PS Leak, through Tie Rods?

[nrmskate]

Well, for starters, my boots are ripped to shit.

Anyways, when I drive, I feel like I get PS every once in a while, but not all the time. I look under the car, and every morning I have PS fluid on the floor. I jack it up and notice it's coming out the passenger side tie rod (inner).

Is there an o-ring on the tie rod or something?

Heres a pic.

You can see the fluid on the boot.

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/nrmskate/HPIM0802.jpg

[blownmotor]

Your rack is leaking "internally". Get a new rack.

[specialk2003]

Or get it rebuilt, there are seals on the ends of the rack that can be replaced.

[nrmskate]

How hard is it to remove the rack? Couple bolts?

Could I rebuild it myself?

[kalypso123]

yes... you can rebuild anything.

get a blue print/diagram from FSM manual... and use it for part numbers.

check the prices at your Nissan dealership and the seals and other parts are cheap enough, rebuild every corner of the damn thing.

[nrmskate]

Is it hard to remove the rack?

Do I just have to remove the rack bolts and lines and im good?

Or do I have to do anything else?

[ryguy]

In all honesty, it's probably easier to just buy a rebuilt rack. I replaced mine last summer, and it was about a hundred bucks shipped after the core was shipped back. It was all nice and new looking, cleaned and repainted, completely new seals, just nice and pretty. It's pretty straightforward, except you have to jack up the tail of the transmission to be able to slip the rack out. Not a big deal. Put in some stiff ass Energy Suspension rack bushings while I was at it.

[flip3d]

Damn. Mine is leaking like that too but not as bad.

Could I just smear some RTV on there and put new boots on? I just need it to NOT be leaking when I get safety inspected :P

P.S. FUCK Missouri and their safety inspection BULLSHIT. If I was still in FL, it would be registered already.

[s13pignose]

Is it just one boot or both? I thought I had the same problem but a clamp on a coolant hose above the passenger tie rod boot was loose, and coolant was leaking on top of the boot, and then running down. Looked about the same color on my drive way as ps fluid , but on a paper towel or white paper.. colors are obviously different.

Hose I'm talking about runs up to the firewall, but comes from underneath intake maifold..think its to heater core? Like 2 two be exact..with loose clamps coolant was running out the end of the hoses when pressurized I guess. This is on my s14 ka.

Check it out..cause after I tighten em..never had a problem since going on about a month now. Hoping thats the solution, cause the leak would appear everyday or every couple days.

My driver side on the other hand never had a leak. Also pop the hood after driving the car a good distance or kinda hard. Then look underneath like near the runners of the intake manifold,, and see if you see steam from coolant burning off..also might see drops of coolant on parts around the manifold or above the passenger tie rod boot. Might even catch it dripping on the ground. Also if those clamps are loose tighten clamps at both end of the hoses or hoses..their close to the fuel rail from what I remember, but run up the firewall from the motor

[s13pignose]

Oh yea my boots were ripped to hell aswell..and even when I got new ones and new tie rods the leaks kept coming til I tightend those clamps. Duct tape like a couple paper towels or printer paper on the ground underneath that particular boot

good luck..if it it is the problem I know your frustration lol

[ryguy]

Trust me, it's worth it to just fix the damn thing. Having to add ATF every month turns into every week, then eventually it's a bottle a day. Just do the damn thing the right way. If you keep running low on fluid it's going to ruin your power steering pump.

[g6civcx]

Check all the stupid things first. Start from the power steering reservoir and follow the line to the p/s pump, rack, and return line. Sometimes the rubber hoses will leak.

Also check for oil leak on the engine as well while you're at it.

If nothing else, your rack needs to be rebuilt.

[s13pignose]

yeah I mean check those hoses, cause it's weird we've had a very similar product. I mean it may not be the case in your situation, but it seems to haved done the trick in mine. Also I guess keep an eye on ps fluid resevoir