I bought my rebuilt title TA back in 2011 with 75k on it. It’s got around 92ish on it now? Anyway I haven’t gotten to drive it much the last few years and I’m hoping to change that this year so I got under there for an oil change and I got more problems than I thought.

im pretty good at working on cars, biggest thing I’ve done on this was swapping out the clutch back in like 2013 probably. I say this to make the point I’m by no means a mechanic but not afraid to tear stuff apart.

power steering is a little low but looks like it’s been leaking for a while, just don’t know where from, although the passenger side hose from the reservoir definitely seems to be an issue. That’s the one on the left of this photo looking wet
Not sure what this bar is called that controls the steering that’s covered in grease, also not sure if it’s actually leaking or being leaked onto, although the compression fitting (I think) looks to have an excessive amount of build up around it so that may be a culprit. Grease continues on to the underside of the boot shown in right side of photo.
Oil pan possibly leaking? I don’t notice any excessive loss of oil, although I really don’t drive it enough to where I would. Find it hard to believe it’s NOT leaking tho based on how the build up looks here…
Radiator hose looks wet. This looks to be a welcomed small leak. Not really sure how it would leak tho unless there’s a tiny pin hole in it or something. Front passenger wheel. I’ve never greased these. Can it be leaking from the zerk itself? There’s build up quite a ways if that’s the case. What needs to be fixed here?
Noticed the (i think this is the harmonic balancer) has a bunch of chips missing it out of the side of it. Have no idea how long it’s been like this, possibly since I bought the car.
Back side of transmission. I don’t even remember if there was a gasket in here, or maybe rtv gasket maker is what was called for here? Can’t remember but certainly not looking forward to fixing this, as it also definitely appears to be leaking.
Yet another fun surprise. Is this as simple as removing the cover, new gasket, and reinstall with new gear lube? Car makes about 350 to the wheel, as much as I’d love to do something more with the car power wise I probably won’t, so idk if upgrading to the ford 9 bolt is worth while.
At least this is an easy fix. Bump stops look like this on both sides. Driver side might be even worse. Question is can this happen from them just being 20+ years old, them actually being used(contact with Axel) or combination of both? Also is there a preferred replacement?



admittedly I haven’t done much research on these topics but I figure there’s so much leaking here it’s post worthy lol


in all of your opinions, what’s the first thing I should be focusing on here? Definitely want to start ordering some parts and getting this car back to where it belongs.

 

This may turn into a useful thread for others, so I’ll attach links here.

here’s a good, as well as recent thread on bump stops
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspensio...l#post20543457

 

First pic moisture on the power steering lines doesn’t look bad.

second pic moisture from the steering rack doesn’t look bad.

oil pan looks like most of them

radiator hose might have a pin hole. It’s not wet where the rubber meets the metal.

tie rod end looks like most after use

that’s the power steering pulley. Pretty nackered up, wonder how that happened?

last pic looks like u need both diff cover gasket and yoke seal.


Most can be ignored. I’d fix it all personally cause I love fixing ****. It’s just some gaskets, hoses, and seals.

 

yea it’s probably all been looking like this for quite a while. I like having things in order and like you I like to fix things, my big issue is the time to do it lol

good to hear it all looks pretty normal, just means they all look pretty crappy imo lol

x2 on the power steering pulley, that’s the last thing I expected to see

its Always a back and forth battle for me with this car as to how much money/time I want to put into it as it’s really not a garage queen yet that’s the purpose this car serves in my life at this point. But with the rebuilt title and everything leaking the way it is I’m not going to get much for it anyway most likely, so may as well start fixing piece by piece

 

if i was just gunna drive it and not worry about some old small time leaks, id get a new pulley and put a new rad hose/clamp on it, get new bumpstops , check and fill everything after that and just enjoy driving it. or lie to myself and say yep been wanting to do a s-60 rear so thatll fix my rear end leak........ yep been wanting to put forged rotating assy in this , might as well pull the motor and ill re gasket it then......... might as well put a new clutch and good driveshaft while im at it........ it just never seems to stop.

 

This all normal. The rack and pinion leaks slowly over time as does the pressure hose that feeds it. The pressure hose has very high pressure hydraulic fluid in it as does the rack and pinion. If it bothers you, you can clean this stuff up with brake cleaner and a rag. No need to worry until you notice drips underneath the car or the grease turns into something that looks like a squirrel that has been dipped into a vat of motor oil.

The one thing that WOULD be worth doing if you haven't before is flushing the P/S fluid from the system. The best method I have seen is to:
- Pull the bad fluid out of the reservoir with a turkey baster or ear bulb.
- Unhook the return hose from the bottom of the reservoir and put it into a container so it drains out there.
- Put a short length of hose or cap on the return port of the reservoir so it holds fluid. Fill with clean fluid.
- With the engine off and the front wheels jacked up, turn the steering lock-to-lock. This will pump the clean fluid through the system. Keep the reservoir full so air bubbles don't get in.
- Keep pumping until clear fluid runs out of the return hose into your container.
- Drain the reservoir with a turkey baster. Hook the return hose back up. Refill the reservoir with clean fluid - and GO!

Your oil pan gasket might also be leaking. Again, this isn't a big deal and is normal. (Unless you see drips underneath the car.)


This could be your water pump going bad. There is a weep hole on the bottom of the pulley shaft that drips onto the A/C compressor. It could be flinging fluid up onto the hose. You might move the clamp, clean everything up and watch it to see if the pattern develops consistent with this and if there are other drips. Look at the bottom of your starter, sometimes the weeping gets over there also.


This is a normal tie rod end. Wipe it with a rag, Grease the fitting and you are all set!


That should be the pulley on your Power Steering pump. It's plastic. Take off the belt, rent a proper pulley remover, and replace. You can get a new plastic one or there are aftermarket metal ones on the market.


Nothing there looks shocking, bad or out of place for a car with 100K miles. Wipe with brake cleaner and a towel.


This is normal maintenance. Your diff fluid needs to be changed. As a part of this process, you'll take the cover off, clean it, put on a new gasket and seal it. The fact that you are at this point is a call-out that your fluid hasn't been changed - probably ever. You are overdue.


Like you said. Easy fix. You are in good shape for 20 years and 100K miles. You have lots of options and you'll find many threads on this topic by searching this site.

 

great info here. Thanks! The diff fluid definitely hasn’t been changed by me, guessing not by PO either.

I’ll be starting there, and flushing the PS system, give everything a good wipe down and reassess after that.

 

You might also start thinking about a new P/S pulley. That one isn't going to get better by itself.