Power Steering Fluid Leak detection
 

Hi,

I have a leak in my Power Steering some place. The resevoir turned up empty a few days ago, I filled her up and it of course drained again. It does not appear to be leaking from the resevoir where I fill it (I think that's the pump too) and I can't find a puddle anywhere. So i need some help.

Where do the PS lines lead to? Is there a normal place where this problem occurs. Really any troubleshooting advice would be really helpful.

94 SE.

Thanks,

Bill

I've found that there are several styles of PS fluid cooling lines. There was one on my 93 that started at the steering rack and wandered around the subframe and ended up at the PS pump. If it was stretched out straight, it would have been over 10 feet long. Luckily, I found the leak easily as it was right up front. The one I used to replace the leaky one came off of a 93 SE parts car and contained a finned cooler and much smaller line. The finned cooler mounts to the right rear corner of the subframe, kinda below where a passenger's feet would be. According to my crash parts list, there are a couple more stules as well.

I would suggest following the supply and return lines from the rack from under the car. They are a little easier to trace that way. The supply line is more heavy duty than the return line so if your problem is caused by a rusted line, my money would be on the return line. If you completely lost fluid, I would expect to see some evidence of a leak. The reservoir has gotta hold close ot a pint of fluid.

Newbie here.

The rack I'll find up near the wheels? Based on what you've said about rust I can expect metal lines? it's a rubber hose coming from the res. If one is rusted out do I need to replace the entire thing or can I patch it somehow?

Thanks again

My PS was leakin to. It was the Master Brake Cylander for me had to replace that ...bouit 30 minutes and 80$

Sorry... I forgot I had pics. Both the supply and return/cooler lines will be a steel and rubber combination. Steel will be prevalant where the lines are secured to the subframe and rubber to and from the PS pump. This is to allow for engine movement. The steering rack is behind the engine mounted to the subframe. The lines screw into the rack just below the end of the steering column. The following are two styles of return/cooler lines.

Attachment 75620

Attachment 75621


Here's the best pic I have of the rack. It's the silver thing mounted to the rear of the subframe with the black accordion boots on either end. The end of the steering column is in that yellowish colored semi-transparent boot on the far right. the supply and return line are the 2 larger lines and screw into the rear below that boot.

Attachment 75622


Personally, I would replace the entire line if that is indeed what the problem. It's not a lot of fun getting PS fluid in your hair so I only wanted to do it once. I did use a compression fitting to repair a fuel line in my 90. The fuel line is pressurized to ~47 PSI which I would guess would be close to the pressure in the PS return line. I'm not certain on that though. If it is the supply line then definately replace it whole.

Hey, thanks for those pics, I think they will be helpful.

I don't quite understand how the brake Master is involved here but I would like to find out. I had the Master replaced just a few months back, maybe that's a place for me to look as well. Can someone explain the connection?

Thanks again guys.

Bill

I think he means the PS reservoir... I hope.

OK, bad news for me. it turns out that it's the Power Steering Fluid Cooler that is all rusted out and leaking. I believe this part comes with the High Pressure lines already attached, but I'm not sure about that, can anyone confirm? The local Meineke wants $350 to do the repair, it breaks down as $250 for the part and $100 for the labor. Autozone doesn't carry the part, they say it's a dealer only item. Can anyone give me the GM part number so I can possibly try to source it cheaper? Also, has anyone done this repair before, is it super hard? Looks like it's not too tough.

Lastly, what kind of damage will I do by driving the car with this leak? the fluid drains out pretty quickly now and I end up with manual steering in about 10 miles. Will I wreck the thing by driving it that way?

Thanks again,

Bill

Xaa, please see Randman's posts above the cooler lines are exactly what he is talking about. Also in his pictures

You might check GMpartsdirect.com for the parts. They are cheaper than any local dealer usually but you need to wait for the parts to come in.

Yep, it's the second shot he has with the cooler and the lines. the cooler part is just super rusted out and that's what is leaking. I can see from his pic and I already learned from the dealer that the lines come attached to the cooler. I got the part number from them 26042308 and ordered it from GMPartsDirect.

Here is the pricing breakdwon. Meineke told me $250 for the part, my GM Dealer told me $137 for it and GMPartsDirect sold it to me for $74.58. It comes to around $95 after shipping and tax, but still a great price.

OK, now someone just ttell me that this is a cake repair. :)