D'OHH something happened to my powersteering just now.. i was making a U turn and my wheel started getting really heavy.. i pulled into a gas station and popped the hood and i saw smoking from the back of my engine bay near the firewall. i looked below and i saw a little puddle of fluid, it smelled like P/S fluid.. it was right below my rack and pinion anyone else have this problem?

 

Didnt have the same problem, but something similar I think. I had a PS leak in my GXE, but it was a puncture hole (from what I dont know) in the PS hose mounted on the fire wall on the passenger side. My thoughts on your problem would be just a leaky connection or something that maybe dripped on the y-pipe and smoked. I would wait till day time and have somebody turn the wheel lock to lock while you looked under the hood to see where it was coming from. Good luck

 

Sounds like a nice sized leak. You won't know where it is, until you actually get under the car and look. Hopefully, it's a gasket on a line or a hose and not one of the seals coming out of the rack(those are hard to acquire). It's a no-brainer, but I will say it anyway... Don't drive/run the car until you fix it. Hydraulic pumps don't like to be run without fluid. Let us know when you pinpoint the leak.

 

FYI, i had my steering gear boots replaced.. and i looked underneath at the boots.. and it looks like a nipple extending from the boot.. i'm suspecting the boot leaking.. but are there seals within the boot on the steering gear? thanks

 

There are seals but they are in the rack on the ends. The purpose of the boots is to keep dirt and whatnot from getting on the shaft and gauling the seals as it passes by them.

 

probobly a hose leak but it could be a seal too

 

Related question - Sometimes when I turn my wheel hard to the right, I'll hear a slight "humming" noise that lasts for split second. So far I haven't had any PS problems, but that makes me uneasy

 

having to replace the rack and pinion. oh well

 

Thats most likely air in the system.