Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Power steering leak

Hi,
Last summer, I had a bad power steering leak, and I had to replace the power steering rack, at a cost of about $900 (Canadian). Just today, I noticed that the PS fluid was low, and I topped it off. I figured it must be leaking from somewhere, and sure enough, it looks like it's leaking from the rack again!! The worst part is that the repair from last summer is no longer under warranty, and I don't think I can afford to spend that much on it again!

Have other people had problems with the PS rack leaking? I don't think that I should be having this problem so soon after having it replaced!! Is there any way to repair the seals without replacing the entire rack?

Here are the details:
The fluid is leaking from the passenger side of the rack (I think it is anyway, the rubber boot on that side is wet with fluid, and it was dripping down a bit). The boot itself does not appear to be full of fluid though.
I have a '98 Contour with 2.5L V6 Duratec engine.
Thanks for any help/advise.

Update,
So I had it in the garage today, and I was right, the power steering rack needs to be replaced again. What could cause a steering rack to leak after 1 year of use? Is there something I could do to prevent this from happening again?

I think it was new, or at least they told me it was new. Why does the system need to be flushed? Don't you have to drain all the fluid before replacing the rack anyways?