Hi,
Went under the truck today to replace the starter and noticed my steering box is leaking. I have fluid in the steering pump above but oil stain all over the place around the steering box!

Trying to decide what to do? Rebuild the steering box,just change the seal,get a rebuilt from Ford or NAPA????

What are you guys doing when faced with this? Thanks!

 

clean it up and find the source of the leak before you start buying parts it could just be a hose

 

When I picked up my 89 350 it had a loud power steering pump with a i/2 a coke can for a cap, a milky substance for fluid, and a leaking gearbox.

I replaced all hoses, pump from Autozone, rebuilt Motorcraft gearbox from Rockauto, and a TRW pitman arm from Rock.

Torque pitman arm to 200 ft. lbs.

Flush out cooler heat exchanger and used a returnline filter.

Use OEM spec. fluid specified in you owners manual only.

 

see if resivour is cracked sometimes near return line hook up. clean it off with some gunk and start truck up and look around sounds like you changed everything, are you sure its power stering fluid or oil from a/c compressor?

 

Hi,
Yea you guys are right! I'll clean everything with degreaser and then see if I can find where it's coming from! I might be jumping to conclusions! It might be a hose,didn't even think of that! Ha! Thanks!

 

Before spending all that money check this out it could just be the top seal on the box. But to know for sure and to know were any other leaks are coming from. Check this out.

 

I had a bad leak at the hoses that ran down all over everything under the PS pump. All I had to do was replace the hoses. I did them both at the same time just for convenience.

A few years later, I developed a leak at the box itself, leaking from the shaft where the pitman arm bolts up to. I pulled the box and replaced the seal with a new one from Napa. It was maybe 5 bucks at the time, and 30 min of work to get the box out and back on.

 

Want to know a way to locate a leak in seconds and it works every were every time oil antifreeze gear oil gas transmission vacuum line leaks you name it real easy to locate. And fast. Just click on the name Ultimate above and on profile page click on pitcher to right of page for full description and plenty working pitchers. Click on Ultimate Auto above it will take you to profile page on right side of page click on the pitcher and it will give good description of the tool.

 

Um...no thanks. I have never needed a 'leak detector' to find the source of a fluid leak. Clean off the area and keep an eye on it watching for the source of the leak to appear. The only time(s) I needed help was from a smoke machine (if it was working) for small EVAP emissions faults.

 

