Hey guys!

I got some problems with my P/S system... Here's the quick backstory: a mechanic "did me a favor" and filled up my P/S reservoir with regular P/S fluid... I didn't know this until a week or two when the pump started to whine... I quickly flushed and re-flushed the system and loaded it with CHF 11s. The whine didn't go away but the car still worked and I needed to use it... It ran for a couple of months until all of a sudden fluid started squirting out of the pressure relief hole on reservoir's cap. I figured it gave me all it had so I parked the car in my garage, did a timing belt job I needed to do anyway and replaced the P/S pump while at it.

My problem now; however, is that I still have a very small whine (it doesn't change in pitch when I turn the wheel or when I accelerate though) and the reservoir still squirts fluid whenever I turn the wheels too much AND there's a hydraulic leak somewhere, I really can't see where it's coming from.

At this point my only other culprit is that the Steering Rack is bad... However, before I go ahead and take it out and buy a new one, I would like a confirmation or some additional input and opinions from you guys.

Thank you in advance!

 

Definitely need to pinpoint and fix the leak ASAP.

If there is any air in the p/s fluid it will make the pump whine and sound like its going bad. Open the reservoir and check for bubbles in the fluid. If you see them, jack the front of the car up and turn the wheel back and forth many times until they should go away. This tricked worked on an A4 that had had the pump replaced twice and reservoir replaced with no results.

 

Thank you for the tip; however, whenever I open the reservoir with the car running it's insane! It bubbles horribly. The thing pertaining to your suggestion is that I already bled the system very thoroughly after I replaced the pump.

What else could it be?

 

Help anyone? *bump*

 

dont quote me on this but i gaurentee that the rack is bad and thats where the leak is the regular stuff breaks down the seal and fluid starts leaking from the rack. its happened to my dads A4, when i flushed the fluid it came out brown/black and chunky so im soon expecting the pump to go sooner or later.

 

+1 on the rack. Bad rack can lead to air in the system. As you open the reservoir, pressure on the reservoir is atmospheric and since PS fluid is pressurized, air in the PS fluid is at a higher pressure and will escape when passing through the reservoir, hence the bubbles.

Since PS system is pressurized, leaks are usually PS fluid coming out with air rarely coming in. That makes me suspect a bad pump, but since u replaced it then I think bad rack.

Lift the car, take out the wheels and see if you find any PS fluid at the ends of the rack, where it connects to the tie rods.

 

Allright, I got two votes for removing the rack, anyone else care to chime in their two cents before I commit the time and money to this?


I'm also in need for some advise from anyone who's done this project before...

- Any good, reputable supplier of PS Racks? The one I'm looking at is CarSteering Wholesale; however, they have two model Racks (ZF and Koyo) which one should I use and why?

- Any hints and tips so I don't make any noob mistakes? (I'm using the DIY article from AudWorld Tech as my guide.)

Thanks a lot.

 

any luck with a further diagnosis of where the leak is coming from?... if you notice it on the tie rods that would be a good indicator that its the rack.... if it's on the lines and getting everywhere inside the engine compartment it's more likely a line

 

I took a really close look just now... My PS reservoir was full 2 days ago and now it's almost empty. I looked around the tie-rods and they are dry. I looked under the car and noticed that there are several places where the fluid is dripping...

An exact one I pinpointed is where the PS lines meet the cooling cable, it's like they're not making proper sealing but they have never given me problems before and I barely touched that part at all during the TB service.

There are also two places on the undercarriage where hydraulic fluid is dripping... It's extremely difficult to trace it back to a particular source but the only places where the lines seem to be wet is at the bolts where the lines meet the Rack.

Would this still indicate a bad rack?

Also, I have a small concern... As I was looking at my tie-rods I noticed something is missing in reference to this picture, please advise me if this is normal or I should be concerned (The picture is not my car, I lost my camera >.< the pic is from the AudiWorld Tech Article on the PS Rack)...

The bolt that I highlighted in red is missing from both of my tie-rods. There's just a hole! Is that normal???

 

*Bump...*