Rack leak - pressure hose or boot?

[Stick_man]

I cannot tell or find out where my rack is leaking from exactly
When I look in frame part where the boot is in--on the driver side -- there is a lot power steering fluid in there, but it looks wet even above the boot though. I cannot tell if the fan or the g force from driving is pushing it up from the boot however.

Unless i have a whole bottle of stop leak from Lucas it will leak bad. It is also making death rattle noises. With lucas it is stiff as a board.

 

[poker4me007]

I wouldn't use a bunch of stop leak...If it was me i'd spray the whole area down with some Gunk engine degreaser and if you don't have a garden hose (winter now) go to a car wash and clean that area where the leak is and see where it's coming from....If it's the original rack the seals in it are probably shot, then again maybe it's just a hose...

 

[Mbrooks420]

The boot keeps debris out, not the fluid in.

 

[bigred4x4]

I just replaced my rack not long ago major P.I.T.A! Getting it in and out it's literally a jigsaw puzzle. But it was spewing fluid out because the seals where bad Also check return hose and around Reservoir for fluid.

 

[CDW6212R]

Hopefully that leak is from the return hose ends, those have hose clamps which can become loose.

The R&R is hell, but at least the Ford rebuilt units are less than other cars. I was told last Fall it was only $150ish to buy one. Mine have high mileage, so I'm expecting to buy a couple of them soon.

 

[J_C]

If you still can't find the leak, what I'd probably do is buy a new set of hoses and put those on, then if it still leaks, replace the rack too, or just commit to doing both at once considering their age and that it seems more likely the rack.

 

[Stick_man]

If you still can't find the leak, what I'd probably do is buy a new set of hoses and put those on, then if it still leaks, replace the rack too, or just commit to doing both at once considering their age and that it seems more likely the rack.

Pump leaking

 

[J_C]

^ You might've lucked out, especially if you can get the hoses off and back on without that disturbance causing them to leak too... costs less and less hassle to swap than a rack, though if you want some hassle, it looks like you might also be able to save a few bucks using seal kit to rebuild it. I haven't done one of those so can't give further info about it.
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...13,steering,power+steering+pump+seal+kit,7407

 

[CDW6212R]

I like that, I've never thought of rebuilding a PS pump myself. I did just replace mine about four months back, the fluid was filthy and I was worried about the rack. Changing the PS pump is relatively very easy, about a 20 minute job after the belt is off. The reman'd pump came with Teflon seals, those are definitely needed.