Power steering leaks

[lawser]

1995 2.6 auto Coupe, leaking power steering, going through a bottle every week & a half....any pointers on where to start looking :zx11:
There's nothing obvious apart from the drips on the deck under the engine,

cheers,

Paul

[towcestervag]

check the rack as these go
also check the joint of the hose on the engine near cylinder head on drivers side
also had a few pumps leak

[scotty33]

Sorry if you are aware of this, but the fluid used must be hydraulic oil, not PAS fluid. Also the system is shared with the hydraulic brake assist, so the leak could be on that side too?

[lawser]

Thanks guys, yeah been having to top up for weeks, so made sure i had the right stuff.

[b3coupe]

Last leak i had came from the cross head screw/ plug on the power steering pump, on removal of the plug the o ring seal under it had failed, cheap part to replace, i used viton seals as advised by Scotty33 and have had no probs since, you can also buy new cross head plug from Audi but cannot remember the part No at the moment, let me know if you need it

[lawser]

Thanks b3coupe, that looks like the problem.How do i go about replacing the cross head plug & is there a part number ?

[scotty33]

026 145 541 should be the number for a plug and o ring. Best to coat the O ring in hyd oil before tightening. I'm not sure on the torque needed, 40lb/ft comes to mind, but to get that set you will need some sort of screwdriver adaptor. I would recommend some hydraulic sealant on the thread, should stop the pressure getting to the O ring in the first place?
It might take a hammer and punch or small chisel, to shock it loose.

[lawser]

Thanks scotty33, is there any pressure behing the plug or can i remove without the need for bleeding off ?

[scotty33]

That's a good question, I honestly don't know if there is any pressure stored. To be safe, just turn off the engine, then press the brake pedal repeatedly until it goes firm. be aware that the reservoir level may rise or even overflow. The fluid rise is due to the fluid normally stored in the 'bomb' returning.