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2G Leaking power steering fluid

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Turbolence56

Proven Member
68
7
Jul 14, 2021
North_Carolina
I had some belt squeak going on around the power steering pump. Read it was notorious on these cars. So I tightened the belt tighter. Now having whining coming from pump when I turn. ( belt probably is too tight) but drove to work and found PS fluid on the floor, about a small amount half a cup maybe.

need to look into the leaking. Read it could be coming from the upper bolt o-rings, reservoir, or down by the fitting on the steering rack. It dropped cleanly down by the drivers tire.

any other ideas. Will look in a bit to see where exactly it’s leaking from. This crap always happens when I’m at work 😂
 
Yeah I thought about doing that. Might have to wait a bit though. Till I’m done with my masters class, and have more consecutive days off. For the time being I’m going to add fluid and find out exactly where it’s leaking from
 
So I had a chance to look at it after work. With a flashlight. It looks like it’s leaking up on the top out of the reservoir as I see a bunch of fluid below the reservoir underneath and on the lines. It’s also around the actual reservoir canister.

leads me to believe the fluid is getting pushed back up and out the top cap aRea.
I never noticed it leaking before until I tightened the PS belt a week ago. Could a belt that’s to tight push fluid back up the reservoir? Or is the suction hose or one of the hoses coming out of the reservoir clogged?

any ideas? Not leaking out the higher pressure lines or any lines that I can see on the actual pump itself. I topped off the fluid. It wasn’t to empty but the car off so it might need more when I actually start it and put pressure on the pump/ ps system
 
Mine was leaking at the reservoir also but not too bad. Just a little wet after its been driven. Replaced the cap and that fixed my issue. The cap does have a rubber seal on it. Probably doesn’t seal well when its 20+ years. It’s not a good idea to have the belt too tight as that puts pressure on the water pump and p/s pump.
 
for anyone that doesn't know, the power steering uses ATF (dexron), not power steering fluid.

leads me to believe the fluid is getting pushed back up and out the top cap

if its doing that it probably needs to be bleed.


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I'd start by replacing the soft lines/clamps. When you do that, it would also be a good time to flush with ATF and make sure you don't overfill.
The reservoir shouldn't ever overflow, even with a bad cap. If it is indeed overflowing, you may have an issue with the pump/check valve.
Does your fluid ever look milky or bubbly? Any issues with your power steering when driving?
 
Forgot to mention, I always error on the belt being too loose and gradually tighten it until it stops squealing. Too much tension, as already mentioned, can prematurely wear bearings and then you have bigger problems.
 
Have to look at it in the day time. Probably tomorrow when I’m off. I keep reading it uses ATF fluid, I bought some power steering fluid as that’s what I be always filled up power steering with. Read people have also used power steering fluid just fine. Will put atf in it if it’s truly needed.

fluid looks redish orange like atf fluid not milky. I drove it to work this morning it was tough to turn at start up obviously. Got to work turned car off and heard gurgling or bubbling, sounds. Looked at my drivers tire and saw red fluid about half a cup on the floor. Did the same thing the other day.

sounds like I need to bleed the system of air. Could it be getting to hot though, I do have an fmic? Also the belt does have a little deflection so it’s not THAT tight. Still squeaks sometimes.

so is the fluid to hot? Expanding and bubbling out the reservoir? Or is it all air and bubbling only when the pump/ car is off and just needs to be bleed well?

thanks for the responsive replies and bleed protocol.

I’m going to bleed it tomorrow and see if that fixes it. But the hot fluid idea is an interesting one. Never leaked out of the top before this issue though, but it did start whining before this all happened so it might have been low. Or leaking some place else. Will look into that as well.
 
Take a look at the bellows on the inner tierods and see if they are full or leaking fluid. That would indicate a leak inside the rack and could introduce air into the system, maybe causing the bubbles you are noticing. I doubt it's a heat issue.
 
I will take a look at the bellows and see if they are leaking. Could be a good possibility.
 
So I have been busy, and have not had time to look at the bellows on the rack. However I have been noticing fluid on the passenger side area when Parker for extended periods. I believe my rack is leaking. I filled up the PS res. But it still bubbles over, so air must be getting in from the passenger side bellows or line. I basically have no powersteering now, so in the mean time I want to remove the belt so it does leak anymore on my street / driveway. Will I have issues if I do this.

I keep reading that rack jobs on this car are a bi*** esp the gsx models. This car is starting to pissing me off though with nagging problems
 
2g with 1g 6 bolt swapped. Rack and stuff is 2g. I mean I’m a just remove the belt for now, the power steering pump works, when I fill it up car feels great and works like it is supposed to.

I tried bleeding it and dropped in about 1/2 a bottle of ATF. But it immediately spilled out the res. After driving and parking. I don’t drive the car supper often I work 12hr shifts at the hospital 3 days a week so sometimes it sits for 3 days straight. I have been noticing the drips more and more, on both sides of the front wheel areas. So I’m assuming it’s leaking from the bellows. Car has 168k on it so I’m not shocked.

Anyways when I get it up in the air I will truly see what’s going on. I hate leaking fluids LOL.
 
I hear you man. I’m the same way when it comes to leaks. If it’s leaking from both sides, it’s most likely the rack. I haven’t replaced one with everything still bolted up but yeah, it’s going to be a pita. Eric has a video but it’s on a 1g awd and idk how much it differs from a 2g. It’ll give you some idea

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So I have been busy, and have not had time to look at the bellows on the rack. However I have been noticing fluid on the passenger side area when Parker for extended periods. I believe my rack is leaking. I filled up the PS res. But it still bubbles over, so air must be getting in from the passenger side bellows or line. I basically have no powersteering now, so in the mean time I want to remove the belt so it does leak anymore on my street / driveway. Will I have issues if I do this.

I keep reading that rack jobs on this car are a bi*** esp the gsx models. This car is starting to pissing me off though with nagging problems
Sure sounds like the seal(s) inside the rack leaking and then allowing air in. Pulling the belt only disables the pump and probably won't eliminate the leak until all the fluid is gone. At least you won't damage the pump if it goes dry. It should be fine like that but keep in mind a non-functioning power steering system will be very difficult to operate at slow speeds, much more than a manual rack.

Not the easiest job to pull the rack but also very do-able to rebuild it in a weekend. Easier than a clutch, IMO. If they are still reusable, keep your tie rod ends tight on the tie rods and separate it at the joint so you don't have to get a front end alignment (assuming you reuse the tie rods). I was able to get my rack out (1g) with the stabilizer loose from the two mounts but still attached to the end links. I believe I had to pull the struts loose from the knuckle/hub assembly so the lower control arm could hang, but on a 2g I'm not sure. If the end links come loose easily, that might be a better option than pulling the strut. My end links were so rusted I had to cut them off when I decided to replace them.

If you decide to go with a reman, beware of the company Detroit Axle (search here for reasons why). Otherwise I believe there are still seal kits available. At least there were about a year ago when I bought one for my 1g. If you decide to rebuild it, be very careful when you insert the rack back into the hydraulic housing. Put some electrical tape or similar on the teeth of the rack so it doesn't damage your new seal as it slides through (don't ask me why I mention this :coy:).

With the joys of owning a DSM, you also get to experience a broad range of other emotions ;). Don't let it get you down. This is not as difficult as you think it might be.
 
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