Power steering just sh#$ the bed

[E30andy]

Hey Guys!

So we had a few days of brutal cold here in VT plus a foot and a half of snow. The ix blasted through it all with no problems but driving to work this morning I had no PS, and when I got home I found out why.....a puddle of PS fluid on the garage floor.

It’s too cold to get under for a look, so I’m just reaching out to see if anyone wants to hazard a guess as to what the most likely issue is. PS pump or a blown fluid line I’m guessing?

Thanks!

[nando]

probably a line or reservoir. Or possibly something got in there and tore up a line.

[E30andy]

probably a line or reservoir. Or possibly something got in there and tore up a line.

Thanks for the reply Nando! I guess the only way to find out is fill up the reservoir and get underneath and watch for leaks....

Ok to drive with no PS? Don’t want to damage anything!

[The Dark Side of Will]

It'll be fine.

Line could have spontaneously sprung a leak... they are old.
Pump shaft seal is another common problem. You'll see fluid coming from behind the pulley in this case.
or basically anything on the rack.

[nando]

Yeah, I'd fill it up and look for the source of the leak. It could be from the rack, but most likely it's from somewhere else. Even if it is from the rack, it's not the end of the world.

A 318is I drove years ago leaked so badly from the PS rack, you could tell wherever I'd been from the streaks of fluid it left on the road. I just kept topping it off and it was fine, although I never had to deal with the repairs because it wasn't actually my car...

[E30andy]

Thanks again for the replies fellas!

The only PS fluid I have in the garage is some Valvoline PS fluid, says its OK with GM/Chrysler/Ford, not Honda.

Can I use this? I dont have any ATF in the garage right now.

[EyExR]

If it’s a slow leak you can slow it even further and use engine oil instead of ATF. I Ran a leaky rack for a couple of years like that many moons ago. Worked just fine. Eventually I got a replacement rack and went back to ATF.

Don’t use power steering fluid.

[E30andy]

Found it! Easy fix!

[The Dark Side of Will]

The return hose, even. Double easy.

[E30andy]

The return hose, even. Double easy.

Yes sir! Good eye!
And the crack was on the top of those so it was easily visible as I was poking around looking for the problem.
The car gods have smiled upon me this time, most likely good karma from all the hours spent on my back in the cold diagnosing and fixing other issues.

[E30andy]

So it happened again. Same hose, same split. Looks like it’s rubbing on the thing in the attached picture, black and cylindrical, below the electrical connectors with the “55” on it. Don’t know what it is, some sort of vacuum operated canister attached to the brake booster. Anybody know what this is? Can’t find it on realoem.

[D.Martijn]

That's the charcoal canister

[DaWildBeast]

Just get a replacement line and zip tie it. Make sure wherever you zip tie it doesn’t have too much heat.


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[E30andy]

Thanks guys! Nothing really to zip tie the return hose to to keep it out of the way of the edge of the charcoal canister. I rigged up a protective covering over that portion of the hose that comes in contact with the canister with another piece of hose attached with zip ties. Lets see how long that lasts.

I wonder if the poly motor mounts in my car have anything to do with this situation?

[The Dark Side of Will]

The electrical connectors you mention are the vacuum purge valve for the canister.