2004 Mountaineer/Exploerer Power Steering Leak

[Ifixyawata]

Hi Everyone,

My wife's 2004 Mountaineer has a power steering leak and seems to be coming from where the lines go into the rack on the driver's side of the vehicle. It's not immediately clear how I would access these lines, whether just pulling the radiator (not really a small task in itself) would be necessary or if, worse yet, the rack had to come out. Someone has to have replaced these lines before. I'm hopeful that maybe it's just loose (uses a plate to hold the o-ringed fittings into the rack from looking at pictures of the parts) and maybe won't require a ton of work to get it to stop leaking.

 

[Dave9]

You might see if there are any youtube videos for that generation, but I suppose I'd get it on a lift or the tallest jack stands I felt comfortable using, then see how much clearance you have. I doubt you need to pull the rack or the radiator but I could be wrong.

Can you links pics you saw of the parts or hopefully some exploded diagram from a Ford parts dealer or workshop manual?

I am doubting it just came loose after all these years, unless work had been done to it recently and it wasn't torqued down enough. Probably a bad hose, rusted metal line, or o-ring seal, but being in NE Ohio you may face rust related issue doing the operation.

 

[Ifixyawata]

YouTube comes up dry on third gen explorer power steering hose replacement. I know the coming loose idea is way less likely than the rust but I'm hoping for the least painful fix.