well I was out looking for a job today as I just got fired (woot!) and after coming back I get out of the truck and what do I smell? Smells like my clutch/brakes/something is burning, so I pop the hood and start looking around feeling things, and notice a pool of black crap on top of my coil and on my air intake piping, keep looking and some more of that crap is on top of the power steering pump cap, its black and thick and smells burnt, does this mean I need to change the fluid in my pump...and why is it all over everything around it?

1995 F-150XL SC/SB
http://members.sounddomain.com/blind
5-Star Rated F-150 (Big Stereo)

 

Did your steering feel tight,like no power assist?It should have with P/s fluid everywhere,so you probably have a blown P/S line.Are you sure that it the P/S and not Engine oil?I'd clean off the engine and check to be sure and if it is,flush the system if the pump and gear are o.k.(scored internally).

 

steering is as normal but it has gotten louder when steering lately
Maybe it is oil, I'm not sure, my engine compartment is mud completely from the last time I went offroading, is it safe to just spray it with a hose at low pressure?

1995 F-150XL SC/SB
http://members.sounddomain.com/blind
5-Star Rated F-150 (Big Stereo)

 

Mine will do that if I try to steer really hard without the engine running. Mine usually blows the cap off though. As to why, I haven't figured it out yet.

 

My 86 used to blow the cap off the pump when it was new but now it doesn't do it anymore I guess because it leaks so bad. It was never overfilled and once did it while sitting in the yard idling, boy did it make a mess when this happened. I always wandered what caused it.

 

Had the same thing happen on my 95. It is oil in my case, and it was (is) coming out of the dipstick. Check to see if the top of the dipstick and dipstick tube is covered. Also, check around the PCV valve and base of the distributer for oil. You may want to replace the PCV valve anyway, it is cheap, and it fixed my problem for a while.

Les

 

Yea i have had 2 ford trucks that would always push the power steering cap of just a little bit like those 2 tangs didnt hold it on tight enough or it would come out of the little vent hole on the cap, anyone know why ford trucks do that ?