leaking power steerig fluid

[orbitalegg]

my w124 200te is leaking power steering fluid ,when i turn the steering past half way i get a load of smoke from under the hood and the smell of burning fluid ,i was told that the metal pipes that run under the sump are leaking and grease is coming out of the n/s/f bearing cap ????(no idea what this means). could some one tell me if they have experienced this before and what are those pipes actually called?. any kind of heads up would be appreciated.
thanks




Ignorance sucks!!

 

[TimN]

It is highly unlikely that the steel sections of the power steering flow and return hydraulic pipes have split unless they have been clouted. Usually a good smearing of leaked engine oil is enough to preserve them for ever. The pipes are held to the under side of the sump by bolts that are part of the gearbox mating arrangement. Because there is differential wobble (getting technical now between the steering box, sump and steering pump each end has a high pressure hose. This allows everything to move. If it were steel it would soon suffer from metal fatigue and split. It is possible that one of the hoses has split. Possibly it might not have been tightened correctly if recently removed.

Given that turning full lock is creating the maximum resistance to the higher pressure flow line then I suspect there is a fault on that.It is usually the smaller of the two simply because the fluid returning to the pump wants minimum resistance.

I would suggest degreasing and clean the area thoroughly. Then test. Have you had to refill the pump reservoir often? What seams like a steering fluid leak is sometimes leakage from the crankshaft seal at the front of the engine.

Sounds like you have recently received an MOT failure. n/s/f bearing is the near side (adjacent the kerb) wheel bearing. Possible a split or dented cap. Pence to replace but check that there isn't any play developing in the bearing itself.

If anywhere near Hertfordshire bring it round.

In