Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 20:50:03 -0800
Reply-To: Randy Huyck <Fritz_H@MSN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Randy Huyck <Fritz_H@MSN.COM>
Subject: Re: 85' power steering fluid leak? AM noises!
In-Reply-To: <20030123191935.53355.qmail@web80207.mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Check the underside of the engine hatch to see if there's a stripe where
fluid has been coming out around the shaft of the pump (like mine has been
doing for a LONG time now). If so, you know your PS pump is on the way out.
One of these days my wife is going to get tired of the monthly steering howl
that prompts me to fill the reservoir. The only problem is new pumps are so
blasted expensive...
Randy, Carla & Anna Huyck, Olympia, WA
'75 Rustfalia
'85 Vanagon GL
'90 Fox GL
'74 Super Beetle
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of Tracy Bonin
Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 11:20 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: 85' power steering fluid leak? AM noises!
Good Afternoon,
actually a new development has occurred over the past couple of days I was
hoping that someone could anwser. At first I thought that I was had an oil
leak. I kept seeing a few drops on the ground, in the left middle area of
the engine compartment. Mainly when after first driving in the morning.
After closer examination, come to find out that it is power steering fluid
(which is really ATF fluid). So of course my first thoughts were oh, no. But
when looking within the engine compartment, I couldn’t see a leak when it
was running or off. Finally, I noticed that the little plastic tank on the
left side, by the oil filler was wet on the top. I know that I had checked
and filled this fluid a few months ago. What was weird was that I know that
I had probably over filled a little bit when I was filling it, but didn’t
start having any issues until now. The cap is tight, but the leak seems to
be getting worse. This morning I had quite a little puddle forming when I
first started the bus, the puddle was strange, and was all foamy, like tiny
soap bubbles. I thought that this was from what ever was pushing out the
fluid. It doesn’t look as though it’s cracked, the fluid seems to be coming
out from where the top is somwhere, dripping down over the crossbar, and
onto the ground.
Something else is that it’s been really cold lately, and when I first start
the bus, it makes this REALLY bad noise. Almost like a grinding or something
along those lines. With this fluid leak, I was beginning to wonder if it is
the power steering pump making that noise. Does anyone else expierence this?
It only started doing it when it got really cold out…..What can I do to help
or prevent it, if I can at all?
So what happens when the power steering pump fails? Does it push fluid back?
What would make this overflow, and noise? What can I do to save it?
Thanx again,
Tracy
85’ GL "Ripple"
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