Please help! Steering problems! :(

[jessica1024]

Hi guys,
About a month or so ago, my car started making a roaring noise when turning. At first my dad and I thought it was low on power steering fluid, but after about a day of it being filled, it lost most of it again and the noise came back. And obviously the lower the fluid became, the harder it was to steer it. We decided to have the pump changed because it looked as though the pump was leaking. After getting that replaced, the noise still did not subside and there was still a leak. We took it to a mechanic and he said the leak was in the power steering line or hose or whatever. (Sorry, I am not very good with car terms!) So, he changed the leak and said it would supposedly take 500 miles for all of the air to leak out. I set my odometer and after about 700 miles of waiting patiently, the sound was still as loud as before. And I realized the fluid was still leaking out, even more now.

By this time, I was so frustrated. I decided to give him one last chance and tell him not to give it back to me unless it was fixed. The mechanic said that when the pump was put on, something called the O-ring (?) was crushed in the reservoir in the process. He replaced the reservoir and I got the car back yesterday. As soon as I got the car back, it was still slightly noisy. However, I was patient and set my odometer. It has been 100 miles and the noise is about the same now. It does not seem to be leaking but I am so frustrated with hearing the noise every single day for over a month. Please help, someone!

I don't want to feel taken advantage of for being a girl, because I feel ripped off for trusting him.
I just want to know if I should wait a little bit longer or what I should do? because obviously this guy has no idea what he's doing! ugh!

Btw, it is a 2001 Dodge Neon with 100,000 miles on. I've kept it in great condition since I've gotten it and had no other problems.

[Moppie]

Might be time to find a different mechanic.

Power steering systems work under very, very high pressure using hyrolic fluid.
This is usually red in colour, so leaks are easy to spot.

Most systems leak from seals at each end of the power steering rack.

If the system is still making noise, then chances are it is still leaking, or has other problems.

Next time you drive the car, park it over a clean surface (a sheet cardboard, or news paper is good). If it there are any fluid leaks these will be clearly visible the next day on the clean surface (note, they may stain it).

Also look for a power steering specialist, rather than your regular mechanic.
Because they are hydrolic systems they often need specialist tools etc, to repair properly.