Steering got harder all of a sudden on my way home and when I arrived I found fluid leaking from the under carriage around where the steering shaft connects to the Rack. there was little fluid in the reservoir. Any ideas on what to do appreciated, assume a "how to" for dummies instruction style. Does this mean the rack is broken? Seems brickboard says could be a hose or seal? not clear. Is this easy DIY type or should I go to mechanic? Is it OK to put in some ATF for now till I fix it/ get it fixed?
From a point at sea, to the circles of your mind, this is PT:
You need to find where it is leaking from. Hopefully it is just a split pipe. If it is the pipe from reservoir to pump you may get away with taping it up as a temorary measure. If it is a pipe from pump to rack, these run under pressure, so putting more ATF in is a lost cause.
However, if it is coming out from the rubber bellows where the track/tie rod joins the rack housing, then it is probably not good news. Have a close look at them, including the *top* of the bellows, in between the folds - is there a hole?
The thing is that the fluid should never get as far as the bellows, there being seals inside the rack to stop this. If the bellows start to fill with fluid it means that the seals have gone. Now the bellows can cope with a small amount of seepage, but eventually they start to sag under the weight. When this happens, the top of the bellows starts to snag on the linkage inside, and eventually gets pinched and ruptured by it. From here on fluid just gets squirted out every time you turn the wheel.
I've had this happen on a couple of cars, and simply replacing the bellows is only a temporary fix. It is possible to replace the seals in the rack, and I've done this successfully, but finding the parts for it was difficult. Eventually I got some from a rack rebuilder who grudgingly sold me some.
The simplest answer is an exchange rack, which should be good for another 331k Km. They are pretty straight forward to fit if you are doing it yourself, though it can be messy (it's still full of oil even when it's empty) and you'll have to get the tracking set afterwards.
If the hole is in the bellows you *may* get some mileage by topping up, but expect to lose lots and not be popular with other road users. The power steering is failsafe - if the power assistance fails you still have steering, but it will be very heavy and low speed stuff will be difficult. If you go too far without oil you risk losing the pump too, and these cost as much as the rack.
Hi all, I Had a closer look this morning and found the source of the leak, It comes from one of the metal pipes ( 2 short and bent pipes) directly under the joint (where steering column/shaft meets the rack). they were flaking apart when I touched them but only one is leaking. no liquid in the bellows (both sides). Any common name for this? I need to get new replacements since there are unlikely and impractical to buy used ( corrosion and all.)
Excellent and a good Laugh with that, a friend put me in contact with a retired mechanic today and he was glad to come have a look. He said he would get some pipes from a salvage he knows well and have it done tonight ( still not back though). I can learn from him this time. I am assured it will be a very friendly charge $$. got a digital pic of the spot but could not send it to your email...
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