Questions and Answers

Ford E150 Blows P/S Line Q. Hello, and thank you for your time. I am driving a 1991 Ford E150, 302 engine, automatic transmission, 137,300 miles, power steering and A/C. Okay, does this van have mechanical, power assisted steering or rack and pinion? I have not been underneath in about a month, not since a brake job,because we have been blanketed by snow.

What has happened is the power steering system has developed quite a substantial leak. I have had to run it this week, with a heavy load in the back, frequently stopping to dump bottle after bottle of fluid into the reservoir. It would drain out and the steering would become very difficult to manage, me muscling it into a parking lot to fill up. When without fluid stopping would create a heck of a vibration across the van.

AGH! what's going on? If this has a rack and pinion system am I in for some costly repairs? I suspect, or perhaps just want to believe, that there is a mechanical steering system. In which case, is this a reasonable job for a moderate/intermediate DIY-er (Me) without special tools? Like I said I have not been underneath yet so it may even be just a hose, or a hole in the reservoir? But realistically what am I looking at?

A. You have a standard power steering gear with a power steering box in that van. It is not rack and pinion. In fact, very few trucks and SUVs have power rack and pinion steering.

Ford had a bit of a problem with the power steering box input shaft seal leaking, so that is a possibility. However I think it is far more likely the power steering high pressure hose blew.

The power steering high pressure hose is not difficult to replace. The hardest part of the job is getting it off the back of the power steering pump. Other than that I don't see why a DIY with moderate skills couldn't do the job.