Power Steering Leak

[George]

I have a power Steering leak on my 1993, Mazda MPV. I put the vehicle up on stands and crawled under it to see if I could locate the leak. The tie rod boot on the driver’s side was wet with fluid. Everything above it looked dry. (I’ve attached a picture of the wet boot.) I’m not sure what will be involved in fixing the leak. Is it a matter of replacing a seal or am I looking at removing the whole rack? Has anyone had experience with this kind of leak? I’d appreciate any information as to what I could be looking at as far as repair options. Thanks

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• Tierod.jpg

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[zero]

I’ve personally never seen anyone reseal a rack. I’m guessing that resealing it, Rockauto actually lists a reseal kit, would require complete removal and a fair amount of dis-assembly of the unit itself. Removal of the rack might require dropping the subframe, which usually puts a job like this outside of most peoples driveway capabilities.

The worst part about resealing the unit would be that you couldn’t be sure of your repair until everything’s back together.

[George]

Thanks for your advice, DaFirnz. You’re correct in saying there’s only so much you can do on you’re own driveway. I’ve had experience removing the power steering rack from a Pontiac 6000 but the one on this Mazda seems to be hard to access. Your comment about replacing the seals is worth bearing in mind. There is nothing more heartbreaking than to discover that the part that you’ve spent so much time and energy in removing and attempting to fix, is still leaking or failing! I suppose my next step will be to research what would be involved in removing the rack and then decide if the vehicle is worth the effort. Thanks again for taking the time to respond to my post.

[Author]

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