My steering wheel is just a tad bit harder to turn for the last few days. It is hardly noticable and only sometimes, but it was enough for me to pop the hood and check the fluid. It was low so I added some and it was eating it for a while. Now every time I check it its a little bit low. Its not leaking bad, but I could tell that its not normal.

I anticipate that my power steering is slowly going bad.

Any useful info on this subject is appreciated

(such as price of unit, or any cheap fixes such as stop leak if it works)

 

Where is the leak coming from? Odds are the problem lies w/ cracked hoses as opposed to the actual Power Steering Unit going bad.

There should be 3 hoses (I think, since I'm not looking under the hood. Maybe someone can verify):

Two hoses connected to the Power Steering Fluid Reservoir. These are typically your standard rubber hoses. The last hose is the High Pressure hose. This hose usually has what looks like a large metal AN fitting on one end. It also looks like it is braided or wrapped. It is a much larger hose than the other two.

You should not be losing any power steering fluid. Check where your leaks are from. Most likely, your hoses are old and are now cracked.

 

Also forgot to mention. To bleed the air, you have to crank your steering wheel to the left and right over and over and over. Check the reservoir every day for maybe a week to ensure that the air has been eliminated. Add power steering fluid to proper levels if necessary.

 

Thank you for the info I will check the hoses. When I crank the wheel left and right does the reservoir top have to be off? Also how do you tell if the air has been eliminated? thanx a bunch

 

The reservoir cap will be off because you will have to add fluid in the first place. There is a whole bunch of air that will get in the system so over time, the air will disappear. It's not nearly as critical as eliminating air from your clutch lines. Just make sure you spend some time in getting the air out the first time. After that, check again a few hours later and after some driving, check the levels again. Repeat process as stated before.

 

and if it turns out to be the pump and you cannot find a decent price for one, just connect the hoses together

 

Its a lot better thanks