Yep , Nuts are tight but there is the slightest movement where the pipe enters the nut but assume the end of said pipes are convex so they give a good seal inside, I'm comparing these connections a bit like radiator valves ( I am in the construction industry after all )

moremuckmush said:

Yep , Nuts are tight but there is the slightest movement where the pipe enters the nut but assume the end of said pipes are convex so they give a good seal inside, I'm comparing these connections a bit like radiator valves ( I am in the construction industry after all )

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Check any leaks across the front cross member pipes

Yep will get her in the garage tomorrow night and have a thorough inspection , can these pipes have been overtightened and gone past the point of holding the seal tight, thinking now that the cold snap we just had has accelerated the issue , got to be obvious to drain the tank surely

moremuckmush said:

Yep , Nuts are tight but there is the slightest movement where the pipe enters the nut but assume the end of said pipes are convex so they give a good seal inside, I'm comparing these connections a bit like radiator valves ( I am in the construction industry after all )

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There shouldn't be any movement in the unions.

Thanks for confirming Pal

Unions ... must remember that terminology.... nuts ffs how bladdy dare I

Following removal of the unions , would ptfe tape ( plumbers tape) be beneficial wrapped around the threads prior to refitting

No tape. Can’t remember if there is a O ring some where on them pipes.

Ah OK,
Is there more pressure built up when driving when comparing to standing on the drive on tickover , I say this as I'm thinking on blasting everything with carb cleaner , filling the reserviour and try to recreate whats happening/ what pipe or seal is the culprit , once repaired is bleeding not to dissimilar to bleeding brakes

Same pressure ticking over & driving.
To bleed this you can just turn full lock to lock. Don’t hold it on full lock.

Not a huge difference with more engine speed. Bleeding is easy just turn wheel from lock to lock a couple of times. There will be more pressure in the system when under load [ wheels on the ground and not turning ] also at full lock. Full lock should not be held on in everyday driving.

Thanks again Pal

So chaps ...

Weather was crap this morning so unable to graft , bus ride home and thought I'd get straight on and investigate further to find out what's up.
Cleaned everything with degreaser and dried everything off as best I could , still paying attention around the box and the pipework in that area , took the reservour off to check the pipes from that , as Mr hicap suggested , checked the pipes along the crossmember , looking underneath the spatter was even more noticeable but hard to point the finger as to where it was coming from, anyway after 15mins of checking things I thought I'd refill the reserviour fire her up and see if I coukd get it to spray , however, before even starting her up I heard drip ... drip ... drip , this was coming from the passenger side , initially thought it was tracking from the box area then spotted it. Just above the alternater the pipe had gone soft and perished to what I thought was a legitimate joint only to find out some f@ker had made a botch connection using a brass outside tap hose connection, christ you would be lucky if the pipes had 10mm hold at the joint but this said it was away from this that the pipe had perished , the leak as you guys mentioned earlier, was being jettisoned by the fan covering the box, you wouldn't have thought it.
I have had to cobble a better joint with some 15mm copper pipe and some heavy fuel hose I had in my stores, just to get it sorted as it is my daily drive, will order a whole new hose for peace of mind.

Next step refill and bleed , had to youtube how to do this and after several attempts to fit a pipe and bottle to the bleed nipple without success I just had to crack it open and let it flow , catching the spillage from below the engine( be interested to know how to do this efficiently, even thought I maybe should have just put the end of the bleed pipe in the reserviour? , anyway jobs a goodn , I now understand that excessive noise from the steering box when turning means you must have a leak or sucking in air ? , she's quiet as a mouse now and back to norm , thanks for the info , few pics attached, apologies for the oversized jubilee clip but when needs must and its all you have to hand ..., done a few miles for test and she's dandy .

Be careful which PAS fluid hose you buy, there are a myriad of options and some vendors cock up part numbers...ask me how I know[!] See here for correct model year, hose connector shape & part numbers

https://www.lrworkshop.com/diagrams/land-rover-defender-steering/steering-column-lower

Just turning the wheel lock to lock is enough to bleed the system most of the time then open bleed nipple to get rid of the last bit of air.

Yep I ended up following a you tube job , wheels straight ahead bled until it was flowing over me wellies then quick turn full left and right and nip up the nipple

v8250 said:

Be careful which PAS fluid hose you buy, there are a myriad of options and some vendors cock up part numbers...ask me how I know[!] See here for correct model year, hose connector shape & part numbers

https://www.lrworkshop.com/diagrams/land-rover-defender-steering/steering-column-lower

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Thanks for this

moremuckmush said:

Fellow Muckers
So I've had a few mornings of late where the steering pump was making a noise on initial manouvers but then cleared , anyway 3 days later and on way home tonight from work , excessive pump noise when turning and arriving home , fluid is peeing all over , the spray looks to be coming from the 3 pipes coming from the top of the pump but was so much fluid spray it was hard to tell , even the top of the reservoir was covered , dried everything off and tried the steering on full lock when standing still and nothing is showing fluid wise , no spray , any one experienced this ? is it best to just order a new pump or is there a way of finding the bleddy issue , Thanks in advance , 1988 19j landrover 110 pickup

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The steering pump pipes have 'O' rings in the end of the pipes. I bet its one of these that failerd. A cheap fix is to just do new 'O' rings but i would do the entire pipe if it was on my motor. A new pressurised motor to steering box pipe is about £25 and it comes with new O ring seals..

I'm still on the temp repair at the moment but have the new pipe ready to go on , thanks for the feedback