power steering leak
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From: Gainesville, Denton TX
power steering leak Anyone else have any problems with their pump leaking?
Mine seems to be building alot of pressure within the tank, and its driving me crazy. I have tried more fluid, less fluid, etc. Still coming out of the cap, or somewhere, as it gets on the belt and flings up onto the bottom of the hood.
I guess I might try the powersteering stop leak stuff, but any other advice is needed.
Mine seems to be building alot of pressure within the tank, and its driving me crazy. I have tried more fluid, less fluid, etc. Still coming out of the cap, or somewhere, as it gets on the belt and flings up onto the bottom of the hood.
I guess I might try the powersteering stop leak stuff, but any other advice is needed.
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From: Midland, TX
I'd check your lines first visually by getting under the car. If you don't see any specific place where the leak is coming from, squeeze the hose while looking for the leak. This should expose any holes in the lines. More than likely, you have good hoses but bad ends on them. The only way you can change the end is to replace the whole line. I would just go to you local auto store (cheaper than GM and good quality) and get the Power Steering Pressure Hose and Return Hose. After replacing these two. If you have leaks still, check the resevoir for any cracks or for a faulty cap on the pump. Many people don't know that the cap is designed with a seal to prevent this. If your seal is bad, then you'll have a leak. 90% of the time its just the hoses or cap, but if its not and its not the resevoir either then you may need to look at a new pump.
Make sure to remove your alternator before doing any of this. You may also want to buy some cleaner designed specifically for the electronics in alternators and starters. I'm sure you have some fluid inside it since its directly below the power steering pump. Just make sure to keep oil out of the alternator or it will fail prematurely and if its an aftermarket with a warranty, the warranty will be void because they'll look at it and see that the oil caused it to fail, not because it was a faulty product.
Make sure to remove your alternator before doing any of this. You may also want to buy some cleaner designed specifically for the electronics in alternators and starters. I'm sure you have some fluid inside it since its directly below the power steering pump. Just make sure to keep oil out of the alternator or it will fail prematurely and if its an aftermarket with a warranty, the warranty will be void because they'll look at it and see that the oil caused it to fail, not because it was a faulty product.
my 98 had a leak that took me awhile to find. turns out that the metal pipe in the middle of the upper radiator hose has the power steering fluid cooler built in to it. it was leaking into my cooling system. I replaced the pipe and flushed both the power steering and cooling systems, problem solved. A good way to check is a radiator pressure tester (free loan from autozone). Attach it to the radiator and pressurize the system, then look for air bubbles in the power steering fluid resovoir. I don't think the later models have the same cooler setup - don't know what year you have.
inspect the cap. if it seems to be in proper working order and you think you can trust it, then dont go buying things you dont need. but if it makes you feel better, spend the 2 or 3 bux and get a new one, no big deal. I dont think its his lines because he said its coming from the cap and spraying on the hood. Your best bet will be to pressure test the power steering system. its a rather easy and quick procedure. if u arent up to the task, i would get it done. are there bubbles in the system? this would mean you have too much air and u need to bleed the system. im not sure how often power steering pumps go out on LS1 cars but this is something you might be looking at.
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From: Gainesville, Denton TX
Thanks for the advice.
Tips/procedure on bleeding the P/S system?
Also on pressure testing?
I'll try to snag a new GM cap, or equiv, but the only one I've seen was like $30 bucks or so. I'll try that along with bleeding the system.
Tips/procedure on bleeding the P/S system?
Also on pressure testing?
I'll try to snag a new GM cap, or equiv, but the only one I've seen was like $30 bucks or so. I'll try that along with bleeding the system.
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yeah as 6spd said, there has to be a cheaper one. have you checked autozone or napa? might not be OEM but it works. First off i would try the new cap. make sure you have enuff fluid in the resovoir and see how it goes. if the same thing is happening, its time to pressure test the power steering system. this will require a special tool that im not sure autozone lends out. u may have to check around for it, or you may have to take it in. also, this might be a dumb question but is anyone turning the wheel a lot while the car is off? this would cause fluid to come back to the resovoir and overfill it. But also before i forget, the next time u see its still leaking, (if it is) turn the car back on if its off, and make sure that cap is tight. now with the engine idling, take off the cap, it there are a lot of bubbles and its overflowing that means its time to bleed the system. if that happens to be ur case, ill explain that later, i wouldnt want to confuse u more then i probably already did. good luck man! god i love not working during college ha ha... i have alllll day to do nothing! 
