Tips on tracking down a power steering leak?
(In an Australian accent à la Crocodile Hunter)
Alright, we're coming in to the power steering's territory to track down its offspring, the leak, we need to follow its tracks. We have to be careful because there are lots of other dangerous wildlife in this area like the finger eating fan and the face whipping serpentine belt. So here we go. So we've found one of it's parents, the pump, which is the father pushing its fluid towards the mother, the rack and pinion. He can be a quite bit cranky, often moaning and groaning especially in the morning. Be careful around the pump though as the serpentine belt also lives in this area and can bite quite seriously. I'll stick my finger there. Crickey! He's a mean one that belt! I'd better steer clear of 'im. Next we follow along the fluid path that goes to the mum. Dad's been workin' hard since the path is pretty sweaty in some places and dirt has accumulated. This is a good clue to find the leak. Next we find the mum. As you know, it does most of the work in the house while the dad is moaning and groaning to get her to do the work. Don't dare talk to the rack as this can cause her to just spontaneously spring a small leak for no obvious reason and then cause the pump to just keep spinning trying to supply more fluid till he's drained where the rack will just croak and then leave, to be replaced by a new rack, much younger and shiny but not after a nasty and expensive divorce. This one's doin' OK, just a bit dirty and a little loose. Now we follow the return path to the dad, all looks good... Crikey! There it is! The infamous leak! He's a sneaky one, hiding behind some tall brush of wires. He's a healthy one alright. Exposure to the elements made the path weak and allowed the leak out. Damn! Just got the back of me head shaved off by the equally dangerous fan. You need eyes in the back of your head to survive in this environment.
And that's how you track a power steering leak.