A sudden oily spot on the driveway usually means a motor oil leak or a transmission fluid leak. But, it may be powered steering. More specifically, it could be a leaky rack and pinion steering.
Learn how to identify symptoms of a leaking rack and pinion and what causes it, and if one of those “Stop Leak” products will actually fix it.
Signs of a Leaking Rack and Pinion
Many tell-tale symptoms regularly accompany the onset of a leak on a rack and pinion system. While there are no guarantees that any or all of these symptoms will present in every instance of rack and pinion leakage, these are frequent enough to present a worth mention.
Below are a few of the more frequent symptoms one should associate with a leaking rack and pinion.
#1. Oily Spots In Driveway.
Any vehicle experiencing a rack and pinion leak tends to collect the leaking power steering fluid around the lower body of the car. This oil is not just present on the rack and pinion, but also on any other components around it that the oil is blown onto.
Then, when the vehicle is parked, gravity transports this power steering fluid onto the surface of a driveway or parking lot with no precision.
As such, the sudden appearance of a bunch of oil spots in one’s driveway is a clear indication that something may be amiss. While a leak from a rack and pinion may not be responsible, as the owner, you can investigate further.
#2. Frequent Need to Top-Off Power Steering Fluid.
As power steering fluid leaks from the leaking rack and pinion gasket, the power steering reservoir becomes less full. The speed at which this loss of fluid occurs depends on the severity of the leak.
On some occasions, fluid loss may occur slowly over months, while in other cases it with happen at a much faster pace.
If the power steering fluid looks less full than it did during the last service, careful inspection of the vehicle’s rack and pinion will be warranted, especially if the fluid reservoir has never been low in the past.
#3. Unusual Noises When Turning.
A third possible symptom of a rack and pinion leak is noticeable noises when turning from one direction to another, often described as a hum or whine. As your power steering fluid is lost, the power steering system will begin to sputter.
Excess power steering fluid loss leads to a wide variety of unpredictable symptoms. Not only can power steering fluid be lost through broken hoses or a malfunctioning pump, but your rack and pinion would also be in the running for your fluid loss.
The options still need to be evaluated, and a careful inspection of the rack and pinion may help you narrow it down.
#4. Tough Steering.
In some cases, a rack and pinion leak can cause steering difficulties. Typically, this happens when a significant amount of fluid has leaked from the system, which allows aeration to occur.
Steering difficulties can be associated with a detectable humming or whining, as mentioned previously.
In some cases, normal steering can be returned with a simple top-off of the vehicle’s power steering fluid.
Unfortunately, in extreme cases, steering may exhibit no noticeable improvement, especially if the steering has been overheated from prolonged operation without adequate fluid.
In these cases, only a complete replacement of the vehicle’s rack and pinion will remedy the difficulty at hand.
Common Causes of Leaking Rack and Pinion
The most common cause of power steering rack leaks is failed seals. This is due to the extreme hydraulic pressure inside a vehicle’s rack and pinion, which creates the possibility for leaks at any opportunity.
Simply stated, even the smallest defect in any of the seals will allow a tremendous amount of pressurized fluid to escape, and it doesn’t take a lot of fluid to cause additional problems.
There are typically 3 seals on a rack and pinion assembly. One at the steering shaft inlet junction and one at each outboard end of the rack and pinion assembly. All (3) seals can leak under the right combination of conditions, especially age and wear.
As a seal ages, the rubber begins to break down. This breakdown can be as simple as dry rot or cracking. Rubber seals can also dry out and shrink and creating a possibility of them becoming unseated.
In any case, the extent of the damage that can occur during a failure becomes evident when subjected to high-pressure power steering fluid.
Is It Safe to Drive with a Leaking Rack and Pinion?
It is not advisable to drive a car with a leaking rack and pinion, and it is not safe. Rack and pinion is important to your vehicle’s power steering system.
Thus, any major rack and pinion fluid system issue could be very frustrating, if not risky.
Any leaking fluid from a vehicle’s rack and pinion can cause unit failure if sufficient fluid is not available to properly drive the rack and pinion. As fluid is lost in a steering system, hydraulic power in the rack and pinion itself will be lost.
Such a loss of fluid will make for stiffer vehicle steering, resulting in applying more force needed on the steering wheel to execute turns.
Fluid loss can also indicate rack and pinion overheating, which can also end in complete rack and pinion failure.
This situation creates similar symptoms as noted above, but now with total loss of hydraulic-assisted steering, and loss like this requires a full rack/pinion swap.
The primary risk of operating a car with a leaking rack and pinion is the potential for a sudden and/or total loss of power steering when you least expect it – a danger if it occurs at highway speeds.
Moreover, by design, if a driver does not have enough source strength to manually ”steer” the vehicle, a visit to the mechanic would be a likely outcome if this were to occur.
Repair vs Replacement
In most cases, it is more cost-effective to just replace the entire rack and pinion assembly and not try to repair the various fluid leaks in the unit.
Although this may seem irrational when you begin to consider the price of purchasing a new rack and pinion, often the costs of the labor related to rack and pinion repair are more than the entire re-purchase costs of a new one.
So the cost for rack and pinion replacement and rack and pinion repair is now priced pretty close to each other.
With that being said, it is safe to say one would be better off if they purchased an entirely new rack and pinion assembly instead of just repairing their faulty assembly, as there is not much difference in cost.
Also, a new rack and pinion assembly usually includes a warranty, while a repaired rack has no such guarantee of coverage. That alone is a huge value and gives you some peace of mind.
The approximate average cost for rack and pinion repair and rack and pinion replacement is:
- Rack and Pinion Repair: $500-$1,200
- Rack and Pinion Replacement: $750-$1,800
Will a “Stop Leak” Fix the Leak?
Stop leak products rarely fix a power steering fluid leak, but they might slow the coolant leak down for a limited period of time. Usually, the fluid leak will go back to previous levels within a few days to weeks.
The reason behind this is that the fluid in a power steering system is pumped through the system at high pressure; therefore, there is no other way to slow down this leak other than through the complete unit replacement.
This can be fairly troubling, since rack and pinion replacement is a very labor-intensive and expensive job. Even the rack and pinion assembly itself is not an inexpensive part.
Although stop leak is definitely not a permanent solution, stop leak products do have their uses.
You might be able to use stop leak to delay a leak until you can get it repaired. However, it seems unlikely you will have a permanent fix for this mechanical issue.