Rack and Pinion Going

[Jaice]

My 89 3.3V6 Century is making a crackling from around the power steering pump, at first just when you turn the wheel in gear at stand still or low speeds, but now, even when the car is at stand still in gear. My dad told me is was probably rack and pinion. Yesterday, I noticed power steering fluid seems to be leaking from a line under the car(2 lines inside it) My question is , is the rack and pinion going or could it be the bushings or power steering pump?

[bignoisey]

You also might want to check the tie rod ends for wear, or possibly even the ball joints or bushings in the front suspension. They are a lot easier to change than the rack. But the leak ought to be attended to in any case. First look carefully and find the source of the leak. I had a seal leaking in one end of the rack in my 86 Century and ended up having to replace it. The boot will fill up with fluid if so. You could have this leak, or the steering shaft seal could be leaking. But if only the PS fluid lines from the pump are loose, you can tighten them. There are other leak possibilities in the pump assembly. One way to find the leak would be to have someone in the driver's seat and with the engine running crank the steering all the way to develop max pressure on the entire system. Then look for active leaks in obvious places.
But in any case, keep an eye on your PS fluid level until you fix it. You can steer (with effort) without PS assist, but a dry pump won't last long at all, and will eventually leave you stranded when it freezes up.