Several Issues: Leaks, Bad MAX AC, and Shift Problem. Urgent help needed!

[Relix]

Hey! First of all.. Happy Father's Days to those of you who are parents. I usually browse the forum for general information but I decided to make a post about a rather BIG set of issues I am having with my Explorer 2000, and would appreciate if someone gave me some tips, pointers, etc.

1) I have a nasty Power Steering leak. Having to buy oil bottles weekly is getting annoying and more and more is being lost every day. The oil I am buying supposedly has a "stop leak" chemical to it, but it obviously isn't working.

Some pics showing the leaks. Where... and how much.
http://i.imgur.com/fdeCs.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/S8JGy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TwafG.jpg


Should I buy something better to stop leakages or does that seem beyond that type of help and in need of serious repair?

2. MAX AC is not working. When I put the knob towards Max AC nothing changes. No extra air flow, no extra cooling. That plus when I accelerate a lot the air starts coming from the windshield vents. I already know this is a vacuum problem (thanks to the forum) but there's also no change when in Max AC mode so there must be some kind of other issue. Checking around under the hood I did notice a line unplugged, but I couldn't find where it should go. Not sure if its AC related either seeing as its so far away from the cooling area of the car.
http://i.imgur.com/YPmIS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SpgIC.jpg

That's the tube.

3. I don't know if this is a more serious issue, but the Shifts seem to have... "shifted" in the Dashboard. "Parking" is "R" in the dashboard, Reverse is "Neutral", Neutral is Drive, Drive is #2 and #2 is #1. Since the stick seems to have shifted too much I can't even select #1. Is this the beginning of a bigger transmission problem or something simple?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and is needed! Thanks!

 

[swetrid]

#1 looks like rack and pinion leak and can be like $400-500 repair
#2 is an evap line that could go to the vapor management valve under the battery and has nothing to do with ac
#3 is the shift indicator(prindle) problem, it usually breaks at the mounting area and causes inaccurate reading. Nothing Major probably like $150 repair

 

[Relix]

Ouch. $400-500..... well, gotta deal with it. Thanks for the information, greatly appreciated =D. I'll post in the dedicated AC Forum about my issues with it then, see if something comes up. Thank a bunch.

 

[bobflood]

Re number 3: Another thought - There are a couple of gold colored torex headed bolts near the base of the steering column that come loose and can result in the indicator slip also. Seen several posts about this - tightening them up fixes problem. PITA to get at, but easy to fix.

 

[Relix]

Re number 3: Another thought - There are a couple of gold colored torex headed bolts near the base of the steering column that come loose and can result in the indicator slip also. Seen several posts about this - tightening them up fixes problem. PITA to get at, but easy to fix.

YEES! This really helped. I used a guide in one of the threads putting a wrap under the plastic bolt, seems to have fixed it. Woohoo thanks for this pointer.

As for the Rack and Pinion leak I used Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak additive and it seems to be slowly helping. I know this is not optimal, but I decided to just buy a new rack and pinion for the car. Costs me around $220 for a new one so much cheaper than a repair, and of course more reliable.

Now that Evap Line... I am having a serious trouble getting to where it should be. i see its connected to the Evap Unit but I see no place where it would go. No loose cable or nearby connection. Making me crazy and frustrated.