GZ 993

I have a 95 993 and I noticed a leak under the FRONT passenger side tire it is a thin oil, possibly red in color???? I do not have an owners manual so I am going crazy trying to figure out what it is??? HELP!!! <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />

GZ 993

Anyone out there this is an emergency......anyone?? <img src="graemlins/oops.gif" border="0" alt="[oops]" />

Hank Cohn

GZ 993:

I had a similar problem which turned out to be a leaking power steering pump. You should be able to look into the engine bay and see the pump below the air filter housing and determine if it is the cause of your fluid leak.

Hank

GZ 993

Yes I did and it appeared to have fluid on the outside. How and why would it be leaking all the way up in the front without sounding like a complete moron? Do you know of a fix???

Hank Cohn

GZ 993:

My mechanic had a used power steering pump that he installed. I think the actual problem was the seals in the pump. I am sure that there are much more knowledgeable poeple than me that can answer your question with other possible solutions. In the meantime, keep fluid in the resevoir.

Hank

Hank Cohn

Oops, I misread the initial post. I thought it was in the rear of the car. Please disregard my previous posts.

Hank (the misreader)

Mike J

Yup, the darn steering rack AGAIN! What is with Porsche using crummy parts so what are normally low maintenance items fail? I just dropped $$ on my car rebuilding the rack..while my wife's Pathfinder and my winter GM Pickup have twice the mileage and no leaks!

Sorry for the whining...need to take the 993 out for a drive and put things back into perspective!

<img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

GTR 993

So let me guess I'm looking at $500 - $800 in parts (used) if I'm lucky and another $900? in Labor, you have to be sh&*@ING me. I just bought the car, I don't mind shelling the money out for the car and the upgrades but this KIND of irratates me. <img src="graemlins/cussing.gif" border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" /> The funny thing is it's leaking on to the ground but the reservoir is not low it's still on the max line.

Come to think of it I overfilled it slightly before the leak started. I would grin and bear it for awhile if I was sure it was PS and not an oil leak from the cooler. This is very very very frustrating.

GTR 993

From the other posts I can see this is a common problem. Hopefully I can find a used steering rack. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

E. J. - 993 Alumni

[quote]Originally posted by Silver Bullet:
<strong>It is easy to check the oil cooler, just jacke up the front end and remove the passenger tire and front half of the fender liner. The oil lines and connection to the cooler is right there. You can also see if there's oil collecting at the bottom of the bumper cover.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Or you could just stick your finger in the leak on the floor and if its reddish in color, then its the rack. If its brown or black, then its the oil.

I found a used one for less money than you are talking about. Dont forget the tie rods too.

E. J.

Randall G.

[quote]Originally posted by GTR 993:
<strong>So let me guess I'm looking at $500 - $800 in parts (used) if I'm lucky and another $900? in Labor, you have to be sh&*@ING me.

***snip***</strong><hr></blockquote>

Hi GTR 993,

The think the labor should only be somewhere close to 2-3 hours for replacing the rack, nowhere near $900. However, the car also has to be aligned after the rack is replaced.

Pump seal failures are also common, and actually more labor intensive to repair--around 5 hours for a pro. On the other hand, the parts are cheap.

Must have missed your initial description of your leak .... what are the symptoms?

GTR 993

My car is doing the same thing as mentioned above. It is leaking near the passenger side FRONT tire almost parallel with it. I noticed the fluid on the lot where I was parked and it was red. The confusing thing is it looked almost clear on my garage floor.

This is really a pain, I wonder how long it will be in the shop. That's the question.

Randall G.

As long as you have the used/rebuilt/refurbished rack standing by, I don't see any reason why the job can't be turned around in a single day, including alignment. Also, as E.J. says, it makes sense to replace the tie-rods while you're at it, unless you have a super low-mileage car. A rack that comes with tie-rods is called a "long-rack."

But, you're not absolutely positive your rack is leaking, are you? For example, you haven't had to add fluid, or you haven't found fluid on/inside your gaiters?

GTR 993

Gaiters? The fluid in the PS reservoir is not getting any lower.....BUT I had noticed when I bought the car it was a little low, so I filled it up and then I noticed a leak. I keep checking the fluid level and it remains the same. I have an appointment Wed. so I will let you know what they say. I want to get the exhuast put on to when they are working on it. I would think that would be fairly reasonable. <img src="graemlins/yltype.gif" border="0" alt="[typing]" />

Randall G.

Hi 993 GTR,

Over the period of--say--a year--I added fluid to my own reservoir, maybe twice. Would have been fine leaving it at that, but the leak started getting worse, now it's gross. I'm installing a rebuilt rack late this week or early next week.

I'm not happy about the failed rack seal, but at 115k miles, it's easier to deal with. On the other hand, I had to replace the seals on my power steering pump at only ~40k miles.

Gaiters = fancy word for bellows that goes between the tie-rod and steering rack, protecting the rack's shaft. One gaiter for each side of the rack.

Best of luck at the shop next week. Maybe your leak will turn out to be nothing more than a leaking hose.