92 318i Power Steering Leaking FAST

[JRyn]

Hello,

Yesterday, during the middle of my commute, I completely lost power steering. After getting home, I saw a puddle on the ground. I checked the reservoir only to be greeted with a completely empty container. Going by instinct, the first thing I did was fill it up. That only lasted a good half hour as it all leaked out immediately. This is odd, as I just replaced the rack and reservoir hoses 2 months ago. Could this just be a loose bolt, faulty rack, hoses? It seemed to be leaking when the car was turned off so I doubt it's the pump, but who knows, it could have been runoff.

-John

[Kershaw]

Could this just be a loose bolt, faulty rack, hoses?

Yes, it certainly could be. You need to double check your engine bay on where it leaking from. With that large of a leak, it should be fairly obvious.

[dnguyen1963]

Check the hose connections to the bottom of the reservoir. They tend to be very loose.

[JRyn]

Check the hose connections to the bottom of the reservoir. They tend to be very loose.

I got under it today and it turned out to be several things. First, the reservoir to rack hose wasn't clamped enough. Second (and the big problem), the seal in the steering rack was blown. I'm going to see if I can warranty it. Could it have been the fluid that melted the seals? I used synthetic Valvoline ATF. The rack was rebuilt by Duralast if anyone is wondering.