My truck has been leaking power steering fluid for a while. An irresponsibly long while…

A few months back I told my Step Dad (“Big Mike”) about it, so he briefly took a look then recommended that I go ahead and pick up the pressurized hose, and the return line.

Fast forward 6 months, and I finally got them ordered. It took 2 days to get them in. Why it took me so long to do that, I still cannot figure out.

So, I asked for some assistance, and he set aside a Sunday morning for me to come over after him and Ozzy got back from duck hunting

Ozzy (actual size)

He had asked me to arrive early enough so that I could gently power wash the inside of my truck. Not only did he not want to get oil and engine grease all over, but it also made it really easy to see where the power steering fluid was leaking from after everything was all clean and dry. So, after really cleaning it out, I parked it in his garage, and we positioned it in the lift where I got to spray fluid all over his nice clean floor for the last time.

Big Mike has a pretty impressive work shop, which includes a lift. This made our work much MUCH easier. He also has the correct tools, and even a really cool tank to drain oils and other fluids into. That ultimately means an easy clean up.

That right there is pretty kick ass. I even got to shimmy up to the top so I could start it up a few times. I felt like Jackie Chan for a moment.

We only needed to replace the pressurized hose. We only saw the fluid leaking out of that hose, and when we pulled it out, Big Mike suggested we verify that it has a leak. So, we got a bucket of water, submerged the hose, and then used his air compressor to forced air inside (I held the other end closed with my thumb). It was barely noticeable, but there was a tiny stream of bubbles from a small tear in the hose. I was very pleased that we did this, my Step Dad is pretty methodical, and very thorough. He’s the kind of person you hope is building your house.

So, now my truck is running great (with 220,000 miles on it no less), and I’m not leaking hazardous chemicals all over, or making a horrible squealing noise when the PS fluid was low. I sheepishly admit that I did have to buy at least a dozen quarts of fluid. Since that was so easy, I really need to tackle the remaining busted parts ( the windows don’t roll down, and the doors don’t unlock).

His garage is filled with other cool stuff, like the firebird he’s slowly working on:

Rebuilt V8 Engine for a soon to be rebuilt trans am

Owen likes to play around in the most hazardous place in the garage

Oh Owen, this better be the only time I see you behind the wheel of a wrecked car… Without a seatbelt no less