You know that's great that all you have to do is wipe off the spot and then wait to locate the leak. My tool uses dye in its solution that when smoking it will locate a pin hole in any vacuum line hose seal gasket or you name it. That the naked eye can't locate. That's why I built and patented the tool. I had a leak setting the check engine light on the dash And I searched from one end of the vehicle to the other end with no luck finding the leak. Turns out the leak was a pin hole so small you couldn't see smoke from my smoke machine coming out the hole but when shining the ultra violet light on the hose the location was located. This machine can push through a full radiator and locate a leak on the back side of the water pump. You know what I am talking about the gasket on the back of the pump covering the pump blades. Were in most cases you wouldn't think to look much less see with but in this case the smoke leaks out and makes it very easy to locate the lowest bolt on the water pump the one you cant even see with a mirror. You can put this output into the rear end fill plug and see any seepage that hasn't became a leak yet on the axle seals or the rear end itself. You can stick the output in the tail pipe and see all the connection pieces that are leaking by the dye staining the seepage in the pieces as they come together it will stain any cracked welds with the dye but I am sure you as well can locate those with your eye just by looking at them. It will continue up the tail pipe and mark with dye any leaks in the exhaust manifolds then it will go in through any open valve into the intake manifold marking every leak on map sensors purge valves and every thing mounted to the manifold. You can put a piece of saran wrap over the carburetor or venture fuel injected and see if the mounting gasket on the manifold is leaking or not. From there it will go into the cooling system and into the valve covers and the oil pan where it will mark every leak every were but I am sure you could just wipe it off and wait for the leak to show itself. To mention a few of the uses with the dye added to the mineral oil that the smoke is made from by the way did you know mineral oil is a petroleum by product so if you were worried about residue don't its already through your system. And one last thing I added a regulator that allows less then a ½ pound of pressure as not to damage the pressure sensor in the gas tank if you were checking out the evaporation system in the vehicle. But if your eye works fine for you then I am truly happy for you in your leak locating. Myself I will be adding the mineral oil dye solution output line at 3/8 psi to the tail pipe and you know I caYou know that's great that all you have to do is wipe off the spot and then wait to locate the leak. My tool uses dye in its solution that when smoking it will locate a pin hole in any vacuum line hose seal gasket or you name it. That the naked eye can't locate. That's why I built and patented the tool. I had a leak setting the check engine light on the dash And I searched from one end of the vehicle to the other end with no luck finding the leak. Turns out the leak was a pin hole so small you couldn't see smoke from my smoke machine coming out the hole but when shining the ultra violet light on the hose the location was located. This machine can push through a full radiator and locate a leak on the back side of the water pump. You know what I am talking about the gasket on the back of the pump covering the pump blades. Were in most cases you wouldn't think to look much less see with but in this case the smoke leaks out and makes it very easy to locate the lowest bolt on the water pump the one you cant even see with a mirror. You can put this output into the rear end fill plug and see any seepage that hasn't became a leak yet on the axle seals or the rear end itself. You can stick the output in the tail pipe and see all the connection pieces that are leaking by the dye staining the seepage in the pieces as they come together it will stain any cracked welds with the dye but I am sure you as well can locate those with your eye just by looking at them. It will continue up the tail pipe and mark with dye any leaks in the exhaust manifolds then it will go in through any open valve into the intake manifold marking every leak on map sensors purge valves and every thing mounted to the manifold. You can put a piece of saran wrap over the carburetor or venture fuel injected and see if the mounting gasket on the manifold is leaking or not. From there it will go into the cooling system and into the valve covers and the oil pan where it will mark every leak every were but I am sure you could just wipe it off and wait for the leak to show itself. To mention a few of the uses with the dye added to the mineral oil that the smoke is made from by the way did you know mineral oil is a petroleum by product so if you were worried about residue don't its already through your system. And one last thing I added a regulator that allows less then a ½ pound of pressure as not to damage the pressure sensor in the gas tank if you were checking out the evaporation system in the vehicle. But if your eye works fine for you then I am truly happy for you in your leak locating. Myself I will be adding the mineral oil dye solution output line at 3/8 psi to the tail pipe and you know I can locate pretty much every leak the vehicle has in about ½ hour. Well that's putting the leak solution to work it may take you a little longer to locate all the leaks the smoke and dye has produced with the ultra violet light. P/S that goes for the steering gear box as well.But then you can just wipe it off and wait for the leak I have alread located in moments.

 

Hopefully you will find that the lines are leaking since they are cheap relative to the steering gear. I went through three Napa pumps and never did find one I was happy with but they wouldn't warranty the last one. If I remember right- one had a bent shaft, another didn't have any pressure and the last one was very noisy. The Napa steering gear felt vague. The steering was heavy and didn't have good on center feel even compared to the worn out and leaking OEM box that I was replacing.

 

If you should choose to replace the box, DO NOT USE THE ATSCO BOX (or pump!) from Pep Boys or ANYWHERE! They are JUNK! I have just spent the past few weeks in sheer fear while driving because of them! The pump I put in had a bad bearing from the start: The steering box had 2" OF PLAY! Not acceptable- I felt like the truck was barely drivable: I replaced it yesterday with another rebuilt, this time a Motorcraft one from Rock Auto, and it is almost like new! maybe 3/4" play, IF that much, at the bottom of the wheel. I can drive with two FINGERS, not two hands, again. I boxed the Atsco one as the core, and do better with the core charge than returning it for my money back! I only had maybe 200 miles on that ATSCO POS.

Never buying that junk brand again.

Scott

 

Dude, way to hijack a thread to write a novel promoting your product. I've reported you to the moderators and encourage others to do the same.

