power steering fluid leak?

I have a 1982 firebird s/e and it has been leaking about a quart of steering fluid every 4 days.I have changed the pump,belt,and both hoses and I still have the same problem.Can somebody please tell me where the fluid is coming from.(gear box,cheap?)

probably coming from the rack bushing ends, When you get under the car do you have a bunch of steering fluid/sludge in the engine bay, with the front end jacked you should be able to spot the leak with that kind of fluid lose. I think the only way to stop it might be to replace the whole unit.
John

unit? please be more specific.thank you john.

hondas suck

Unit= Power steering assembly/Rack & Pinion if thats what they used that year. Check out www.car-parts.com (http://www.car-parts.com) for a replacement or like I mentioned get under the car and see if you can spot the leak. Good Luck.

i lifted the bird and its coming from the gear box.will replacing the gear box be the only solution if thats the case

if it is coming from the rack and bushing ends can i just get those new?

Is it making any noises and have it been driven alot with extremely low or no fluid. Cause if the only problem to date was a leak then yes most likely that will make all the steering fluid loss problems go away.

if it is coming from the rack and bushing ends can i just get those new?
Unfortantly once the bushing start leaking the entire unit require's replacement.

hello david hasselhoff here, ........just kidding.Anyways,I want to make the whole power steering unit new with everything you mentioned so what are all the parts I need to buy?

thank you

thank you lt1 for all your advice.

wipe off the steering gear,and check for leaks around the bolt coming out of the top of the steering gear box. also see if its running onto the pitman arm,out of the bottom of the steering gear.almost all of them i come to leak in those two spots.same as cutlasses,monte carlos,and cameros.if it is leaking from one or both of those places,get a new one dont waste money on a used one cause 7-10 you fine in a junk yard leak too.check your cap,and make sure they gave you the right power steering hoses for it.They came in two different styles in 82,some had o-ring style hose fittings,and some had flare style hose fittings.

they used a quick ratio power steering in all 82-87 trans am or fireirds,cameros,monte carlos,cutlasses,ect....no rack pinion possible on a 82'.he more than likley has a bad power steering box,cause most do and i have worked on countless cutlasses,and a flock of firebirds,many montes,even some cameros.they all leak from the gear box,and most customers replaced what he said he has replaced,with the same outcome.

I do have a lot of crud on that arm and crud concentrated on and around the gear box.So if I install a new gear box the leak should go away?If not, I have one less thing to trouble shoot . :smile:

without seeing it,i couldnt tell you if replacement is required.but if you see fresh fluid on the gear box,but the line connections,and bottom of the power steering pump are dry,then thats usually an indication that the gear box is where the leak is coming from.make sure thats the problem tho,cause those gear boxes can be expensive.

I am going to go ahead and stick a new gear box in it regardless.Besides I already installed a new power steer pump,pressure hose ,that other hose,and belt.I cant think of anything else I can do but replace the gear box.Dont you love the 82-84 front nose with the grills more than the other 3rd gen nose styles?I do,I think the ones with those little bumperette thingys are ugly,but nonetheless their still firebirds.

I prefer 82-84 ,in just about every way.I had a chance for a later model,but they dont take bumps as well,and they dont stop and steer as good.They also are harder to work on,and develop too many body and interior noises.

my bird is mostly stock and I was wondering if one of those dual air cleaners will add any performance.They sure look cool.

It adds more looks than performance.Your stock air cleaner is bigger than some 455's,and they ran just fine.You should keep the air cleaner recent,and consider other performance options.

your right, the only thing I have done is add a k/n filter.What do you think next upgrade my next upgrade should be?thanx

if you want it to perform better,you should shoot for making it last longer too.Lasting is a true sign of performance,in my opinion."Anybody can make it fast,but how long does it last¿"If you rebuild your motor,you can put flat pistons,competition cam,and closed chamber H.O. heads.Thats the most cost effective upgrade.Cause you dont want to have to jack with it once it is fast..

durability hasnt been a problem yet.i bought the bird in feb 04 with 67000miles for 500$.Now in december it has 95000 miles.just recently i installed all new spark plugs(i forgot what kind but they cost me 7.00 each)All new rotors,calipers,high performance pad and shoes,new drums,brake cylinders,water pump,fuel filter,4 bf goodrich radial t/a,k/n air and oil filter,gatorback belts,all new hoses,radiator flush,msd distributor,starter(starts like a champ),differential fluid is new,fuel pump,die hard gold battery,tranny fluid and filter,even the charcoal cannister filter .Those are all the things i have done to it so far to keep her purring.My next task is a suspension overhaul.I have also installed new headliner,seats were mint when(front and rear) i bought her and i had them cleaned.Best PMD seats I have seen so far.New dash ,It looks brand new even though i bought it at pic a part for 12$.New nose grills,2 much shit to mention.

