Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Fluid leak after power steering pump replacement

Had the car in at the Ford Dealership for smoke upder the hood last week and they found that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. After getting the car back Thursday I didn't notice any problems but on Sat morning I noticed two puddles under the car. They were on the passenger side just forward of the right front tire and both were about the size of a CD. Moving forware I kept an eye on the leek and it's getting to be less and less to where it's about the size of a silver dollar no after being parked all night.

After work today I checked upder the hood and there's little wisps of smoke coming up from around the belts and doesn't smell like oil. Checked the power steering fluid and while it's not topped off I can still see it in the resevoir but it looks like there's a fine graphite powder mixed in. Was the install of the pump botched or is this pointing to a bigger problem?

I've heard of dealerships replacing stuff and not filling up with fluids. A friend of mine took his PT to the Dodge dealership for the oil change, 3,000 miles later the engine locks up. Yeah, they drained the oil, replaced the filter, but didn't fill it up with oil. Not sure how it lasted as long as it did, but hey, he got a new engine out of the deal.

You may or may not have contamination in the fluid. Mercon has an additive that can be mistaken for small carbon particles. If you take a new container of Mercon and pour a small stream with light behind it, you can see a dusky particle throughout it.

It also is not uncommon to have very dark contaminated fluid from the rack mixed with your new fluid. Many 95's had fluid that got especially dark from very slight aluminum wear in the rack case. It may be advisable to flush the system.

Inspect the fluid, but do it after you have a hard look at new fluid from a new bottle.

Thanks Big Jim. I checked the fluid this morning and the fluid is a much darker red and slightly cloudy then I was used to seeing in the car. The fluid that was in it previously was a lighter red and much more clearer. There didn't appear to be any contamination.

Any thought on the leak and where it's coming from? This morning I still have one although it's not as heavy as it was previously.