My 85 GSL has developed a power steering leak and seems to be dripping off the power steering fluid cooling tube. The hot fluid drips from the front air dam and has melted and distorted it. I’m wondering if anyone else has had this same problem and how they fixed it. Has anyone had a PS leak drip from this location (front air dam)? The car is currently in storage and I’m trying to decide whether I should bother getting it out of storage and fixing this problem.

Thanks!
Matt

 

Never seen the cooling loop leak unless it has been dmaged or rusted. It's not hard to remove. Cherck the fittings and lines too. Should fix the problem, of course.

 

thats crazy there are no fittings up there or anything.

 

Automatic transmission cooling tube?

 

GSL's dont have power steering!

 

Are you sure? LOL I belive some GSL and gsl-se did come with PS someone correct me if i am wrong those where the only 2.

 

You might want to double check that. My 1985 GSL has power steering (it was an option).

 

New news to me. I thought only the SE came with P/S and that was an option.

 

mine had p/s.

 

Yes, it's a GSL and it does have power steering. Also, it's a manual transmission so it's not a automatic transmission cooling tube.
The leak drips onto then off of the air dam and is melting and / or chemically dissolving it. I will need to replace the air dam eventually.
I'm wondering what my options are (besides removing the whole thing). Is it OK to drive the car with just the PS belt off for a couple weeks? Also, are their any additives that may help fix the leak?

Thanks,
Matt

 

Your car will be perfectly fine to drive with the belt removed.

A quick fix would be to find exactly where on the cooler tube it is leaking, take a section of rubber hose split down the center and wrap it over the area and secure it with hose clamps. Or you could try to have it welded.

I solved my power steering problem on two GSL-SE's that I have owned... After they blew up I ripped them out and never cared to have P/S since.

 

Well, I got my car out of storage and I’ve been driving it. It’s definitely leaking from the cooler tube. The tube is corroded badly near where the brackets hold the cooling tube to the car.
For a quick fix I think I will try to replace part of the cooling loop. I’m thinking I can cut off the loop with a tube cutter and make a new loop out of 3/8” steel brake line. Then I’ll connect the new loop to where I cut the old one off with two pieces of fuel injection gas hose and fuel injection hose clamps.
Any ideas or suggestions? Should I make the new loop larger?

 

Just an update in case anyone else has this problem. It was leaking from the cooler tube where the brackets wrap around the tube. It was corroded and rusted though. The fix I mentioned above has worked great. I've driven the car daily for 2 months and drive about 50 miles per day, I've put around 2,500 miles on the car and it hasn't leaked a drop.

Thanks for the help everone.

 

Sounds like you clever fix is going to do the job. But if you ever decide you want to replace it with a good stock one, let me know, I just removed one from my parts car and don't need it. Just pay the shipping.

Ray