Excel power steering leak

[excelbhf]

Hi all, it is a while since I left a topic on this site. I have a 1989 Lotus Excel SE 5 speed manual. The power steering has been dripping
a little bit of late but today it has dumped most of the powers steering fluid on the ground after about five minutes of warming up.
Has anyone got any ideas, I suspect that I do not want to hear the possibilities!

Thanks in advance.

Bruce.

[KevW]

On which side of the car is the leak Bruce?

The first time my Excel started leaking fluid it was from a tiny hole in the high pressure supply pipe right next to where it enters the rack. I managed to get a replacement made up at my local branch of Pirtek although Lotusbits can supply brand new pipes off the shelf these days. I saved the end of the pipe where it joined the rack for Pirtek to braze onto their new pipework.

A few years later the power steering began leaking again and this time it was from the rack itself after the seals had failed. Bearing in mind the rack was well over twenty years old I thought the best remedy was to buy a recon rack from Lotusbits.

If you do a search on this site Bruce you'll find a few topics about how to tackle power steering problems.

[excelbhf]

Hi, thanks for the help. As a matter of interest, is it possible to do these sort of repairs at home. I am fairly competent but the
thought of putting the excel on axle stands etc and crawling underneath is a bit worrying. Can the Excel be driven with the power steering fluid empty does anyone know in order that I could take it to me local garage?
I have looked online for spare parts. a new pump is £500.00 and a new rack about £250.00. However, Lotusbits have recon or second
hand spares at much less. I wonder if they have them all the time or is it hit and miss?

Again thanks to all for their help.

[excelbhf]

Hi, I forgot to say where the leak is coming from. It appears to be coming from low down, I see no signs when looking down into the engine bay.
At first the leak dropped down from the centre of the very front of the engine, now it has spread from left to right with most still in the centre . Either a pipe or the steering rack? I imagine if it were the pump the the engine fan would spray the fluid all over the engine. A visual inspection is so tricky at the front of the Excel engine bay as the bonnet is in the way.

Again, thanks,

Bruce

[Tanz]

Just looking under the bonnet the other day and I noticed the Hydraulic steering rubber pipe that comes from the top up tank/reservoir to the pump (I think) was rubbing against the exhaust cam shaft sprocket. So much so that it had cut a v shaped groove into the pipe and had almost gone through. In the picture it looks like there is fluid leaking staining the pipe but this is oil from elsewhere. The cause of the problem is a clip that holds the pipe to the inner wing. The clip is held by a self-tapper screwed into the body work. This screw had come out allowing the pipe to move and rub against the sprocket. I think it is well worth checking to see if your pipe retaining clip is secure

[excelbhf]

Hi, thanks all for your comments. However Sod's Law has struck! I filled up the near empty power steering fluid reservoir today and started the engine up and
turned the steering a good bit {as I did the day before when it lost most of its fluid}. I then stopped the car and checked the reservoir and it was still full!
Hours later, no drips at all and no fluid loss.
Is this witchcraft or just the joys of Lotus ownership?

I once had the power steering fail on my TVR Tuscan S at 70mph going round a long bend on a dual carriageway and it was not funny. So I do not want to repeat this with the Excel. I suppose I am best to take it to a nearby garage and get them to look at it. I do not want to drive it far in case is it loses its fluid again as I guess that the pump will destroy itself.

Regards all,

Bruce.

[swiftcruiser]

Working on a Lotus Excel is old technology and most repairs depend on your competance and mechanical skills, far less daunting than on a car of the modern ilk.
One of the first repairs I did was replace hoses, rack, track rod ends, lower steering column joint and pipes all sourced from Lotusbits, but it does entail having the car on stands with a good working clearance beneath to get access to remove rack and power steering pump, it is all a bit of a fiddle as not easy to thread rack out from chassis and pipes can corrode into rack as mine had, once you start be prepared for a few replacement parts.
Robert

[Disco Stew]

I'm just in the process of replacing my power steering hoses but I have hit a problem. The high pressure hose fromthe pump to the rack has broken almost flush where it joins the rack. Has anyone got any tips for getting the remainder out?
Also, my local hydraulic repair shop won't touch it because the end will be no good...

[KevW]

I managed to extract the stub of my pipe from the rack by soaking it with releasing oil every day for about a week. I managed to work it free by inserting a small screw driver down what remained of the pipe and gently working it back and forth until suddenly it gave way. If you have snapped the pipe off flush it sounds as though the bit stuck in the rack if going to be of no use to you. I was lucky in that my pipe was broken about an inch from the fitting which meant I could rescue what was left for it to be brazed onto a new pipe.

So much for Ford's "Quck Fit" pop in-pop out connectors!

[Disco Stew]

I managed to extract the stub of my pipe from the rack by soaking it with releasing oil every day for about a week. I managed to work it free by inserting a small screw driver down what remained of the pipe and gently working it back and forth until suddenly it gave way. If you have snapped the pipe off flush it sounds as though the bit stuck in the rack if going to be of no use to you. I was lucky in that my pipe was broken about an inch from the fitting which meant I could rescue what was left for it to be brazed onto a new pipe.

So much for Ford's "Quck Fit" pop in-pop out connectors!

Thanks Kev, I think I will just have to persevere with it. The hose itself is completely past it, I have ordered a new one through Lotusbits.

[swiftcruiser]

The same happened on my rebuild leak between rack and pump. I would suggest go for replacement pipes, expensive but peace of mind, make sure pipes came with rubber "O" rings, these are a Ford part if not with rack and am sure part numbers are somewhere in threads. Also make sure the holding bracket at rack end is square should or could come with pipes and the small bolt that screws into rack is ok to ensure pipes are held in securely.
Robert