Power steering fluid leak?

Rwhite97tj

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May 26, 2020
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Katy, texas
Hey all! I’m new to the Jeep world and not the most mechanically inclined. I bought a used 97 jeep TJ 4 cylinder and just got its first oil change last week. It’s been leaking some type of fluid. Started out very minor after a short drive, then after about a 30 minute drive it leaked quite a bit. I believe I’ve identified it correctly to be steering fluid. The fluid is oil like, very light brown. The hose/line coming from the steering fluid box is soaked and is dripping downward onto the differential (I’m pretty sure). Any ideas where to start on locating and fixing the leak? Thanks in advance!
 
Go to the auto part store and get some UV dye and a UV light. Clean the fluid from the underside thoroughly, pour the UV dye in the power steering reservoir, then turn on the engine. Get under there with a UV light in the dark and shine it on the hoses. You should see very clearly where exactly the leak is coming from.
 
Pics? Pressure side or return? Ideally powersteering fluid is not brown. Should be a pink/red color. Motor oil is brown-ish.
 
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My hi pressure hose on the steering was leaking, as well as the pressure switch. Dryed 'em off with rags and then clecked for oil later to find the leaks. This on a 2000 4 cyl TJ
 
Thank you! I’m going to grab the dye and try that tomorrow. I was hesitant to believe it was power steering because it’s brownish and I’ve red power steering is more pink/reddish. I’ve also read power steering tends to leak while the vehicle is being driven and this leak is happening while it sits after being driven.
 
Thank you! I’m going to grab the dye and try that tomorrow. I was hesitant to believe it was power steering because it’s brownish and I’ve red power steering is more pink/reddish. I’ve also read power steering tends to leak while the vehicle is being driven and this leak is happening while it sits after being driven.
Don’t spend your money on dye kit just yet. For a power steering leak, it’s easy to see everything. Buy a can of brake clean and clean all the oil off. Fill the reservoir and have someone turn the steering wheel with the engine running and look for the leak.
 
PS can also be clear. Most aftermarket fluids sold as "power steering fluid" are clear. ATF, which is very commonly used as PS fluid is pink/red.
Unless you PS fluid is very old (and possibly contaminated), I would not think it would be brown.

Is/was the PS pump reservoir at all low? If you pull the cap, and check the fluid on the dip stick, does it look similar?
 
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PS can also be clear. Most aftermarket fluids sold as "power steering fluid" are clear. ATF, which is very commonly used as PS fluid is pink/red.
Unless you PS fluid is very old (and possibly contaminated), I would not think it would be brown.

Is/was the PS pump reservoir at all low? If you pull the cap, and check the fluid on the dip stick, does it look similar?
The reservoir is very low which is why I’m pretty sure it’s power steering fluid. It’s a very light brown. But when I turn on the Jeep and have someone turn 1. Turning is very easy no resistance 2. No sign of leak (which could be due to how low it is)
 
Use a turkey baster to suck out the rest of that old dirty power steering fluid and refill it with Lucas power steering stop leak and see how it does after a few days. That product has seal conditioners which might stop the leak. It did on my previous TJ.
 
The first Picture is from the bottom where the fluid is running down to and dripping from. But the leak isn’t coming from there bc aboveboard it is wet. The prior owner zip tied the PS reservoir to the radiator shield and that shield appears oil soaked as well.

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Use a turkey baster to suck out the rest of that old dirty power steering fluid and refill it with Lucas power steering stop leak and see how it does after a few days. That product has seal conditioners which might stop the leak. It did on my previous TJ.
This h
Pics? Pressure side or return? Ideally powersteering fluid is not brown. Should be a pink/red color. Motor oil is brown-ish.
im sorry I don’t know enough to say whether it’s pressure or return side. I’m not entirely sure it’s PS. The reservoir is pretty empty and it based on the areas of the engine that is wet from oil, id assume it’s PS. It’s dripping down to the differential or transfer case. I did notice today that this little hose is not wet until it reaches the casing so maybe the leak is coming from there? But it doesn’t make much sense for it to be coming from there since so much above it is wet with oil.

23ED5C49-06A3-4BFD-9735-E0C3DD81453B.jpeg
 
Use a turkey baster to suck out the rest of that old dirty power steering fluid and refill it with Lucas power steering stop leak and see how it does after a few days. That product has seal conditioners which might stop the leak. It did on my previous TJ.
Hard to tell but it looks to me like the leak is on/near the remote reservoir rather than near the pump. If it's a crack in the reservoir or a bad line, the Lucas is unlikely to help and I personally am reluctant to use that sort of stuff except as a last resort.

I'm thinking step one is to do some cleaning and wiping down so you can better see where the leak is.

BTW, the line with the metal ends on it is the high pressure side and the one that just clamps on and looks like plain old rubber hose (it's not...it's still rated at higher pressure than, say, vacuum line) is the low side.
 
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Hard to tell but it looks to me like the leak is on/near the remote reservoir rather than near the pump. If it's a crack in the reservoir or a bad line, the Lucas is unlikely to help and I personally am reluctant to use that sort of stuff except as a last resort.

I'm thinking step one is to do some cleaning and wiping down so you can better see where the leak is.

BTW, the line with the metal ends on it is the high pressure side and the one that just clamps on and looks like plain old rubber hose (it's not...it's still rated at higher pressure than, say, vacuum line) is the low side.
Thank you so much! I appreciate all your guys’ help. I wiped it down today, added some power steering fluid bc there was little to none in the reservoir then let it run for about 10 minutes just idling while I turned the steering wheel. That was about 2 hours ago and no leaking yet.
 
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Hard to tell but it looks to me like the leak is on/near the remote reservoir rather than near the pump. If it's a crack in the reservoir or a bad line, the Lucas is unlikely to help and I personally am reluctant to use that sort of stuff except as a last resort.
Of course Lucas power steering system stop leak can't fix a crack in the reservoir or blown line but he hasn't said he has either.

More importantly, Lucas stop leak is not like radiator stop leak that can clog up coolant passages, it just has extra seal conditioners added to get the seals back to size so they can seal. It doesn't cause problems like a radiator stop leak can.
 
Thank you so much! I appreciate all your guys’ help. I wiped it down today, added some power steering fluid bc there was little to none in the reservoir then let it run for about 10 minutes just idling while I turned the steering wheel. That was about 2 hours ago and no leaking yet.
Well, ain't that typical. 😖 Things never fail while you're watching. Soon as you close the hood, it will spit it all over your shoes!
 
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Thank you so much! I appreciate all your guys’ help. I wiped it down today, added some power steering fluid bc there was little to none in the reservoir then let it run for about 10 minutes just idling while I turned the steering wheel. That was about 2 hours ago and no leaking yet.
Keep an eye on it. You’ll find it.
 
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A thought...if you have a zip-tie to replace it, I'd cut the one holding that reservoir to the shroud and take a good look at it for cracks, broken tube connection. Especially cracks on the side currently against the shroud that might leak less or more depending how the reservoir is sitting.
Both lines to that reservoir will be low pressure so it would probably mostly be a gravity leak.
 
Go to the auto part store and get some UV dye and a UV light. Clean the fluid from the underside thoroughly, pour the UV dye in the power steering reservoir, then turn on the engine. Get under there with a UV light in the dark and shine it on the hoses. You should see very clearly where exactly the leak is coming from.

I’ve always noticed a certain shimmer with the Lucas, do we know if Lucas has the dye?