The steering box on my 93 astrovan is leaking

I am not familiar with the design of that steering gear but I expect there is an internal leak in the steering box that is allowing more pressure on the column shaft seal than it can cope with.

I believe such a leak would signal the need for a complete reseal and maybe an overhaul. Considering the age it wouldn't be surprising if the seals had deteriorated but equally seals can be damaged by corrosion or wear in shafts or bearings and for continued reliability these things must be checked.

sure, steering, gear, but which end,?
the top at steeriing wheel, shaft or bottom end.
the bottom, at box?
or the box. itself main shaft, 1 o 2?
4 total shafts driver to pittman arm.

why not post the job, what's wrong, what are you doing.
no air bags so you are safe.
ill guess at , steering box, parts because you said GEAR.

manual box or power steering box. (2 options day 1)
i have the parts cat,blow up of the box
and all photos of box setup, in the FSM.
lots and lots of photos. and drawings,
ill wait until you tell me what your doing first, then give you them.

what is the JOB ?

check to see if the leak is at the shaft that the pitman shaft attaches to. if it is the pitman shaft seal will need replacing. if its leaking out the input shaft, the part that attaches to the steering column, then this seal will have to be replaced. check the power steering hoses closely for cuts and leaks. you may have to wash the area to remove the oil to find the leak.

Power Steering Box Dirty

It will be the top shaft bush that locates the steering shaft in the centre of the column tube . It is normally just a push in fit . You will find reference to it in a parts break down book

The bubbling is just the air being removed by fluid, no problem. the foaming is just the pump action, no problem. As for the leakage, remove the pitman arm and replace the seal on shaft the pitman arm is bolted to. If you still have leakage, replace the seal in the top of the box where the column bolts to the box for it's just running down the box and looking like the leak is from the bottom seal.

if the leak is coming from the steering box there are usually only 3 places it can come from;most common place is the pitman shaft seal,which can be replaced.this is were the pitman arm of the steering connects to the steering box.another place is the steering box input shaft seal,this is were the steering colume connects to the steering box,which can be replace.the last place is the power steering hoses were they connect to the steering box.there are seals that seal the lines when screwed into the box which can also be replaced.so first you need to see exactly were the leak is coming from.rare occasions the steering box is porous which means the box will need replacing.a car of this age should have shown up long ago.you will have to clean the box off at the car wash then run the car and turn the steering wheel all the way to one side,this will build up pressure in the system to show up the leak quicker.

may be the lines goin into the gear box. follow the steering shaft down to the gear box under the hood and locate the two lines on top and see if theyre rusted out and wet

would imagine their is just a oil seal their ,but whats causing the pressure behind the seal to make it leak ,yes i have repaired power steering boxes befoe now but on commercial vehicles 30+years ago ,principle still the same no doubt but i would advise you to get one from a scrapyard so vehicle is usable then when time permits have a play with the old one ,because you may find that its its cheaper to replace than repair with the cost of the spares

Hi Strawbeery,

Sound like a loose hose connecting to the gear box. There are two of them that run to it from the power steering pump.

To make sure, pop the hood and with the engine running, have someone turn the wheel slowly to the right and left while you observe the gearbox. When its under pressure, you should be able to see the leak quite clearly.

They should be accessible without needing to remove the reservoirs. It will still be tight though. Find the right sized wrench (11/16 or 3/4, even a small crescent wrench will do) . Tighten up the loose connector.

That should be it.

Best regards,
Mike