"Weepy" leak on power steering rack.

[mrsilv04]

It appears that I have a "weepy" leak where the high pressure line from the power steering pump connects to the power steering rack. It doesn't leak enough to drip, but it has slowly coated everything around (and lower than it) in the vicinity with a layer of fluid... which over time has attracted sand, dirt, you name it.

So, in that connection, is there an o-ring that could be bad? Get on it with a wrench and make sure it is good and tight?

 

[Olas]

It might be an Oring, or it could be a flared fitting or an olive or plenty of other types of fitting.

The easiest way to find out for sure is to get a drip tray under there and pull the line off to see how it seals. If something is obviously missing/damaged then repair/replace, otherwise put a new line on with some PTFE tape on the threads.

Oh and hit the area with brake cleaner afterwards to get all that nasty mess out of there

 

[eljefino]

Flares don't just spontaneously leak. I suspect you have a seal where the steering shaft comes down into the "box" portion of your rack that is starting to weep. It's shooting up under that bellows thing and oozing back down.

Now may be a time to try maxlife.

 

[kd5byb]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Now may be a time to try maxlife.

+1. That's what I would try.

thanks,
ben

 

[Lubener]

That does not look bad enough to dive into. I would just keep the p.s. fluid up to level.

 

[mrsilv04]

Haven't updated this thread.

Finally made the time to take it back to the dealer, two trips actually. The first trip to inspect it, clean it up, and add some dye to the system... and the second trip to re-check it and use a UV light on it.

They're going to replace the rack and the high pressure line under warranty, and provide a rental car for one day.

$1,255 worth. So yeah, it was worth my time.

 

[ls1mike]

What car is that?

 

[mrsilv04]

Current generation Town and Country (2011-2015).

I only caught a glimpse of the paperwork for it, and saw that the price of the rack was shown as $555.