1995 Chevrolet Truck Power Steering Problems.

JAMIESUAREZ

MEMBER
1995 CHEVROLET TRUCK
220,000 MILES

Hello, I have a '95 Chevy C1500 PU with a 4.3V6. I've had a small leak somewhere in my power steering which has been leaking all of my fluid out. A quart would drain out in about two weeks. A few days ago, I put a quart of power steering fluid in and drove less than ten miles before running completely out and causing my truck to smoke from under the hood. Upon looking under the hood, I noticed the fluid had been sprayed out, not leaked, which I assume is what caused the smoking. When taking the cap off, smoked emerged from within. Does anyone know what could have caused this, and what I can do to fix it?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

For a relatively slow leak like this you can wash the area with engine degreaser, then add a small bottle of dark purple dye to the power steering fluid. Drive a few miles, then search with a black light. The dye will show up as a bright yellow stain that you can follow back to the source. Auto parts stores have the dye and many have a black light to rent or borrow.

The most likely suspect is the high-pressure hose. Once it's washed off and dry, look for a thin crack where it starts to get wet, even with the engine not running. Also look for wetness next to the steel crimps on each end, or a tumor in the outer casing of the hose.

Other less-common causes include the pitman shaft seal at the bottom of the steering gearbox, and the shaft seal on the power steering pump. The pitman shaft seal won't spray fluid around. It will just drip onto the ground. If the pump seal is leaking you'll see a somewhat straight strip of fluid under the hood.