Leaking steering rack

[Dommo]

Hi all.

This is a Peugeot question however I have posted it in here because I know this gets more traffic than the Pug section.

My old 306 is now my dads car, the PAS fluid has been going walkies slowly over the past few months, we have inspected a few times and it appears to be coming from the the pipe unions that go from the steering column bit to the actual PAS ram. IE not the pipe coming from the pump or the one returning to the reservoir.

Does anyone know of any particular leak spots on these things?



The two unions on the upper right (actually on the ram) are OK. The two coming from the reservoir (around the back on the photo) look ok, the two that are undone were wet, however can they be wet because of the square area that the steering column mounts onto leaks?

Any thoughts? Cheers.

[Old-Guy]

One problem with oil and hydraulic leaks under cars is the affinity that the damn stuff has for metal; persistent weeps are often not where they appear to be but somewhere else because the howling gale under the car can blow oily liquids not just generally backwards but even uphill. Is fluid dripping/running down from a leak somewhere else?

The pinion shaft (what the steering column connects to) seal is a favourite on many vehicles. Because it points up and back at about 45 degrees, leakage tends to run down towards the underside of the rack but the 'wind' spreads it around.

BTW, a driver in the habit of holding the steering hard against the full-lock stops will make most leaks far worse because doing this causes full hydraulic pressure to be supplied to the rack by the control valve (the round body nearest the camera) - audible as a wet hiss on many cars as fluid at maximum pressure and flow escapes through the pressure-relief valve back to the reservoir. This bad habit can in effect 'create' a leak that wouldn't otherwise be apparent.

Good to see a precision tool in the background....

[Dommo]

Sorry I never replied to this, we did take your advice Old-Guy, but we were a bit oily when I read the reply and then forgot to reply afterward! I had noticed the hammer but only after taking the photo, I thought it added to the photo quite nicely

My dad bought a second hand rack off ebay that was meant to be a good one, however it wasn't and leaked. He then found a place near us who sell refurbished racks and fitted one of those, only £70 which surprised us, job done!

[jgra1]

Dommo I have had an ongoing leak on my 406.. tried 3 racks now..

It's not relevant now for you.. but I am probably going to approach this in the following way.. car on ramps and a decent clean of all pipes and so on, may pull the gaters off the rack as far as i can.. then fire her up and see what's what..

then maybe, if that fails, I was thinking of having at least the HP pipe pressure tested...

Finally, I may see whether I can get the rack apart enough to change any seals on it..
the car finally failed the MOT on this last year and I need to sort it, whether I keep the car or not..

John