Brock Samson Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Driving home today from dinner, its a relatively hot day here (80ish) and just about a half mile from home today, wisps of smoke started emanating from the hood directly in front of the passenger. It got continually worse as we drove, and smelled like ATF...and the car has had a little bit of weirdness in the power steering system since I replaced the pump with a brand new OEM PS pump just about a year and a half ago. Steering got progressively more difficult, until just as we got home the PS pump was making some serious noise. Smoke was a LOT worse, and coming from right near the turbo and on the drivers side of the intercooler. Oh and the PS fluid tank was almost empty. This is assuredly a Power Steering problem (also valve cover, turbo, and oil supply line have all been fixed). I haven't had a chance to really look at what was going wrong (fathers day plans were afoot), and I'm hoping that when I look tomorrow in good lighting that the pump blewout either the supply or return side and the ATF was hitting the block and running back before smoking off. If that's NOT the case...what's the best way to diagnose a leak in the PS system? It looks like a line leaves the reservoir and heads towards the rack past the turbo so I'm tempted to look there. Any other thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relative4 Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Sounds like the high pressure banjo fitting on the rack is spraying on the UP/DP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrashyMG Posted June 18, 2018 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Well first you need to figure out what it is trying to tell you: One puff -- Sending a single plume of smoke would commonly be an attention signal. This meant that something unusual was going on, but there's no cause for alarm or imminent danger. It was commonly a sign to watch for further signals. Two puffs -- A two puff signal meant that all was well and that camp was established and safe. It indicated that they would stay at their current location until further notice. If the camp was more permanent, a continual two puff message was sent to let neighboring bands know that permanent camp was near and safe. It was an important message, as Native American tribes often moved camp according to the seasons, the availability of resources and for safety. Three puffs -- This was an alarm signal, just as it is with Boy Scouts today. Indians warned of approaching enemies or marked the beginning of a battle with this signal. Continuous single columns of smoke indicated greater danger and a call for help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Samson Posted June 19, 2018 Author Share Posted June 19, 2018 Sounds like the high pressure banjo fitting on the rack is spraying on the UP/DP. Thanks, I'll take a look there too. Can I just replace the crush washer if it is the culprit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relative4 Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Maybe. Actually more likely to be the sleeve where the hose is crimped into the fitting. Or the rack itself, or who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Thankfully with ps/atf fluid being red, it shouldn't be too hard to trace the leak. It's really hard to say where it could be coming from, lots of places to leak on the passenger side of the car. In underdog's thread, he has some great pictures to help and get an idea of where the leak might be. His thread https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/underdog-motorsports-2015-sti-steering-rack-swap-234351.html Picture of the lines going up to the reservoir, and down from the high pressure side of the pump. On the turbos, it might be easier to see these from under the car. https://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=253052&d=1501110285 Picture of where the rack attaches to the steering column. lots of places to leak here, but unlikely what's leaking if you have smoke on the passenger side. https://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=253053&d=1501110285 Just another picture of both sides of the ps lines, from up top. https://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=253058&d=1501110342 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Samson Posted June 20, 2018 Author Share Posted June 20, 2018 Underdog's thread was hugely useful, thanks. It isn't the pump that's leaking, I pulled it off last night and there's no signs of leakage on the pump itself. Today I put the front up on stands, topped off the atf in the reservoir, and then had the wife turn the wheels lock to lock with the engine off and the engine running. No signs of any leaks. There's still a lot of ATF on top of the engine block behind the pump, but absolutely no sign of leakage on the pump itself. I'm stumped. There's a lot of schmoo on the subframe, rack, etc- but that could all be from the boot on the half shaft tore open a while back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Samson Posted June 20, 2018 Author Share Posted June 20, 2018 Just reading over on NASIOC, there's a lot of complaints about leaks where the PS supply line runs down past the turbo to the rack. That's pretty consistent with what I've been seeing, but overall the whole system is bugging me. I'm pretty pissed off. I've owned this car for 8 years and its had major issues constantly. I know its an almost 15 year old performance car, but it kinda seems like Subaru has underengineered a LOT of shit and their reputation for reliability is a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted June 20, 2018 Share Posted June 20, 2018 I recently had a problem with not one, but two reman pumps leaking on me. Oil would get on the block behind the pump, and also on the bracket under the pump. I really think the leak is coming from the pump even if it's not visible, maybe on the very bottom, where the large bolt goes though? My guess is that the pump is either leaking from the center, where the two halves meet, or from the pressure switch going into the back of the pump. In the attached picture you can see the pressure switch that goes into the back of the pump, but there should be an o-ring on it. I tossed my o-ring because I suspected it might have been leaking, and didn't want to sell it with a leaking o-ring, if I sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Samson Posted June 20, 2018 Author Share Posted June 20, 2018 I'm kind of the same opinion right now. The pressure sensor was a prime suspect when I pulled the pump off, but I really didn't think to thoroughly check the whole pump... I mean it was brand freaking new just a year and a half ago? I may do a test drive and take another look. The large amount of ATF on the block directly behind the pump seems to be a strong indicator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Samson Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 OK the pump was clearly leaking. I've now replaced it, pump is not leaking. I've gone through the PS bleed process many times, and there are now no more bubbles coming out of the fluid in the reservoir. But when I start the engine, the fluid level STILL drops, and then comes back up when the engine is stopped. Additionally, when the engine is running and I turn the steering from lock to lock, there's a shuddering that shakes the whole engine mount. Its quite a bit of shaking. Seems like the rack might be bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VespaGTS Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 Is this a problem on all models and years? Sounds like a good thing to keep on eye on if it is. I have a 2007 LGT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Samson Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 Just from my random research, yes it appears that Subaru power steering systems have consistent issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrashyMG Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 Just from my random research, yes it appears that Subaru power steering systems have consistent issues. If you dig hard enough any issue would seem like a "consistent issue" as the few people that have the problem would be the most verbal out about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Samson Posted July 16, 2018 Author Share Posted July 16, 2018 That's very true. If you searched the internet, basically every car would look completely unreliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VespaGTS Posted July 20, 2018 Share Posted July 20, 2018 OK the pump was clearly leaking. I've now replaced it, pump is not leaking. I've gone through the PS bleed process many times, and there are now no more bubbles coming out of the fluid in the reservoir. But when I start the engine, the fluid level STILL drops, and then comes back up when the engine is stopped. Additionally, when the engine is running and I turn the steering from lock to lock, there's a shuddering that shakes the whole engine mount. Its quite a bit of shaking. Seems like the rack might be bad? If you replace the rack consider installing one from a WRX. They is no spongey flat spot like in our LGT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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