1996 12V Cabriolet Intermittent Total Loss of Power Steering Fluid

[cgharibo]

Hi there,

I have a 1996 12V V6 that intermittently empties out most of the PS fluid. This happens every few months and happens within one day where the PS pump begins to groan. What can cause this rapid loss of PS fluid in the 12V engine?

Thank you!

[K Simmonds]

Where's the fluid escaping from? The entire PAS fluid bottle emptying itself would make hell of a mess so it should be obvious as to roughly where it's coming from.

[newsh]

The worst leak I ever had was from the T piece in the return from rack to reservoir. The pump would start groaning after about a month and need another 1/2 litre of fluid.

After fitting new hoses I finally worked out the T piece was metal and poorly cast, after a bit of fettling I got it to seal and it's been good as gold since.
Other likely places for leaks are the X plugs on the pump and the seals on the rack.