i refuelled and top my power steering fluid about 2 months ago and then noticed there was some kind of fluid leaking from my oil pan while i was doing oil change this afternoon. i dump my oil out to see if it's my oil but it wasn't. i looked around then found out that my ps fluid is below the low level again.... i have no idea what's causing this to happen. can someone help me plz and what do i have to do to make it stop leaking out

thank you

 

PS systems like to leak at the pump. Is the bottom of the pump wet with fluid? If so, don't despair, the pump can be resealed with an O-ring kit from the dealer, provided you still have the OEM pump. And it's very easy to do. 2nd most likely spot is the high pressure line (the big one that goes from the top of the pump and mounts to the valve cover).

 

It's probably leaking from the o-ring at the pump's inlet port at the front of the pump. I'm not sure how to fix it either. I've replaced the o-ring and it still leaks.

It could also be the draw-through hose that connects to the reservoir line.

 

Do you use Honda-specific power steering fluid or just the cheapest you can find? By Honda-specific, I don't mean Honda dealership with the Honda brand name on the front at like $5 for a 12 oz bottle, but just fluid that's specifically for Hondas. I know Auto Zone carries one made by Coastal and it says HONDA Power Steering fluid right on it. If you haven't been, this would explain why the o-rings and seals inside the pump have been damaged, because the fluid isn't what's preferred to be in that pump, especially since at one point when the car was new, it had the correct fluid in it.

What I did with mine is I searched around all of the hoses (high pressure, low pressure, and reservoir), steering rack, and pump itself. Once I found that the leak was in the pump itself and that because the previous owner drove it for some time on generic power steering fluid and thus destroyed the o-rings, I bought a remanufactured pump from Auto Zone and called it a day.

Note of warning because this freaked me out yesterday, when you install the new pump and fill the reservoir to the top, after you drive it around the block, it will feel like there's no power steering and you look and the fluid in the reservoir is non-existant. Do not suspect a leak elsewhere just yet, the fluid that you initially poured in has to travel through the rest of the system and lube it up and so you have to add yet another 12 oz bottle to the reservoir and then it will be fine. Coastal brand Honda-specific power steering fluid is a mere $2.49+tax at Auto Zone for a 12oz bottle, buy two.

 

I've always used Honda PS fluid.

The leak occurred on the original '95 pump and then also on the '98 pump I switched to a couple years ago. It leaks less, but it's nowhere near being cured.