P/S rack leak.. RTV?
 

Ok so I finally removed the inner tie rods, and I noticed on the passengers side of the car that the P/S rack is leaking fluid from this point in the picture. I do NOT want to replace the P/S rack!!! but I figured while I have easy access to this leak, would some "Permatex The right stuff RTV" hold up ok? Ive heard some people have been successful in doing this. What do you guys think?

(Its the area where the boot slides over the inner tie rod, RF of vehicle) As you can see the picture, the RTV would in no way ever enter the P/S system from this external point.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...o/SANY0496.jpg

No. That is the shaft seal, and it's designed to hold high pressures. If it's leaking there, you'll have to deal with it, convert to manual, or replace your rack. RTV will not hold up against the kind of pressures generated in a Power Steering System. (my credentials: I worked for 2 summers for Automotive Components Holdings, LLC as an intern in Hydraulic Power Steering. I know quite a bit about PS systems.)

Fix it right. You need to replace the rack. I get pretty annoyed when I work on a car where someone previously gooped everything up with rtv and charge extra for my time to clean it.

Suggestion
 

Just replaced my rack - after much searching, the only place I found a reman rack was www.rackandpinionwhse.com. They got me a great looking rebuilt rack in less than two weeks. I think they only had one core but mine is on it's way to them right now. Around $200 or so once you get your core charge back.

I think mazda had them but my quote was around $1200 - I'm sure Ray (Malloy Mazda) has them for $800 or $900 perhaps, didn't ask him.

They did a great job - just place the order and call a day later and they will update you on the situation. It wasn't that bad to do - 3 hours to get out, I recommend taking out the rad and about an hour to get it back in after you realize exactly what you have to do. The worst part is disconnecting the line coming in to the rack.

If they hadn't had the rack, I was going manual. Good luck.

I think ill leave it alone for now. I did a LOT of work and it pisses me off that after all that, I find another problem. Well last time I topped off my power steering fluid was last year in september and that was when I replaced the P/S return hose. Ever since then I have seen no visible leaks from the rack and pinion, and the Reservoir has been full for months, and is STILL full now.

ughh..... well, Im too tired for that right now, ill replace that later when it actually causes a problem, but thanks for the help as always...

Oh and BTW, inner tie rods are a PITA!!!!!!! got one side done already, and other side is on, but still needs tightening. Next time my inner tie rods go bad, or if I see P/S fluid leaking, I'll just replace the whole rack and pinion with inner tie rods and everything

I suppose you could try some PS stop leak or something, but it would be temporary at best if it fixed the issue. Or just go manual steering as already mentioned. It would free up some space in the engine bay, give better road feel (if u like that), be a cheaper solution, and fix your issue forever.