I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a water pump issue- actually it was a belt issue that was traced to the water pump. That's fixed- thanks for all your help. Issue #2. I didn't mention it at the time, but my steering went out as well. I had some extra emergency fluid in the van (it had been leaking a little, so I had some of the "Lucas stop leak" stuff), but this time the resevoir was *dry*. Got it home and noticed the engine compartment was _covered_ with fluid. Problem is, I'm not sure where the leak is. I was hoping for the tubing, but I think it's the RnP.

I cleaned it up and took some pictures, but am not sure how to upload them. Basically, there seems to be fluid appearing on the front side of the black seal of the RnP, where the steering column enters, just above the hoses. On the driver's side of the seal, the black seal appears to be folded down into the RnP. It's kinda hard to explain, but it's like the shaft came up, then went back down again, taking the edge of the seal with it.

Question: What should I do now? Is my RnP toast? I can deal with PS pump issues (I hope), but changing a RnP is really out of my league, at least as far as I can tell.

'92 aerostar, 4.0L, AWD. AC+P/S (and new water pump...)

 

You might try some P/S StopLeak and see if it rejuvenates the seals, otherwise you may be looking at a new rack

 

If the seal has been blown away from the gaps it's supposed to be sealing, you have no choice but to pull it out and repair or replace it. (No amount of stop-leak is going to fix that.) I've never pulled out the R&P gear from my 4wd Aerostar before, but it looks like a bear. If anyone here has done that already, maybe they can post details and make that a sticky?