98 p/s fluid leak=-

1998 base Lumina, 290,000 + miles on it.
power steering dip stick getting dry daily.
no leaks noticed around the resivor.
was in a small fender bender ,passenger front side recently.

what,s the most common place leaks develop.

Thanks for any info.

USUALLY, leaks are on the high-pressure side. Pump output to the steering gear , or within the steering gear (rack 'n' pinion, in this case).

My Luminas, however, have had multiple leaks on the low-pressure side. Twice, near the steering gear output, where the rubber hose on the "PS cooler" cold-flowed under the clamp. Thus the clamp is "loose" (it's not a clamp being loose, it's the hose losing wall-thickness) and so it leaks. I think this hose is buried under some silver-colored heat shield fabric in the photo below. It's something like a foot away from the rack assembly. The first time this happened, I had it fixed at a local shop. They removed the cooler, ran fresh hose from the end of the short tube direct to the pump reservoir. When I found out, I went back under the car, reinstalled the cooler, and that lasted several years before the hose failed again. I double-clamped a new section of hose in place, and ordered a new PS cooler assembly from NAPA before they got discontinued. The new cooler is on a shelf in my shop, waiting for the next failure.

Keep in mind that the PS cooler on these vehicles is just a length of steel tubing bent to fit against the frame, that winds back and forth, hither and yon. Air blowing against the tubing removes some heat. The black rubber end attaches to the PS reservoir, the threaded end connects to the rack. The original hose in between is factory-crimped, but the hose or the crimp can still fail, and of course the tubing won't last long if it's grinding against the frame or some sheetmetal.
https://media.napaonline.com/is/image/GenuinePartsCompany/NWMDC?$Product=GenuinePartsCompany/1486322
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/PSK73232?partTypeName=Power+Steering+Hose+-+Return&keywordInput=power+steering+return

GM did the same thing on my '97 K2500--they put a bunch of tubing inside the driver's side frame rail and called it a "power steering cooler". That leaked, too, when a hole was worn in the tubing.

If the vehicle was hit, look for holes in the tubing where it's rubbed against the frame.

PS leaks almost always result in fluid spots on the concrete. Start parking on top of a sheet of clean cardboard, look for spots in the morning after having been parked all night. Or even run the engine for an hour, turn the wheels back and forth, and then inspect for spots of oil on the cardboard. The leak can be anywhere from the base of the steering column forward to just behind the front bumper.

thank you Schurkey.
i appreciate it.