Is It A Power Steering Fluid Leak?

[harrylime]

My wife spotted some stains on my drive where my 400 had been parked. Playing a water jet on it, it does appear to be poil of some sort. I immediately thought of the power steering pump as a likely source. I checked the fluid level and it may be a bit low,it'.s up to the shoulder on the dipstick (first time checked since I bought the car)

I took the plastic trims from the engine bay near the rad to have a better look and cannot see any evidence of a leak. The bottom of the fluid reservoir is dry. I can't get my hand under the pump to check for wetness.The u shaped pipe at the front of the radiator looks corroded and needs replacing, but seems dry. Is this part available?

I plan to take it to my local garage to check underneath having removed the undertray, although I'm reluctant to drive it in case of damage to the alternator I'd appreciate ant tips or ideas.

Also, can anyone please recommend a suitable power steering fluid ? there is a type stamped on the reservoir lid, but I'm not familiar with it.

Thank you in advance

[Rupert Dubreaux]

Hugh hi ,use Dexron 3 ATF for your power steering ,not ordinary power steering fluid . The U shaped part is the fluid cooler and tends to corrode and weep with age ,the price from Lexus is probably going to be costly . A suitable length of 10mm copper pipe has been doing the job on my old beater for several months now .

Good luck finding your leak.

[steve2006]

Unlike the earlier models the PS reservoir on the series IV is located remotely to the pump connected by a pipe so the leaking O ring problem causing leakage onto the alternator is eliminated.

You can normally determine where the fluid is coming from by checking which side of the car the drips are collecting.

[harrylime]

Steve

The stains seem to be random spots, probably across almost the width of the car. I'm booked in at my local garage to take a look from underneath. I have an inspection pit, but there's a disabled Lancia on top of it

regards

hugh

[harrylime]

Seems the leak is from the gearbox gasket. It's booked in tomorrow with my local indie. Apparently, there is no gasket as such, it is a silicone type sealant that is used, which is a new one on me. The indie uses Tiger Seal. I've started a new thread with a query about oil etc

[BigMartin]

Interesting post.

I noticed a puddle under mine tonight (I only really looked as the car suddenly sounded really noisy). It looks like the rubber joints to the U-shaped tube in front of the radiator, have split, and sprayed some of the fluid on the radiator. The pipe is really corroded too. The Power Steering reservoir is definitely low.

I won't use the car tomorrow, I will fill up the fluid, then drive to a mechanic.

So, is this corrosion typical for a 17 year old car and can I really just have any old piece of copper pipe fitted there?

[Rupert Dubreaux]

Hi Martin ,the corroded cooling pipe seems to be fairly common ,all three of mine are corroded .Only the 20 year old one was leaking I just replaced it with a 1 metre length of 10mm copper pipe from my local plumbing supplies cost about £4 .It is a fraction shorter than the original but seems to work fine ,if your rubber hoses are perished you will need to replace those as well. It should be an easier job on a Mk3 as there is no electric fan in the way .

[BigMartin]

Thanks Rupert ... Will put some more fluid in today, see if the noise is fixed and how fast it's leaking, then get it fixed.

[BigMartin]

Turns out mine was seeping at a faster rate than I would have hoped. When I cleaned it all with a degreaser and ran the car, you could see the Power Steering fluid leaking out from the join of the rubber pipe and the metal pipe.

My independent dealer has cut 9 inches or so from each end of the badly corroded pipe, rust treated it, painted it black and put it back. So I now have a slightly shorter pipe, but he says it will do the job as the existing one was overkill. He only charged me an hour's labour.

Passed an MOT three hours later too.

So I'm pleased.

[Rupert Dubreaux]

Glad to hear you have it sorted Martin .Did you get your leak fixed Hugh?

[harrylime]

I did get it fixed, Rupert. It was the gearbox sump seal

[Rupert Dubreaux]

Good to hear.