Discussion
Oh well, one week into monaro ownership and the dream has already turned sour 
I have a fluid leak and I *think* it's coming from a small section / join of piping at the drivers side of the car right at the front of the engine bay / into the bumper and right at the bottom of the bay.
It looks like oil - is certainly dark in colour.
Any ideas? Garages round here are mobbed so waiting to see when I get it booked in by someone.
Buyer beware!
I have a fluid leak and I *think* it's coming from a small section / join of piping at the drivers side of the car right at the front of the engine bay / into the bumper and right at the bottom of the bay.
It looks like oil - is certainly dark in colour.
Any ideas? Garages round here are mobbed so waiting to see when I get it booked in by someone.
Buyer beware!
motomk said:
Might be the power steering cooler, reddish brown in colour?....A few of the cars I have had have needed those hose clamps tightening. On one car I added another clamp so there were 2 in series.
It could be - I'm terrified of a spanner so the best I can do is dark / muddy brown.
By the time it's been on the car / wiped off onto a rag / dripped onto the mucky garage floor it could well have been reddish brown originally
I hope it is...
I should add the pipe / join is very far over - almost at the wheel. So not central and, as I said, is very far forward towards the bumper and at the very bottom of the bay depth wise. It's easily accessible from underneath the car / is the first pipe you hit if you shove your hand up there.
This was mine, and you are right, not the easiest place to take a pic!!
www.hsv.org.uk/topic.asp?h=27&t=253239&r=3187881&hm=56294&mid=56294#3187881
www.hsv.org.uk/topic.asp?h=27&t=253239&r=3187881&hm=56294&mid=56294#3187881
the standard cooler is really basic, behind the front bumper infront of the radiators. This is connected with the rubber pipes to the pump etc. On the left side they normally corrode on the bend just before the connection to the rubber hoses as they are exposed to the weather ( and the water sits on the bend and against the rubber hoses). Not used to all this bad weather in the UK I guess.
It looks the physical pipe the tubing is connected to has rusted / split / is causing the problem.
So I doubt tightening it will help.
What is the pipework? Is this part of the PAS cooler? or just a random bit of metal pipe?
Why do I get the sneaking suspicion I'm looking at £ for this
Thanks all for replies so far - you've honed in exactly on the problem. Especially thanks for the pictures!
So I doubt tightening it will help.
What is the pipework? Is this part of the PAS cooler? or just a random bit of metal pipe?
Why do I get the sneaking suspicion I'm looking at £ for this
Thanks all for replies so far - you've honed in exactly on the problem. Especially thanks for the pictures!
I would really 100% confirm its not the jubilee clips that need replacing, I did mine on my old car (gts-r) the pipes looked rutsy but were ok,
Jack up front of car put on a couple of new jubilees were talking probably no more that £2 for clips
I put x2 on each hose so strap parts do up opposite way (to do with way clips grip this way you get a better grip, even better if you use different style that close equally, can't remember name as not at work and can't look on shelf!!).
You don't have to disconnect pipe to do this but you will need to cut off old clips if badly corroded (snips do the trick)
As for replacing pipes not sure but you could cut back damaged section and fit longer hoses to reach would imagine cheaper and just as affective.
Either way you will need some power steering fluid before you do anything,
Hope this helps
Jack up front of car put on a couple of new jubilees were talking probably no more that £2 for clips
I put x2 on each hose so strap parts do up opposite way (to do with way clips grip this way you get a better grip, even better if you use different style that close equally, can't remember name as not at work and can't look on shelf!!).
You don't have to disconnect pipe to do this but you will need to cut off old clips if badly corroded (snips do the trick)
As for replacing pipes not sure but you could cut back damaged section and fit longer hoses to reach would imagine cheaper and just as affective.
Either way you will need some power steering fluid before you do anything,
Hope this helps
V8NHH said:
I would really 100% confirm its not the jubilee clips that need replacing, I did mine on my old car (gts-r) the pipes looked rutsy but were ok,
Jack up front of car put on a couple of new jubilees were talking probably no more that £2 for clips
I put x2 on each hose so strap parts do up opposite way (to do with way clips grip this way you get a better grip, even better if you use different style that close equally, can't remember name as not at work and can't look on shelf!!).
You don't have to disconnect pipe to do this but you will need to cut off old clips if badly corroded (snips do the trick)
As for replacing pipes not sure but you could cut back damaged section and fit longer hoses to reach would imagine cheaper and just as affective.
Either way you will need some power steering fluid before you do anything,
Hope this helps
Jack up front of car put on a couple of new jubilees were talking probably no more that £2 for clips
I put x2 on each hose so strap parts do up opposite way (to do with way clips grip this way you get a better grip, even better if you use different style that close equally, can't remember name as not at work and can't look on shelf!!).
You don't have to disconnect pipe to do this but you will need to cut off old clips if badly corroded (snips do the trick)
As for replacing pipes not sure but you could cut back damaged section and fit longer hoses to reach would imagine cheaper and just as affective.
Either way you will need some power steering fluid before you do anything,
Hope this helps
WHS^^^^^
If its not that, its the cooler, (includes the pipes). £81.12 inc the VAT.
Awesome thanks guys (and everyone else).
I have it booked into a garage thursday, I'll only make matters worse with my own spannering skills.
I'll see what they say.
Cooler price is way below what I was expecting! Even if the pipes are serviceable - but on the way I might replace it anyway, if the labour charges aren't too high.
monkfish - do you have them in stock?
I have it booked into a garage thursday, I'll only make matters worse with my own spannering skills.
I'll see what they say.
Cooler price is way below what I was expecting! Even if the pipes are serviceable - but on the way I might replace it anyway, if the labour charges aren't too high.
monkfish - do you have them in stock?
Edited by eztiger on Tuesday 16th March 20:43
Mine were corroded badly and I could see the point at which it was leaking. New set of pipes from the fish and a bit of question asking on here as to how to remove the bumper, and most importantly, how to lift the rad 1" you need to get the stupidly angled pipes to feed back in. tighten new clips, fill with power steering fluid and turn steering a few times and then top up again.
Very doable for average DIY'er, but make sure you get the fluid BEFORE you take the car apart! 
Very doable for average DIY'er, but make sure you get the fluid BEFORE you take the car apart!
you in Edinburgh - hmm. I've got my old cooler lying in the shed - its intact, wasn't leaking when I removed it. I had to replace radiator so fitted one with integrated PAS and oil cooler. If you fancy a drive over to Motherwell at weekend you can have the cooler, I'm never going to use it. If weathers okay and I have the time I'll even fit it for you - not the hardest job to do, only thing you'd need is to buy some fluid and theres a parts place round the corner that normally stock it.
eztiger said:
Awesome thanks guys (and everyone else).
I have it booked into a garage thursday, I'll only make matters worse with my own spannering skills.
I'll see what they say.
Cooler price is way below what I was expecting! Even if the pipes are serviceable - but on the way I might replace it anyway, if the labour charges aren't too high.
monkfish - do you have them in stock?
I have it booked into a garage thursday, I'll only make matters worse with my own spannering skills.
I'll see what they say.
Cooler price is way below what I was expecting! Even if the pipes are serviceable - but on the way I might replace it anyway, if the labour charges aren't too high.
monkfish - do you have them in stock?
Edited by eztiger on Tuesday 16th March 20:43
Indeed we do.
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