Steering wheel is hard to turn because of a leak in the rack and pinion line, is it still safe to drive if I just fill the power steering fluid?

Posted by UsernameOrNoUsename@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 11 comments

So pretty much like the title says. I took my brother's car when he was on vacation and it was really hard to turn the steering wheel. I went to the mechanic and they told me that the whole rack and pinion had to be replaced and that it would be 1400$ to replace, which is far too much for the rusty piece of junk that this car is worth. The problem is that despite telling him that it was not safe to drive, my brother just wants to fill up the power steering fluid since a leak is what's causing the problem and he still wants to use it to go back to our parents house for mother's day, which is a 3 hour drive away. Is it going to be safe to drive? Or should I insist he not do it? I usually ride with him since it's far cheaper, but right now I don't feel safe doing so. Am I wrong? We've done this drive back and forth a million times so it's not like I don't trust him with his driving, I'm just a really anxious person.

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Substantial_Team6751@reddit

Did the mechanic say where the leak was coming from? How hard did they look? It could be just a hose or connection.

I'd top it up with fluid and then power wash it and inspect. If it leaks really slowly, I might just keep topping it up. If the was a hunk of junk, I might even try a stop leak product.

Melodic-Picture48@reddit

You could drive, but the steering will be quite heavy at low speeds.

Bulocoo@reddit

When I was in college when I went to a gas station it was to add oil, PS fluid, trans fluid and check on the gas.

danu91@reddit

Cool story bro

Nervous_Hurry_9920@reddit

I build racecars. I've removed power steering for weight reduction and to reduce parasitic losses.

The only time you really notice is at slow, parking lot speeds. Aka if affects you the most at the safest speeds.

162630594@reddit

Technically anything that impacts the steering capabilities of a car is a major safety issue and the car shouldn't be driven.

But in reality as long as the fluid is full, the car will steer just fine. Keep some fluid on hand and fill the steering fluid reservoir before you start driving. The main question is how bad is the leak? If there's a huge puddle under the car every time you park the car, then stop every 30 minutes or so and check the fluid level. If it's just a drip and you just now know that it's leaking, you can probably fill it up before you leave and be good to go.

Or an older car that doesn't have power steering....

DevelopmentExpert827@reddit

I had a small leak in the lines a while ago. I just made sure to keep the fluid topped off and drove it for two weeks until my appt to get it repaired. It wouldn’t leak much while driving, it was mainly just overnight would slowly drip out. So most of the leak ended up in my parking lot. I could just tell when it was getting slightly low and would top it.

Ok-Huckleberry1970@reddit

It might be safe for you but you might make an unsafe condition for a motorcyclist that could possibly lose traction due to oil on the road

SuspiciousGarlic4798@reddit

Is it leaking a lot?

Power steering fluid like most fluids you find in the engine bay are fairly flammable especially if it starts squirting all overbthe catalytic converter/exhaust.

Also the bikers hate people that knowing drive cars that leak fluids. Could kill someone some day.

Organic-Baker-4156@reddit

Driving a car where control is impaired is less safe than one that is functioning at 100%.

Driving a car leaking a lot of fluid on the road is environmentally irresponsible.