leaking steering box

hi,

I got a question regarding a leaking steering box on my TD5 Discovery.

The leak is from the join in the top plate, thats the one held on by four bolts and has the adjuster in the centre and bleed valve to one side.

Is this plate supposed to be sealed with a gasket and is there any problem with removing the four bolts and trying to re seal the joint?

It seems a bit pointless to buy a replacement unit if this can be resealed.


any advice.

dont seem to have any replies, lots of lookers.

Just changed from a Pajero, great car apart from the towing and mpg for which the disco is better.

suprised not had any replies though, pajero site would have been swamped with comments within minutes

Yes, I'm surprised too..

The top cover has no real load on it and while the purists may advise against it, I would remove and reseal myself.

No doubt someone will tell you i'm wrong, LOL

Thanks for the reply, I posted the question as I have not seen a diagram so didn't know if there may be springs, ball bearings or anything that may just jump out if I removed the top cover.

It is the route I wish to take before replacing the whole unit but needed someone who may know the answer, thanks again

JW

Hi

I have this problem on my TD5. I bought some Lucas power steering sealer, which is really thick oil and added it in. I bought another bottle when it had leaked enough to add some more. It definitely slowed the leak down initially and improved the feel of the steering a little.

After reading your post I had a look and was suprised to see that my steering box wasn't leaking any more. I had been keeping an eye on the resevoir and it didn't seem to be dropping too much.

I have been thinking about why it might be leaking from here, as the steering on my TD5 seems very light with little feel when cornering. I was wondering if the PAS system was generating too much pressure. Although, as the leak has stopped this would seem to contradict this theory, unless the Lucas is doing a really amazing job.

I can hold the car in a straight line easy and cannot detect much play in the steering system. If I run the tyres ay the 28 psi recommended it is particulary bad, but if I drop the pressure to 23 psi the steering is great.

After all that, your're probably going to tell me your steering is spot on

The RAVE CD has a diagram of the steering box which shows the plate.

I may also be able to dig out a thread on another forum on replacing the plate. I'll have a look tomorrow and see if I can find it.

Cheers

Andy

wilko690 said:

dont seem to have any replies, lots of lookers.

Just changed from a Pajero, great car apart from the towing and mpg for which the disco is better.

suprised not had any replies though, pajero site would have been swamped with comments within minutes

Click to expand...

psst attitude like that on here not get ya any help :bounce:

thanks for the posts guys, the comments received have helped in the fact that I have a different leak problem than most as they appear to be comming from a different area. Andymach good to hear that your identical leak has now been solved, I would still like to see if I can remove the plate and reseal , still would appreciate if you come up with any other info as you stated.


p.s my comment about the response from another forum for the Pajero was not attitude, but honesty thinking that we may not have so many diy fans on this site. If it offends then its not me with the problem.

JW

Whip the top off; tap out a new gasket, apply instant sealer jollop and reassemble. Should be ok. If anything jumps out, catch it and put it back in.

wilko690 said:

thanks for the posts guys, the comments received have helped in the fact that I have a different leak problem than most as they appear to be comming from a different area. Andymach good to hear that your identical leak has now been solved, I would still like to see if I can remove the plate and reseal , still would appreciate if you come up with any other info as you stated.


p.s my comment about the response from another forum for the Pajero was not attitude, but honesty thinking that we may not have so many diy fans on this site. If it offends then its not me with the problem.

JW

Click to expand...

Sorry mate, I had a look and couldn't find the info I was after. If I find anything over the weekend I'll post back.

Cheers

Andy

I have attached an image of the TD5 steering box from the work shop manual. You should be able to open the thumbnail and zoom it in a bit if you click on it again.

Cheers

Andy

many thanks guys

great response all your replies are of value

JW

Hi,
Can you let me know how you got on please.
I have this problem, although I've not rushed to fix it as the oil only drops from the top mark on the dip stick to the bottom one about every 3 months.

Cheers

Carl