So, my '92 has surfaced yet another problem, there is power steering fluid leaking. Looked under my truck and I can see fluid on the undersides of the gas tanks, the undercarriage, and in the wheel well of the driver's side of the bed. I replaced the power steering hose a while back, as that was leaking. But that isn't the case this time. All of the hoses going into the pump look fine. Could the pump itself be leaking?

 

It could be the O-ring on the pump reservoir, also take a look at the sector shaft seal above the pitman arm..

 

check and replace the o-ring.

however your fuel tanks are to far back to be getting wet from the power steering fluid.

Also just an FYI the power steering pump doesn't take power steering fluid... the pump actually takes ATF type F!

 

The sector shaft seal on my '89 F250 (D44) was leaking, and I rebuilt my steering gear with new seals and bearings. Your steering box should be the same kind as mine.

The instructions that come with the rebuild kit suck. Here is a good writeup:
4x4.forensick.net: '88 bronco: steering box rebuild

In addition to the link above, I'll tell you that the 4 teflon seals on the worm drive are a b*tch to replace. I boiled my new seals for 5 mins before installing, that softened them up a bit. I also cut a piece of aluminum from a beer can and wrapped it around the worm drive and greased it ... then I could slide the teflon seals over the aluminum to their proper groove. As soon as I put the new teflon seal on, I used a hose clamp on the seal it to "compress" it back to normal size in it's groove. That's important, because if you don't compress them into the groove, you won't be able to insert the worm drive into the valve housing.

The paragraph above won't make any sense to you until you actually get into the steering box. Then it will all be clear.

Another thing ... my sector shaft seal was leaking because the surface of the shaft where the seal made contact was pitted and roughed up pretty bad. I used 220 grit paper, followed by 400 and 2000 grit wet/dry paper to smooth out and polish the sealing surface of the sector shaft.

It works beautifully now with no leaks.

 

Not according to my owners manual for a 1994......I'm not calling you out...Just saying what the manual recommends....

 

haynes manual and the O'reillys computer both said ATF type F... And the rebuilt A1-Cardone power steering pump I bought had red fluid in it...

3 sources was enough for me to put the ATF in mine...

 

Alright thanks guys.. I'm not too mechanically inclined so I'll try to look and see if I can find the source of the leak... and my truck is a regular cab long box, and I am almost 100% sure that the stuff that 's sprayed all over the front gas tank and undercarriage is power steering fluid. And I know it's supposed to take ATF but all I had on hand was PS fluid. I had to fill it up the reservoir last night cause it was bone dry, now it's about half gone today already! I might just have my shop take a look at it when it's in the shop for some EGR crap that needs to be replaced.

 

what engine do you have???

Here is a DIY thread for a PSP replacement if you want to do it yourself. The pics in the thread are for a 4.9 300 I6 but it's the same principle for all of them. You might also want to look into a Saginaw pump. They last longer and run quieter...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...placement.html

 

Not calling you out Wes but why didn't you or any of the other guys call me out when I did the PSP replacement thread if the PSP takes ATF???? Jim actually makes reference to the ATF being the right viscosity and working better with the seals in out pumps...

PS: i'm just giving you crap!

 

Mine is a 302 5.0 V8. I would like to replace the pump myself, if that's the problem, and would especially love to put in a saginaw, but unfortunately I don't find much time to work on my truck due to work and college right now.

Some pics of the resulting leak:

 

[double post]

 

UPDATE: Found out from my shop today that my return line on the power steering pump is leaking and so that needs to be replaced. I'd rather do it myself to save some $$$ but how do I go about replacing it?

 

It's a simple fix....IIRC, you'll need the return hose, and some wrenches...

Simply remove the old line, and replace....Easy as that...

 

Great, thanks for the help.

 

The hoses, bought as a set, costed me about $65 IIRC....I replaced them both on my 1994....High and low sides at the same time....Just easier to put new crap on...lol

It's literally as simple as it looks and sounds....


WORD OF WARNING....Soak the nuts with PB Blaster, or Seafoam Deep Creep....Makes removal a TON easier...

And when re-installing the new ones...a tad of grease on the fittings' threads....helps keep rust away.....Any further issues won't result in broken/mangled lines...