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Power steering all over the floor?

7K views 29 replies 10 participants last post by  Mozzie 
#1 · (Edited)
Power Steering LEAK!!

My WK2 Overland has 17k on it and I've only had it for 1k myself.

While reversing about 3mph the power steering stopped, dash light lit up, and the bottom of the car had a puddle like the car peed itself. :confused:

Anyone ever heard of this? Went OH last week, don't think I hit anything.
 
#2 ·
Mine had a time when the fluid reservoir went way below the minimum line. The dealer was not concerned and just topped it up. He says the fluid is super thin and can evaporate ???? :wtf:

There was no sign of any leakage. It seems to be OK since this time.
 
#3 ·
Yeah power steering is a closed system, probably shouldn't be evaporating any fluid. :cool:

Anyway, the dealer just told me that there's some electrical issue they found, so I'm going into a rental for a day or 2.

How an electrical issue somehow spills PS fluid all over the floor is beyond me :wtf::wtf:
 
#4 ·
Well I put my 2012 GCDiesel in for a service only to find out on pickup that the steering rack was leaking and to my horror was up for a bill of $3500 to repair. I had no sign of a leak in my garage only that the reservoir would drop but was told on previous services this was normal. Well surprise,surprise I am not long out of the warranty period and I was up for a expensive repair, so after ringing around some repairers I was asked why the dealer didn't offer a "good will" repair considering the car was not that old, well maybe because of the cost so lucky for me I got onto JeepKraft in Wangara and they were able to help me out and fix the leak a lot cheaper than the dealer and I was only without my ride for a day and a half and I was extremely happy with the service I received. And another thing I found interesting is that the new JGC's have electric power steering racks and Mopar have the only oil to use their are no generic brands.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I will get this fixed under warranty. Every 6 months the power steering fluid is below the minimum mark. The actual drop seems to be intermittent as it can go for months with no drop.

Today I highlighted this to the dealer and insisted they check as now the steeing racks boot are wet. It seems to be building up inside the boots. HOW CAN THEY MISS THIS ????

Well, the report stated: "Completed thorough inspection of the power steering rack and pump. All bone dry. No leaks evident."

When I showed them the pictures I took before I brought the car in, they jumped to attention. They denied that they are trying to push it out of the warranty period (1.5 months away). They insisted I bring the car back on Monday.
 

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#14 ·
The official word from the dealer is that this is normal. I was concerned about the usage of the fluid going under the minimum mark every 6 months. They checked with Jeep Australia who confirmed this is acceptable for electric steering systems. The weepage seen is said to be an attribute and not a fault. A quick calculation suggests that the fluid is weeping at around 35ml (max to min mark on the reservoir) every 6 months. They said many European cars with this electric steering have the same attributes. :mad::mad::mad:
 
#15 ·
The official word from the dealer is that this is normal. I was concerned about the usage of the fluid going under the minimum mark every 6 months. They checked with Jeep Australia who confirmed this is acceptable for electric steering systems. The weepage seen is said to be an attribute and not a fault. A quick calculation suggests that the fluid is weeping at around 35ml (max to min mark on the reservoir) every 6 months. They said many European cars with this electric steering have the same attributes. :mad::mad::mad:
Hey Mozzie, that sounds like total BS to me. I've discovered at leak on mine. Similar to you dealer denied there is a leak. Then I sent them this photo. Waiting to hear back.
(Yes the dark bit on the boot is oily)
 

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#16 ·
You weren't specific as to what vehicle you have. Some JGCs have electric power steering pumps, sometimes mistakenly called electric power steering. It's possible some sensor failed and allowed it to build too much pressure.

I'm not saying that is the issue, just that it is one way an electrical problem could cause an issue.

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#18 ·
I just had this repair done on 2014 Overland with 33k. I started hearing a humming/whining noise at low speed when turning the steering wheel. Checked the power steering fluid reservoir and noticed it was low. I knew that wasn't good since there was no evidence of leakage on the floor.

They replaced the steering rack under warranty. Would recommend keeping your eye on this as part of standard maintenance as it seems more prevalent then just a few isolated incidents.
 
#19 ·
Now I have the denial game. The dealer says this is normal according to Jeep. Jeep says the dealer says there is no problem. So nothing gets done unless the dealer says there is a problem. :mad:

Now I am waiting for Jeep to find out how much fluid loss is considered acceptable usage.

And surprisingly, they have not put any of this in writing. It was just a phone call.
 
#20 ·
@Mozzie

I would definitely have them document that. They should be able to type up customer statement and then their finding. So when it needs repair after warranty you can at least come back to the earlier statement. Surprisingly this saved me once on a BMW X5 and they fixed it after the warranty period.

I will try to attach mine if it helps in any way. I hate when service departments do this.
 

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#22 ·
If you haven't done so already, add your comments under the Maintenance Tab in the owners section at Jeep.com. If nothing else it will lock in a date that you started to be concerned with this issue.


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#23 ·
The saga continues. FCA still believe there is no problem. When asked to tell me how fluid consumption is acceptable, they say 30-150ml :wtf:
The battle ain't over yet. I now have FCA chasing the dealer that saw the steering fluid below minimum, three times in a 12 month period. I want them to confirm that this is an acceptable behaviour for the GC. They also won't put anything in writing. :slapfight:
 
#24 ·
It would certainly be worth your while to check with a different dealer if at all possible. Any time I have a question that I may want elevated, I go to a different dealer for a second opinion first. (Before I've raised red flags any where else) I don't burn my bridges first cause the first guy may come in handy at a later date for a different reason or circumstance. Sometimes they want your business, sometimes they know right from wrong, a couple different dealers have better techs in some areas but not as good as others. Use a couple dealers and you may like one dealer for electrical and a different one for say diesels or something. The dealer we used to buy my wife's Cherokee is a small dealer and while sales were good, they actually send out their transmission work to the same dealer that does most of my other service. Sometimes I get the other dealer to do maintenance, but the hard stuff goes to the big dealer cause they more have techs with more experience. Don't get caught in a rut. When these dealers pull up service records from two or three dealers they aren't as likely to take you for granted.
 
#25 ·
FCA are morons. They stand by the dealer. The dealer says it is normal to have this amount of fluid "disappear" every 6 months. They both seem to have washed their hands of the matter. They eventually put this in writing as well.

"As you also are aware that the dealership found no present leaks. Slight sweat around boots which is normal. Fluid evaporates some which is normal too.

The amount of power steering fluid varies depending on the usage and climate the vehicle operates in.

The average amount of top up required at service ranges between 30-150 milliliters.

Our findings and also by our experienced technicians that looked over your vehicle.

There is nothing that they found that caused a concern or would be seen as a leak with your power steering fluid."

And they wonder why FCA customer service has problems. :mad::mad::mad:

 
#27 ·
Any update on this? Im at 34k and noticed im a lil under the max mark. No leagage in the ground. But my steering wheel feels hard at times when trying to turn.
 
#29 ·
Why did you allow that to happen you could have pushed and they would have fixed it especially that you have documented problem before the warranty expired.

Maybe I just have a customer centered dealer but the service department I go to has never gotten a dollar from me for anything but oil changes.
 
#30 ·
There was plenty of push that even made the senior manager come out of his hiding hole. Unfortunately, in Oz they spend more time pushing back. Escalation to FCA Australia was useless also. They said that the dealer saw no issue so stuck by their professional opinion.

The resolution path is still not clear. Another forum member has had the rack replaced with the same issue repeated. This looks like a higher issue that hopefully Jeep HQ can resolve with the part supplier.
 
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