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        General >> Problems >> Power Steering Leak
        
(Message started by: Technology2005 on Oct 22^nd, 2009, 5:17pm)

Title: Power Steering Leak
Post by Technology2005 on Oct 22^nd, 2009, 5:17pm

For the past couple of weeks the other half's Scorpio has had a leak in the power steering which was getting worse. I thought it was the usual suspect of the pipe connected to the bottom of the reservoir and I was almost right....

...almost.... @

I came to move the car today and it decided to have an "accident" and empty the contents of the power steering onto the road!

A quick inspection and it looks to me like the pipe from the reservoir to the oil cooler has come off and is now sitting on the valance in front of the radiator :(

It's getting recovered next week but just wondering if I'm looking at just a pipe or is it likely the oil cooler/pipe connection has rotted and therefore I'll need a new oil cooler too?

David

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by Simmo on Oct 22^nd, 2009, 6:05pm

Either you are confused or I am. . I think the pipe you are refering to is a transmission oil cooler and the joints of those are known to be a weak point. If you are loosing oil from the power steering reservoir then, in the absence of any obvious leak from the pipe below the reservoir, the most likely place for the fluid is in the gaiters at the end of the rack. They may be swollen and if so you should be able to 'feel' the fluid in them by sqeezing the gaiter(s).

SEE CORRECTION BELOW. :-[

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by Technology2005 on Oct 22^nd, 2009, 6:42pm

on 10/22/09 at 18:05:32, Simmo wrote:

Either you are confused or I am. The power steering system does not go anywhere near the rad and does not have any connection to a 'cooler'. I think the pipe you are refering to is a transmission oil cooler and the joints of those are known to be a weak point. If you are loosing oil from the power steering reservoir then, in the absence of any obvious leak from the pipe below the reservoir, the most likely place for the fluid is in the gaiters at the end of the rack. They may be swollen and if so you should be able to 'feel' the fluid in them by sqeezing the gaiter(s).

Hmmm, well I'm only going on what I saw plus the description on this page http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/manual/steering/PASDescript.pdf which states:

"All variants include a fluid cooler that is mounted in front of the radiator"

The pipe looks like it may have been connected at "1" on the bottom diagram on this page http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/manual/steering/PASFluidCoolr.pdf about the PAS Fluid Cooler...as far as I can tell of course.

All I know is the leak was from the power steering as it's on the deck and the reservoir emptied itself very suddenly ;D

David

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by Simmo on Oct 22^nd, 2009, 9:19pm

David, I have to say that going on the PDF you have put up I appear to be the one confused. I can only say in the process of changing two racks I have never realised that the 'cooling' component is there as it does not feature in the removal/replacement procedure. Given the detail you have provided it seems you are quite correct in your assumption that a joint in that location has failed. My apologies. Who said " You are never too old to learn"!!. :-[

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by Technology2005 on Oct 22^nd, 2009, 11:24pm

No problem at all, you are far more experienced in these things than me. I haven't worked on cars much since my last Rover SD1 ;)

Just hope it's just a pipe that needs replacing and not this fluid cooler as well.

David

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by joe-satch on Oct 25^th, 2009, 7:28am

SD1...very nice..not seen one for years...i was going to buy one..but i bought a mk2 granada estate. :)..happy days.

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by Technology2005 on Oct 25^th, 2009, 10:26am

I loved the SD1 but being on the tall side I found the headroom to be surprisingly restrictive despite the size of the car! I had more headroom in my Mini Clubman than in the SD1 }{

David

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by joe-satch on Oct 25^th, 2009, 11:37am

:o :o.. :)

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by gozz on Oct 25^th, 2009, 5:55pm

David.
The steering cooler is only a piece of tube bent into a U,the hoses push onto the ends,and have 'claws' to hold them on.The tube does corrode badly.
GOZZ.

Title: Re: Power Steering Leak
Post by Technology2005 on Oct 25^th, 2009, 7:26pm

on 10/25/09 at 17:55:06, gozz wrote:

David.
The steering cooler is only a piece of tube bent into a U,the hoses push onto the ends,and have 'claws' to hold them on.The tube does corrode badly.
GOZZ.

Cheers Gozz, I thought it might be something like that.

Is the tube available from FMD still as the chap who is sorting it for me will most likely need one by the sounds of things.

David