work it may be coming from the duct work. Where you're seeing it just may be where it happened to become visible. You might even try pouring water all around the base of your windshield and into the plenum area too to see if it shows up inside.
HTH
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