 

Sorry, but I am NOT promoting "my product". I am giving my opinion of the crap I purchased, and my opinion of the good quality part I replaced it with.. I am OFFENDED you do not realize that PART of the purpose of a forum is to TELL OTHERS when you have found unreliable junk or good parts, to HELP THEM. I have NO FINANCIAL INTEREST- simply trying to help a guy with a leak. And you call it a "novel" IF I gave you the WHOLE story, and I now SHALL, you would have a better understanding of the LIVING, DRIVING HELL I have had to put up with, and WHY I do not want my friends to be so encumbered.

About two months ago, during torrential rains in the Philadelphia area, I hit a 3 lane wide puddle at about 50- the resulting jet wash of water against the undercarriage blasted some ages old gunk from the sector shaft of my factory original steering box. This uncovered a leak in the sector shaft seal, which seems to have been plugged by said gunk, and not presenting a problem. I attempted to replace the seal: Unfortunately, I destroyed a pitman arm puller attempting to remove that part, and went to Pep Boys to see if they could replace the seal. They told me they had the same problem, and recommended replacing the box due to wear (200k miles plus) etc. I figured they had a point, so I ordered a Cardone from Rock. It arrived, I got it in place, and THEN found the sector shaft threads were damaged- it had apparently been dropped before shipping. I could not repair them, and the leak was worse in my old box, which I had to put back. I shipped the Cardone unit back, and went to Pep Boys to buy one off the shelf there, because the leak was so bad I would fill it at home, drive 12 miles to work, and then have to refill it again. This went on until I replaced the box- by which time the factory original pump had burned itself out. So I bought a pump, too. (Replaced the lines as well... May as well have a complete job.) I properly installed all the above, carefully filled, bled and set up the system, and started driving the truck. The steering pump made an awful bad-bearing chirp, but the parts manager at Pep Boys, along with the tag from the pump assured me it made noise until broken in. The chirp only got worse, and never went away. Meanwhile, the POS steering box had a good 2 INCHES of play, measured at the cover split at the bottom of the wheel- MORE than my 1942 Dodge WC 51 with manual steering box... So I figured maybe it was a pump issue- insufficient flow, or other, so I ordered a Motorcraft replacement, as I figured I was tired of doing this job. It arrived, I put it in, and returned the junk one. (Got my money and core charge back) Pump was a lot quieter(though still has a normal break in whine, no chirps) but I still had the play. Driving at normal highway speeds, on a reduce lane width section of I-95 DAILY, was terrorizing for me- It wandered like a drunken sailor, and I was two fist and white knuckling the wheel to keep it in my lane... I got used to it, but hated driving it every day. It was NOT the way my truck has always been.

So I had to wait for payday, and ordered the Motorcraft rebuilt steering box. I had had enough of everyone else's rebuilts. Sorry. I can NOT afford them, but HAD TO. It arrived yesterday afternoon, and I put that box right in. Took for a test drive last night, then spent some time sitting with my 85 year old mother, who just had open heart surgery. Today I had the truck out for the first time with BOTH good components in place- and it was a DREAM. She handles pretty well now. I was doing highway speeds, and had NO fear for my life- she maintained her lane VERY well. I was quite happy with the result. Went about 25 miles, multiple surfaces, speeds, etc. My truck is, for the most part, back... And I feel I owe it to the better parts I purchased.

So NO- I am NOT "selling" anything- I am giving a valid product report, as a result of seeing a thread about something I had experienced, in order to save someone else trouble in the long run. As it is, I probably spent twice as much- time, energy, money- as I would have if someone had told ME first about the dubious "quality" of that junk brand.

There's your fricking novel. And if you notice, I've been here for a good while. I don't post often, but usually try to post stuff others can use.


Or were you referring to the guy with the patent comment(which I just noticed... lol... Oops.) Hope you enjoyed the info...

Scott

 

Hey ng19delta, you might want to reread his post and whom it directed toward.