I had my rusted-out transmission cooler line and radiator replaced on my Honda Accord two weeks ago.
This morning, I turned on my car and drove for about 5 minutes before realizing it was struggling to turn. When I got back home, I found it was completely out of power steering fluid. The fluid had all gushed out, even though I had been checking my driveway for fluid/oil spots over the last two weeks and saw nothing since getting the transmission cooler line replaced.
The power steering leak started as soon as I turned on my car today and it was essentially out of fluid by the time I got back home in 5 minutes.
What could cause such a significant leak? Is using a stop leak product even worth it with a leak this big?
It seems like the pressure hose might be ruptured, so using a stop leak won’t help. You should start by tracing the lines from the pump to find any obvious problems. If you don’t see anything, refill the system and have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth while you watch the lines, pump, and steering rack. You should see fluid squirting out when the wheel is moved.
The power steering cooler is located in that area, so it’s possible they either damaged it or left a hose loose. You should take it back to the shop as soon as possible. If you have a Lincoln Continental, keep in mind that the power steering fluid also operates the cooling fan, so you might get used to the smell of burnt power steering fluid.
Ruptured pressure hose would be my guess, stop leak would be pointless. Trace the lines starting at the pump should be an obvious defect. If you don’t see anything fill it back up and with it running have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth while you look at the lines, pump, and steering rack, you should see fluid squirt out when the wheel is turned.