PAS leaking

[Redman]

Small power steering fluid leak from RHS of rack - bottom half of rubber concertina cover is wet plus drips onto horn. Is there a "common " / readily examined and hopefully fixed issue? Possible to check the seals on the rack without removing it? I've looked through the other threads but can see nothing adddressing this. Thanks.

[chris420sa]

Hi Gordon - I had a similar problem. I suggest that you first check that there's no leakage from the various unions of the high and low pressure pipes containing the PS fluid and also check the level in the pump reservoir after filling to the "hot" mark on the dipstick/cover when the engine is hot. You'll need to drive the car a good few kms to check if the level has then reduced.
I had a similar problem which resulted in having to remove the rack (front wheels lifted, bonnet stay removed and bonnet restrained by a wire to the safety catch on the bulkhead, drain coolant, remove horns, remove radiator, ....) and getting it refurbished by a guy in Chatham who's been rebuilding PS and manual racks for about 40 years and who charged about £300 which is far less than others I investigated. I can provide his contact details if you PM me. I think he accepts courier delivery. Before re-fitting the recon rack and adding new track rod ends, I would also suggest you check the anti-roll bar for play and replace the various rubber bushes. It took 2 of us to refit the rack (you need those open ended "ring wrenches" to get proper access to the unions at the steering side ...and be careful not to cross thread them). You'll then have to reset the toe-in. If you have wire wheels, most garages can't do the toe-in as the spinners interfere with the laser beam. I used the parallel strings method (on Facebook as I recall) and that worked reasonably well with some later fine adjustment to ensure the steering wheel was in the straight position when driving straight.
More advice available if required.
Good luck
Chris

[lowact]

Yep, sounds like rack might have to be overhauled. Is it LHD? Is the boot full of fluid? Has the rack been overhauled recently, just prior to the leakage occurring?

[abowie]

I had some success on my XJS with a product that claims to stop PAS leaks. Surprisingly, it did!

https://www.repco.com.au/oils-fluids/ad ... medium=cpc

[Redman]

ColinL: yes, LHD (does this make a difference?); rack not specifically refurbed to my knowledge though a lot of work was fine on car in period 2010-2020 before I bought it; have not yet looked at boot but will do now.
Chris: that's good info. Thanks. Will examine and then get back to you.

Gordon.

[lowact]

LHD means for you the leak is from the non-pinion end. When reassembling the rack, if the hole in the piston stop (31) is not sufficiently aligned, the consequence can be leakage from the non-pinion end.