I am coming up for my annual inspection at the end of the month and my PS boot on the passenger side is leaking power steering fluid. I've been told that the only way to fix this is to either get a seal kit and rebuild the rack and pinion or to just buy a new rack. However, I cant afford to get a new one at the moment, because I have other suspension parts that need to be replaced as well. My dad suggested as a temporary fix I could add a few drops of brake fluid into my power steering fluid and that would swell up the seals and stop the leak, then clean the boot and I should pass inspection. My question is, do you guys think this would work? Also, would this hurt the power steering pump or cause any really bad damage? I am hoping to get another rack next month just FYI and this is a 96 Honda Accord V6 2.7L.

 

It would swell up because the seal would begin to break down. This was a trick used on used car lots to prevent a car from leaking from a given seal, but more likely than not you will create other issues with the brake fluid as it was a temporary fix. The seal(s) would soften and become ineffective, you would end up having to purchase a new rack or rebuild kit for the rack anyway.

If the leak is not too bad I would suggest removing the boot from the rack to drain it of fluid, reinstall, clean the outside of the boot and surrounding area with Simple Green and water, then head off to the inspector.

 

I just replaced the steering knuckle on the passenger side of the car due to the previous owner bending it in an accident on that side and while I was under there I sprayed down the boot with carb clean and wiped it down clean. It seems to only be a small leak so hopefully it will be good enough for the inspector. I still have an upper ball joint and a inner tie rod end to replace on the drivers side. Thank you for the reply, you saved me the hassle of finding out the hard way that you dont want to try that trick on a Honda.