I've been working on my power steering for a little while. I've reed other threads about leaks and how to find them. Mine has been leaking slowly ever since I got it and has been getting progressively worse. I'm working on finding the leak and fixing it, but in the mean time I'm topping it off with fluid. It was I could add fluid and it would hold it for about a month or so before needing more. Now its every two days so I need to fix it soon.


My questions is when I was at the auto parts store buying additional fluid the guy working there said some older vehicles use ATF in the power steering pumps and not PSF. Is this correct and if so would using regular PSF damage the pump cause the leaks to get worse like they are. would using ATF help the pump in any way once the leaks are sealed? never had this brought up before.

 

I seem to recall reading in one of my repair books 79 and older Fords ran Type F automatic transmission fluid. I cannot recall what the 1980 and up Fords ran. I want to say I have ran power steering fluid in one of my two 1984 era trucks. My 84 IDI I'm pretty sure has dexron mercon ATF, either way I would imagine you would be fine as long as you don't mix two different fluids. Your leak is more than likely a bad pressure or return hose. I would wipe everything down with a rag and some brake cleaner. Top off the reservoir and have someone sit in the cab with the engine running, cycle the wheel several times lock to lock. Observe all the lines and fittings for leakage, it also could be the sector shaft seal (output shaft) of the steering gearbox. You may have to crawl under the front of the truck to see this, also while you're under there check the power steering cooler lines that are mounted to the front crossmember. In rustbelt states, these will get pinholes in them from rust. Lastly check the bottom side of the power steering pump for leaks as well. This may sound like a lot to look for, but there is really only so many places it can leak from. Once you've gotten that figured out, it wouldn't hurt to flush the system out before refilling it. When you are set to top things off I'd highly recommend adding a bottle of Lucas power steering fix. It reconditions the seals and quiets noisy pumps. I've ran Lucas products in all of my vehicles for years, it's awesome stuff.

 

This was the first step I tried when the leak was only a drip or two a day. I don't think It caused it to get worse so definitely a good idea once the leak is sealed. Just wasn't the correct fix for my problem at the time.

 

Yeah probably got a hole in one of the hoses, could even be a broken or loose hose clamp.

 

what is the hose that comes over the top of the pump and goes into the top just above the fill neck. Its a rubber hose the a metal line crimped to it that going into the pump. On the pump the line can freely rotate. Is that normal or could this be a loose connection?
I added a picture of a pump that shows the hose connection I'm talking about.
*Note: this pic is from Google. its not my truck. I don't have a picture of it on the computer I'm using

 

That is the pressure line and it is normal for it to rotate.

 

Mine ended up being the pressure line was loose in the housing, o-ring later it was fixed. I run atf in my power steering, always have. Some older fords specified it due to the higher pressure. ATF wont foam like power steering fluid will.

 

I've found that PS fluid is too thin and will make the pump a lot more noisy than ATF.

Leak wise, I had a bad leak that ended up being the steering box. That was a right pain to replace...

 

I'll second on that one, just put a new gearbox in my father in law's 90 2wd 1/2 ton. It probably wouldn't have been as bad except for the fact that this is a rust belt truck. Getting things apart was the hardest part, in that particular situation. If you have to go that far, replace all the rubber hoses too.

 

Air entrapment will make them whine, probably what was going on.

 

I know that. But no, that wasn't the problem here. I'm not going to go through all the troubleshooting and such I went through, but suffice to say, TypeF ATF quieted things down a lot compared to PS fluid.
Admittedly, the load on my PS pump is higher due to the hydroboost inline, so it might not be needed on some others.

 

I run ATF in all my Fords, actually slowed down a gear box leak on my motorhome.

 

The owner's manuals of the four Ford trucks we've owned all call(ed) for ATF in the power steering. Hydroboost may be another animal, however. Consulting the owner's manual of a truck that came stock with hydroboost might shed some light.

 

Quick update on the power steering:


Its been while but I did manage to get under the truck and clean up the fluid to try to identify where the leak was from. All the pressure lines and return lines remained clean and actually 90% of what I cleaned remained clean. However the leak was still there and I could not pin point it.


My question now Is that while inspecting the system I found that the fluid reservoir can wiggle on the back of the pump. I don't believe this is normal and I think it could be leaking from the bottom of there. I cant see it due to the wheel well being in the way.


When I saw wiggle, I can take the fill neck and rotate it about 2 degrees freely. Is that normal??? and if its not what the best way to fix it?
Thank you.

 

I think thats normal