Power Steering Leak - F150

NewHolland

NewHolland

Tractorologist
Senior Member
This story starts about a month ago. Just before FCVAEC Summer Show I had to get a driver's side lower ball joint installed on my 2004 Ford F150. I paid a shop to do it after watching the youtube showing it was going to take me a good part of a day, a special tool, and a few choice words, plus the knuckle would have to practically come off. Shop charged me about $100, seems like a good deal to not have to do it myself. Now to fast forward This week I had to throw oil in the power steering system as the reservoir was 2/3 empty, that was three days ago. Today I had to add more because it was again 2/3 empty, and I could see it was leaking out of the driver's side of the rack and pinion. I am very pissed off about this because it means firstly, the shop didnt excercise carfulness, because this is a bad leak when I had absolutely no leak before. So I stopped at my favorite auto parts store and bought my fluid and they also suggested Lucas Oil Power Steering Stop Leak. I dont generally add stuff like this to things, but decided this was worth the risk, as I have nothing more to lose... Oh, the kicker, I leave for Michigan in the morning, 8 hours and 500 miles. Fun fun. Friend is getting married finally, that wedding better not get canceled. So what does anyone think about my power steering?


Anyone else feel cheated by the lack of good mechanic shops around these days?
 
Wouldn't the rack have been leaking before this if the mechanic had been rough with it ? 


I only say this as devils advocate.  We get people who blame everything and their kids bad grades on the technician who was there if he was in the same room.  "I know he was there to work on the washer, but ever since a week after he was there, my dryer door squeaks" or something like that.
 
Sounds like you are needing a new rack & pinion.
 
I would say it's just bad timing Casey. When racks start leaking, they go all at once. You could talk to the shop that did the work and tell them that you think its related and see if they will cut you a deal on the rack replacement costs..
 
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All to often I have found that when you fix one thing it leads to another issue.  It could be that the Rack & pinion was on the verge of going and when they went in to replace the ball joint it was just enough to put it over the edge.  Like Brian said talk to the shop and see what they say.  They just might cut you a deal.  
 
Stupid rust... Return line steel part is rotted thru coming off the rack. $22.50 for new line, installing it this weekend myself. Damn near cost the whole rack and pinion because of stupid people at dealership. My local auto parts store had to ask for drawings and solve what part I really needed to buy because the dealership knows nothing and had him conviced you cant buy any line hooked to the rack unless you buy the whole rack. He crawled under my truck and saw that the dealer was wrong and told them they were and they were not listening.


Im going to admit my wrongness in my original diagnosis because I had my blinders on and saw oil on the boot. I have just been getting aggrivated lately as my truck seems to want repairs here and there and my income is limited with only part time electrical work at the moment. I want to buy some hobby related things currently and not sure if I really should or not...
 
Glad to hear you finally got it figured out and fixed, nothing worse than not having wheels to get around.
 
22.50 is a whole lot better than the whole rack.


glad it's getting fixed on the cheap
 
Ducky said:
Man you got lucky on that on.  Thanks to a good parts guy too.
Click to expand...

That is why I go to Scott, he is not all about the counter, he is not afraid to crawl under vehicles to figure it out and get it right. If you need a weird part, or even just the right part, you go see Scott. And if Scott can't find one, it does not exist haha.
 
Those kind of folks are hard to find behind counters. Glad he went the extra mile!
 
That's why everyone needs a Scott. He's the go-to guy!


:thThumbsUp-1:
 
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Yeah, if you need someone to take a leak... Scott's your guy.
 
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Fixed the truck today, pretty easy to replace that return line between the rack and the oil cooler. However, there is another return line from the oil cooler to reservoir that looks to be on the verge, due to rust... So I am going to go buy that line and replace it next weekend, can get to it at least.
 
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