Slimy White residue in Power Steering?

[ParkerRocker]

I am nearly positive that I am leaking power steering fluid, and i'm just going to double check here.
1. Of course I am seeing a leak under the car, and yes it looks like power steering
2. When i checked the level of the reservoir, it had a slimy white residue along the inside of the tube above the fluid.

I know that a sign of a blown head gasket is water condensation on the oil cap. Is this residue a sign of a leak in my power steering system? or is is a more serious problem?

 

[JohnJ]

Some thoughts:

You might want to take a good close look and be sure if that slime is whitish or silvery. If it's silvery, either the pump or steering box is coming apart.

If it's whitish, that would suggest water intrusion from a bad cap, immersion (you drove underwater) or a leak in the return hose.

Whitish stuff could also be very air which could show up after turning the steering without the engine running, running with low fluid level, running with the truck at weird angles, or leaking pump or return hose.