Leaking Power Steering

[Benji]

Hey Guys,

Hope someone can help, car is EB2 Fairmont, I've got a power steering leak on the right hand side, it's not at the pump, somewhere around the p/s pressure switch, it drips onto the rubber boot, now is this something I can fix or could it be the actual rack that is faulty. Just out of interest how much will a rack set me back from the wreckers? I think this only started yesterday as i parked my car and saw a nice trail of red fluid. Now this could be unrelated, I had the a/c on and came to a roundabout turned the a/c off and went through the round about, now as I was accelerating i could here the clutch fan was still engaged, normally i don't hear it when the a/c is off and then i had what looked liked smoke come through the vents, it wasn't smoke didn't smell like anything, I turned the cooling off and havn't had it on since.

To Sum up:
P/S leak around pressure switch
Smoke like stuff coming through vents
How much might a P/S rack set me back

Any clues guys
Thanks
Ben

PS I have a workshop manual and have had a little look.

[madmax]

The pressure switches are renown for leaking I had two go in my old EA both times they gushed out high pressure ATF.

I'd check that first its something you can do yourself.

[Benji]

Is it the switch itself that leaks or just the O ring cause i got an o ring, the switches are $50 new and $25 from wreckers.

Ben

[Andrew J]

People seem to be plugging up the switches with plugs now, and just (i think) shorting the two terminals. Dont quote me on that but. As for the leak itself, it may not be coming from there, but from inside the boot. Thats where mine seems to be coming from, and i may be looking at a new rack

[revcore]

I had a similar problem on my EB and it turned out to be an O ring so I took the car back to the yard where I bought it from and they had it fixed within 3 hours because the car was under warranty.
But before I took the car back to the car yard, I thought I would take it to a power steering specialist so I went to Prestige Power Steering in Thomastown (Vic) and they said I needed a whole new rack.....Those rip off bastards!!!!!!
NEVER GO TO PRESTIGE POWER STEERING unless you want to be ripped off.

[Benji]

Damn this little pressure switch is in a b**ch of a spot, anyone got any tips, theres just no room to work down there. I'm gonna head off to repco and get some spanners that i can hack to bits to get the little f**k to fit! So if anybody has done this before without removing the rack your assistance would be appreciated

[madmax]

[voids]

I went through 2 pressuer switches on the power steering since i got my car. I just ended up pluging it up and bridging it they are more trouble then they are worth! it needs to be bridged in the EF Because it is a input into the EEC-5 System and it needs to see it to get into highway lean mode. donno bout the previous models.

I doen a post a while ago about it.


://www.fordmods.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=467

[Benji]

All done and no more leaks, it was the switch.

Thanks Guys
Ben