I have installed a new PS pump and new pressure and return lines on my 69 during an engine rebuild. When I take the car out I come back all wet with PS fluid. I retightened everything after cleaning up and tried to find the leak by turning the wheel lock to lock with no leaks. Took it out again and came back wet! The fluid looks dirty, not what I'd expect having just replaced the pump and lines. I don't know squat about how a steering box works but while making u-turns the steering seems to fight back a little bit once in a while. The belt is properly adjusted. It almost looks like the fluid might be pushing out the top past the cap but with air blowing through there after a ride who knows where it is coming from, I sure can't tell. Could the steering box be restricted or something? Would it cause pressure to back up into the reservoir? I had a PS fluid fire once when a line blew and puddled on my header collector so I'm anxious to solve this problem for safety reasons as well as the cleanliness issue. Any thoughts that might put me on the right track would be appreciated.

 

What are you using as fluid?

 

Power steering fluid from NAPA.

Terry

 

Hi Terry, did you replace, or work on the steering box? How long was the car sitting idle since the problem appeared? Any chance the old steering box was sitting with water in it for a long time? How old is the steering box?
It may be the internals are deteriorated in the box, and fouling the fluid. As to the leak, i replaced the steering system, lines and pump in my 68 recently and had a heck of a time with getting it sealed on the pressure line. It was weeping a tiny bit al the time. I ended up backing off the nut, reseating the washer and cleaning the seats again, and that fixed it. The steering system was all new on mine, and the leaking fluid was very clean. You have a contamination source somewhere. If you have new lines and new pump, it is probably the box, or, more unlikely, a leak in the return line. A leak in the pressure line would look like a severed artery.

good luck

Les

 

Hi Les,
Thanks for the insight. I think you may be spot on with your comments. I'm going to go ahead and replace the box based strictly on the contamination before I do anything else. The car has sat extensively. The previous owner put 1900 miles on it in 10 years and was not a mechanically inclined individual based on receipts he provided for services he paid for that most of us would have done ourselves. Another thing that comes to mind lending some credence to your comments is the fact that as a result of the installation of the wrong lower motor mount on the drivers side the engine was sitting too low. The proper pair of parts would have included a drivers side mount that is taller than the passenger side mount. The person who installed the headers beat the hell out of them to make them BARELY clear the steering box. Lots of heat 1/32" away couldn't have been too healthy for the box. I was thinking I might buy a "3 turn" lock to lock box instead of replacing this one with the stock unit anyway. I guess I'll pull the pump and flush it and the lines real good and see what happens with a new box. Time will tell but I think the contamination has altered the path of the fluid under pressure in a way that it is blowing pressure back into the reservoir and out the top.

 

I just replaced my box with an AGR unit from Summit. Steering feels much better. Still not like a rack, but much tighter and am happy with it. I got the 2.5 turn unit lock to lock with the billet caps and am pleased. I think it was $329 or $349. Worth it in my opinion after the rack & pinion I bought didn't work out.

 

Terry, I think you have a good plan. You know the pump and lines are good, and the box is old and sounds like it may have been cooking too! Although 1900 miles would be unlikely to cook it to a crisp. I would think the boxes are built to withstand a moderate amount of heat, as they are designed to fit alongside the exhaust manifold.

A direct replacement box with about 12:1 ratio will feel better. It would be worth replacing the rag joint and anything else that is worn out at the same time. Kits are reasonable price and you can do it yourself.

I would recommend you check there is no flakes or blockages in your new lines or pump when you replace the box. There are a few ways to do that, some easy, some not. I would be interested to know if that box is damaged. Please let us know how it turns out.

 

I will definitely let you know how it goes. I will probably get into it after the holidays. I think changing out what has to be the source of the contamination has to be first. Hopefully I didn't damage my new pump!

Terry

 

Terry, have you tried watching the engine bay with the car running? You will need someone to turn the whel back and forth while you watch it at idle and some revs. you mentioned the fluid might be coming out the cap of the pump. check the level again to be sure and then see if you can spot the leak. safety glasses and a good flashlight needed. Just a thought, were your new lines a replacement item, part of a kit, and is there any way to check that the int diameter and connections are sized right?. Is the pulley size of the new pump the same as the old size, Just to check the obvious stuff first. The steering should not be kicking back during turns. if you have fluid coming from the cap of the pump you have a pressure regulation problem somewhere. that can only be a limited number of things in a closed system. Hydraulic issues are usually immediate and drastic. There are a lot of components making up the mechanical parts of a power steering system, inside the box. take a look here just for basics on how the ps works
How does power steering work?