hayn_wrx

iTrader: (29)

well after drivin my car to hcc parking lot i noticed the wheel was a lil hard to turn sorta like when u have no power steering..while tryin to reverse it was even harder to turn the wheel...after parking and lookin under the car i saw something leaking..i'm thinkin its the power steering..but i dont know were it's coming from...i just install my helix dp and was wondering if it could be that ?..the hose for the power steering is silicone ? if so can the dp maybe melt it ?..n e ways i' have no idea what's wrong let alone know were it's coming from....anyone have any idea's or possiable solutions ?..

luktang

iTrader: (14)

No line or hose should be touching or near the downpipe...

hayn_wrx

iTrader: (29)

hmm...so what could it be ?..there's definietly a drip and it's oily

hayn_wrx

iTrader: (29)

argh...

bpang1

iTrader: (25)

Uhm maybe as you slipped the DP down and out of the car you hit something...most times people come close to hitting the CV Boot but I dunno...

hayn_wrx

iTrader: (29)

umm i dunno there's like a leak coming from sorta around the area of the dp if not the under it in that area...i dunno stilll looking rite now to find out were the leak is coming from..hehe...and everything was fine untill yesterday when i was driving the bamm i had a hard time steering..i dunno?

04sleeper

iTrader: (9)

more than likely a powersteering fluid leak. if you had cracked the cv boot it would not drip, but rather be flung all over when you drove. it's grease filled so it doesn't really drip. you should check to see that the cap to the powersteering fluid is on tight. then follow the lines, checking for leaks. keep in mind that just because the liquid that was dripping down was oily, doesn't mean it's not air con condensation that got some engine grime on it. hope you figure it out and certainly drive as little as possible to minimize any possible damage till it's fixed. L8R

iNfEk

iTrader: (33)

the dripping...

did you have your air conditioning on? or did you have it on recently before checking your car? The drip will be if it's a steady drip coming from the downpipe area would be the air condition getting rid of the excess moisture that it produces. the drop hose is right next to the downpipe in your engine bay (it will be black). This is normal for it to drip.

if it's hard for you to turn your wheel then it's possible that you maybe leaking (hope and pray you're not) or you have a bag powersteering pump (possible even on new cars) or you're low on power steering fluid. check the powersteering reservoir. it should be on the full line (cold) when the car is cold and full line (warm) when the car is warm. If you don't have enough then you'll need to get some ATF (automatic transmission fluid) to fill it up. since it's not synthetic you'll need to put regular in it unless you want to replace it with synthetic (which is what I've already done )

I would also recommend doing the fluid check first before assuming the other things could be wrong.

Has the situation improved since the HCC parking lot? does it seem to work and not work sometimes? it could and may be your powersteering pump or you need a new steering rack.

check the fluid first though... this is all that I can think of!

Jon

iNfEk

iTrader: (33)

what color is the fluid?

If it's a reddish orange color then it's power steering fluid.

If it's another color please state the color. "it's oily" doesn't say anything. A lot of things could cause the oily condition under your engine bay.

Jon

- also the power steering cap cannot be "tightened" since it's a "pop-on" type and just spins around freely if you turn it.

hayn_wrx

iTrader: (29)

i figured out the problem..following the lines under the downpipe one of the lines i guess has a tightening bolt to hold the seal in place..one of them was loose..after tightining it no more drip..hehe..i'll post a pic after

iNfEk

iTrader: (33)

THAT DOESN'T SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM!

the dripping is normal if you have a small exhaust leak. condensation builds up in the exhaust system and when you start the car it is normal to have it leak out of small cracks (again due to exhaust leakage).

this however even though you tightened the bolts doesn't solve your problem with you loosing power steering. it is a bigger problem than just tightening a bolt on your exhaust... address your power steering fluid as stated

Jon

hayn_wrx

iTrader: (29)

what should i do then ? i mean i havent lost any power steering since correcting the looseness.. ?..

iNfEk

iTrader: (33)

If it's any intermittent problem (since exhaust doesn't affect your power steering at all) then I'd say that it might be your power steering pump. At the same time it could be your steering rack had an air bubble in it. It is however self purging so that's kinda funny!

I would just check your fluid/replace if necessary and see if you're due to change it already!

I repeat: EXHAUST CONDENSATION LEAKAGE DOESN'T AFFECT YOUR POWER STEERING AT ALL!

it doesn't matter if that bolt was loose or not that wouldn't make a different with your power steering.

IF you had a loose bolt from your exhaust then that would just produce a exhaust leak (which is also bad to an extent) but not as bad as a power steering problem.

Jon

04sleeper

iTrader: (9)

i think he was refering to the lines next to the exhaust, not the actual exhaust. if one of the lines was loose and you tightened it up then hope that solves it. just remember to check the fluid levels and keep them at the right place.