Power steering leak

2002 2wd, 4dr has a power steering fluid leak. I am losing fluid in the resevior and there is a mess at the bottom around the steering box, lines and sway bar and it's hard to find the origin. it is not leaking at rest with or without the engine running. What are the more common leak points in this system?

Thanks,

George

Sounds to me like the steering gear needs resealed. With 187k on it, I would just replace the gear with a reman unit. The pitman seal on the gear is prone to leak, and there are other seals on the gearbox as well. The p/s lines at the crimp seals leak, so will the p/s pump shaft seal.

I will take a closer look with those points in mind.

Thanks,

George

I will take a closer look with those points in mind.

Thanks,

George

Clean off old oil/ps fluid with degreeser/carb cleaner or power wash and then fill it up and start engine and turn steering wheel and watch for where it is leaking.

One person turning wheel and one person watching for leak works best.

Let us know what you find.

It appears to be leaking in multiple places. About the only thing that is dry and in the clear is the top of the gear box and the hose connections into the top. The front seal on the pump is leaking but that looks like a garden variety slow spreading deal like so many other places on my old guy. The immediate problem is a leaking high pressure hose (the one that passes under the gear box) that is spewing at full wheel travel.

Its pretty tight around the pump. How much has to come off for the actual pump to be replaced? Can the hoses be done with everything else in place so at least I can get the arterial bleeding taken care of or does the pump have to come off to get to the hose connections?

How do I figure out which pump I have, I see many choices that appear to have different form factors shown for my truck.



Thanks,

George

Well I got off easy on this one. It was the high pressure hose. After removing the air filter box assembly, it was easy to see everything and easier to remove the fitting on the back side of the pump than I originally thought. The threads on the fittings are fairly loose so getting them started and hand tightening is easier than on many. After replacing the hose I loosened the low pressure return line and ran fluid through the system until it tuned clear. There are still some weaping leaks around the front resevoir seal and possibly the Pitman arm seal or the front of the gearbox. After the mess from the spewing hose dries up I will take another look but no more dripping now so the Admiral is happier about the driveway.

George

Well I got off easy on this one. It was the high pressure hose. After removing the air filter box assembly, it was easy to see everything and easier to remove the fitting on the back side of the pump than I originally thought. The threads on the fittings are fairly loose so getting them started and hand tightening is easier than on many. After replacing the hose I loosened the low pressure return line and ran fluid through the system until it tuned clear. There are still some weaping leaks around the front resevoir seal and possibly the Pitman arm seal or the front of the gearbox. After the mess from the spewing hose dries up I will take another look but no more dripping now so the Admiral is happier about the driveway.

George

Sounds like a winner.
Good Luck
And thanks for posting back how it went.