What will eventually happen if a car continues to be driven with low steering fluid?

you will be driving with no power steering eventually.And your steering column will give out,cause its not designed to deal with the stress of being used to turn the vehicle without functional power steering.

Is it bad to put in transmission fluid in power steering?

no thats what i run in mine.it dont hurt it one bit.Ive ran countless miles using dex in mine,no leaks or noises.

tight,I threw some in mine one day 2 make it home from work because thats all I had in my car and I was in BFE(but f$#@ egypt).Are those new mustangs fast and what do they have under the hood?

Ok,forget the mustang,How hard is it to replace a gear box For a rookie mechanic.Or about how much would it cost just for labor at the mechanic.

the new mustangs are pretty quick until about 85,then they are as fast as everything else thats a sport.Its easy to get it unbolted,and easy to get the lines off and back on.all you need is a 17mm or 18mm for the three bolts holding the steering box the the frame,and a 17mm or 18mm box end wrench to unbolt the center link.Its better to get a new pitman arm with a new steering box.they are pretty cheap.a pickle fork will be needed to separate the pitman arm from the center link

I think I can handle that.But do you know where I can buy a new gear box and pitman arm?autozone/kragen?

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=C002&UserAction=performAutomotiveSearch&Parameters=%7C%7EREGULAR+PARTS+LOOK+UP%7C%7ESuspen sion+%26+Steering

at the bottom of that page you can enter a parts number

ok cool ,thanks.Ill let you know how it went once I install the new gear box and pitman arm. :uhoh:

I went to that page and found pitman arm,but does not say power steering gear box.Could it be under power steering cylinder,installation kit,and if not that what r other names for it?

if they dont have it you may have to find it from a local dealership.That page has a place where you can enter the actual part number and see if it exists in the AZ database.Call them and ask if they can get them,oreallys too.I do most of my shopping thru napa's APD,or if they dont have it i go thru a dealership.

sorry to be a nusence(however thats spelled)But how do i get the part # for a 82 steering gear box?

its on the outside of it somwhere.it may require some cleaning.they are stamped into the metal.any 82-87 trans am,camero,monte or cutlass will have one that fits

you dont happen to have that # do you because there is a lot of gunk i need to clean thats caked on there.

i will look tomorrow when in have the light of day and let you know tomorrow

thanks man,Id really appreciate that.

N.p.

the number 7826692 is what i have on mine.the number is pretty visible from the top,towards the frame

Your the man.

I looked up the # and it didnt match anything.So I called kragen and they said they had it for my car.However,they asked me if it was 4 bolt or ring retained and I have no idea what my 82 s/e is.help!

should be a four bolt(they should know that).They are talking about on top of the steering gear box,is the cap square-ish and held on with four bolts,or is it sealed with a round cap,and a snap ring.Dont bother getting one with the ring,go for the four bolt style,and change the line fittings if you have to

the ring style actually steers a little faster(around 12.7:1),but they dont last near as long as the earlier style that you have.cause the higher pressure blows seals.Its news to me that they ever had a ring style in 1982,i thot that was dreamed up in like 84

Kragen also said if I buy it its only the box.Will that stop my leak or do I need to buy the guts.(Everything inside the box)

you should get a completely assembled one.Ive tried myself to rebuild steering boxs',but i always end up with an extra ball bearing.Hudini puts those together i think.That was a long time ago that i tried,i was like 17 yrs old

I dont know if my friends full of shit or not,but he said I could use the same pitman arm or does a fully assembled one come with it?

pitman arms are usually under 30 dollars,and they are a bitch to get off and on.If your doing it at home ,you should get one that has it or buy one new,cause its usually a pain in the ass to get the pitman arm off the gear box after all that amount of time.somtimes you have to heat them up with a torch,or even cut them with a cutoff wheel.If your gear box is bad,then you may want to check the condition of your stabalizer bushings,center link,tie rids,and idler arm. if your steering system has worn parts or too much play,it could be forcing the steering gear to go to far one way or the other.Sometimes that can be the cause of a leak

thats great information dude thanks,Ill post when I finish installing it umless I have trouble.

thats cool i hope you get it done.after you get it all installed,go have it computer aligned,and you will not believe the difference it will make