306 HDi power steering fluid disapearance and rack types

[tmead]

Hi ! I've put at least a pint of fluid into the reservoir over the last month or so, yet there are no puddles ont he floor, and no oil round the engine bay. The pump is dry, and only grumbled slightly when the fluid level dropped.
Any ideas where its going ? I'm guessing that I'll find the relevant gaiter on the rack full of fluid.

I'm told there are two types of rack, and they can be identified by the letters on the top of the rack body by where the column joins on. Fat lot of good that is - the rack's in the car and I can't take it off the road to whip the rack out and have a look before ordering the part ! Anybody know if there are any other identifying features of the ZF vs TRW (Think that's right) racks ?

Car's done 150K, so perhaps not too bad that it needs a significant part.

Tim

[Peter.N.]

Hi Tim

Can't help you with the types I'm afraid but try squeezing the rubber boots on the rack, you may find the dissapearing fluid is inside due to leaking seals.

Peter

[tmead]

Yes, I was contemplating where the fluid might go, and thought it may be there. Haven't had a chance to crawl underneath and look yet though.

I looked on Service Box, and despite there being around 6 different potential rack types, I think I've narrowed it down based on the chassis number (although it doesn't help to distinguish between ZF and TRW). The picture looks to have a ram external to the rack, so I'm not sure how the fluid could get in there ? Although I guess if the seals on the torque sensor/valve bit failed it could dump fluid into the rack.



Didn't get a chance to look at the rack this weekend, but will have to try to get the car up on the ramps during the week and take a look. Trouble is - its raining now

Tim[/img]

[CitroJim]

Tim,

If the ram (Item 10 in your diagram) is leaking then you'll know about it It'll have left a considerable puddle by now..

The pinion valve (item 1 in your diagram) can leak and is a common enough problem in the Citroens fitted with a similar system but using different fluid. Here the valve either leaks into the rack itself or from the top of it. I suspect very much that the pinion valve is leaking into the rack and Peter's suggestion to squeeze the gaiters will prove that... The gaiters should be empty of all fluid and if one, likely the offside one nearest the pinion valve, is turgid then there's your problem.

The good news, although it's very fiddly, is that the pinion valve can be replaced in-situ and there is therefore no need to replace the whole rack. I see on your diagram there are two distinct pinion valves shown (item 2); eyeballing what you have fitted should positively identify the rack.

[tmead]

Thanks - I'll have to squeeze under there and have a good look. Its all a bit jammed in and fiddly, but I'm told there are letters on the pinion valve you mention, so hopefully I can find them !
I can't take the car off the road and strip the rack out to check the identity before I grab a spare, we need the car every day.

Its going to have a secondhand part in there, so I'm almost tempted to buy one of each type now, swap in the one I need and then flog the other. Seems a pain, but I don't want to faff around much longer !

Tim

[tmead]

Still no idea how to determine which rack type is fitted, but the first one off ebay matched well enough. I'd pretty much planned to buy one of each type and see which matched - popping the other back on there to try to recover as much as possible. The car hasn't done many miles recently, with another taking over most longer drives. It still needed topping up regularly, but didn't leave puddles. Turns out it was the ram seals, so I only changed the ram, as it was less hassle.