Power Steering Loss Found

jro909 · November 9, 2009

my driver side boot is peeling the fluid onto the boot, is this worth fixing or should i just stick with topping it off every once in awhile? i'm assuming its not a cheap job to replace the rack and pinion?

gmtech4 · November 9, 2009

wheres it leaking from ? or are you guessing!

if you want the mess ,just keep topping it off .environmentally its irresponsible.

or save up for a diagnoses and repair

Nytemare · November 10, 2009

Even an entire rack replacement is not that expensive.

How much fluid are you losing, and yes it is irresponsible and you can (not that its very likely) be charged up to 100G's for spilling hydrocarbons.

Wipe off the area that the fluid is falling on, and try to pinpoint where its leaking from. It could be as simple as replacing a $20 boot or a $5 piece of line. Cheaper than topping up once a week with a $5 bottle of fluid.

jro909 · November 10, 2009

That was my diagnoses, was the whole boot peeling fluid..they said 700 for a new rack and pinion, i was told the passenger side boot was dry but the driver side side was moist, from "peeling" fluid onto it, no drops, no puddles..they told me it was not worth fixing...lol no offense but i find it interesting you guys as truck owners care about your impact on the enviroment, power steering isen't the most harmful substance in a vehicle, you can eat it from what i hear because its mineral based....but thank you guys for the replys, i'm not much of a knowledge base for power steering systems, my old truck diden't have it lol

Nytemare · November 10, 2009

700 bones for a new rack that's not leaking fluid everywhere, and not having to pop the hood every few days to top up the P/S fluid is worth it IMHO.

You can replace the rack yourself, its not hard...and will save yourself about 300 bucks on labor costs. You just have to head right in for an alignment as soon as your done.

You can get it close enough to drive to the nearest garage by counting the number of threads showing on the inner tierod end and setting the new one up with that same number. As long as you don't have to drive on the highway to get to the nearest shop this would be fine.

The other way is to measure the distance between your tires....inside to inside, than hang a plumb bob at the exact half way mark, a string with a lugnut will suffice as a plumb bob. You measure each side to that hanging line and adjust the inner rod ends so that both sides measure the same and is exactly half the measurement (or centered) of the total distance between the wheels. This will get you again close enough to drive in for a real alignment. The smaller the string you use the closer you will get the alignment...I usually use fishing line.

WaterGuy · November 11, 2009

Speaking of setting the toe, I've used a 1x2 stick long enough to reach both tires. I spin the tires while holding a scribe type tool, against the tread, to get a line. I use the stick and mark the tire scribe lines front and back. Tada. Now I know my in/out toe.

As to the RnP replacement, sometimes the extra expense to do it right will outway the aggravation/nuisance factor.