Sudden steering fluid leak

[schrater]

I returned to my boat after a couple weeks absence, and discovered a puddle of power steering fluid sitting below the wheel of my upper helm. This happened while it was not being used. I’ve never had so much as a drop leak before. What could have caused this?

 

[Swfla]

A failed seal/gasket/o-ring is typical for that amount of hydraulic fluid. Look behind the steering with a good light. You sometimes can pinpoint the exact seal or hose that is leaking. There is likely a "rebuild" kit available for brand and model.

 

[kchace]

Have you added fluid anytime recently? If the upper steering pump is not vented and is fairly full, an increase in temperature can cause a significant rise in pressure in the reservoir and it will force oil out of the shaft seal. I had this exact thing happen to me on a hot day after topping up the fluid to the prescribed 1/2” below the opening - never the slightest leak before and all of a sudden a whole bunch of oil. On investigation I found that the upper tank did not have a vent installed as it is supposed to have. I installed one and not one drop of leakage since and that was 4 years ago.

Ken

 

[koliver]

Your reservoir likely has a stopper at the highest point. If you remove it and put in an overflow, like the one on your car's cooling system, the expansion that forces fluid out thru the seals will force it up the hose, into your overflow reservoir, then when it cools, it will suck it back into the system. I have successfully solved this problem in that fashion. At least a decade of success, so far.

 

[catalinajack]

Venting is your answer. I had this problem and had the seals replaced thinking that, yeah, this must be the problem. It wasn't. The seals began leaking again soon thereafter. Based on a thread found here several years ago, I replaced the plug on the UPPER helm with something called a sintered plug. One can be had on Amazon for less than $5.00. A sintered plug let's air in (vents) while keeping dust and debris out. I strongly encourage you to get yourself a sintered plug before replacing those seals. When I did so, the leak stopped never to reappear.

Your reservoir likely has a stopper at the highest point. If you remove it and put in an overflow, like the one on your car's cooling system, the expansion that forces fluid out thru the seals will force it up the hose, into your overflow reservoir, then when it cools, it will suck it back into the system. I have successfully solved this problem in that fashion. At least a decade of success, so far.