Oil Coming From Unknown Hoses/pipes?

[r32woohoo]

After loads of searching i couldnt find anyone that has mentioned this before so im stumped

I've got oil, or what looks to be oil forming droplets on the end of the front tow hook

and in the space underneath the battery, in front of the wheel arch theres a build up of oil+dirt.

If it was water and dirt it would have dried up and be left with just dirt but it always seems to be wet around there

i dont know if its engine oil or not but i dont have any oil leaks that i know of and the dipstick is never low when i check it.

Plus where the "leak" is, its a little far from the engine.

I dont think it's coolant either since my radiator is still full from when i filled it a few weeks ago. and the liquid isnt green.

Is there anything around that area that could be leaking?

I cant for the life of me find where its coming from

Edit: see post #7 also

Edited August 10, 2007 by r32woohoo

[ROB32T]

could be the power steering cooler lines mate

[SECURITY]

without looking at it, im going to say that its power steering fluid leaking onto your belts and flinging it around.

i cant think of any way else where it would end up there.

[B0oStEr]

I recently replaced 4 power-steering hoses near the battery in my 32 because they were weeping under the clamps.

They were leaking oil down the driver's side chassis rail.

It cost less than $20

[Duncan]

Its always power steering leaks on my car

booster were they the high pressure fitted hoses? who made them up for you?

[r32woohoo]

Hmm looks like everyones leaning toward powersteering lines

my power steering doesnt feel any different though :S

ill have a closer look when the suns up

and yes did you just use any type of hose?

[r32woohoo]

Well i seem to have narrowed it down to some pipes/hoses

only problem is i dont know what they're for or where they go

In my 32 they're the metal pipes in front of the radiator that sit on top of that black bottle type thing for the air con

You can see them circled in red. (not my engine but i dont have a photo of mine)

Since the power steering stuff (pump and reservoir) is on the other side of the engine i dont see how it could be related to that.

If i was to take a guess i would say they're somehow gearbox related? to cool the oil and such?

But ive never heard of a manual transmission oil cooler

[r32woohoo]

bump

[TokyoTaxi]

That's the power steering cooling line / pipe. Follow the pipes back into the engine bay and you'll see that the connect to hoses ( with clamps ). Make sure the clamps are tight and in good working order. Then check the hoses them selves for any signs of leakage.

To test the area for leaks, make sure your power steering fluid is at the correct level, then ( with the engine running ) get someone to operate the power steering from lock to lock while you hold a decent size piece of cardboard near the suspect area and look for any pressure spray / leakage ( don't use your hands because pressurised hydrualic fluid "could" wind up going through your skin & into your blood stream ).

See how you go with that

[B0oStEr]

Its always power steering leaks on my car

booster were they the high pressure fitted hoses? who made them up for you?

No, just 10mm return lines, two near hicas solenoid and in and out of the cooler loop.

I previously paid $66 to have Enzed repair the high pressure line on my son's 32 when the hose section was cut in a crash.

[Duncan]

Ahh yeah OK the high pressure hoses I found were expensive, was hoping for a cheaper alternative.

r32woohoo I think it was already answered, they are still power steering lines, they have a kind of crappy cooler from factory which sits there - there are basically a bunch of cooling fins on the pipe to reduce temps. On the 32 its even worse, power steering lines are everywhere (resoviour, steering rack, hicas solenoid, cooler and righ tto the back of the car). They are high pressure and old so they tend to leak a bit

[r32woohoo]

Cool thanks for the replies guys

ill get on to it asap