Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak

S

slowlane

Joined
May 31, 2003
Messages
17
Location
US
I may have jumped into the fire before asking this question!
My 92 Mercedes 400e power steering unit has leaked for several years, which is a common problem on these Mercedes.
I decided to pull the unit and fix the problem, however I was in my local auto store talking to a friend and he suggest try the Lucas Power Stop Leak...Well against all the usual advice from the MB camps of using only MB recommended fluids and stay away from these type of additives, I decided to use the Lucas. Well, it worked, no leak...
I'm still worried/concerned about using this fluid long term in my 92 MB power steering system. Should I now remove the Lucas fluid and add the MB power steering fluid? Appreciate your advice.
 
all dealership always recommend using no addtives unless specified by manufacturer.
By doing this they can't be to blame should an additive NOT work, they can attempt to get the job of fixing whatever's broke that an addtive will fix. And they also can't be tied into saying that an aftermarket addtive is recommended.
People assume this stuff.

I'd personally try Re-Seal from ATP first.
 
I don't usually try any stop leak stuff, most of it is a money grab and doesnt work. I will give Lucas credit on the power steering additive. I had a 1987 Ford F350, it was leaking out of the steering box seals pretty heavily. I had to top off the reservoir very 2 weeks, as a hail Mary, I gave the Lucas a try. Well, I owned the truck about a year after that and never had to add fluid again. Good product! In your situation, I would leave it in if it is working well.
 
Originally Posted By: cronk
I don't usually try any stop leak stuff, most of it is a money grab and doesnt work. I will give Lucas credit on the power steering additive. I had a 1987 Ford F350, it was leaking out of the steering box seals pretty heavily. I had to top off the reservoir very 2 weeks, as a hail Mary, I gave the Lucas a try. Well, I owned the truck about a year after that and never had to add fluid again. Good product! In your situation, I would leave it in if it is working well.


same story with my 94 F-350 its running pure Lucas stop leak now but the leak is gone. been that way for 30K
 
Lucas is staying in, adding a bottle as to removing the power steering system, what an easy fix...thanks
 
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents on the Lucas PS Stop Leak. I have a 1992 Volvo with 0ver 480,000 klicks on it I bought a couple of years ago. After a year I noticed I was leaking PS fluid, so I used a bottle of this stuff. The leaking slowed, but didn't stop, so I added another bottle. Later, I discovered the leak was not due to worm seals or bushings, but rusted pin-holes in the steel lines lines between the valve and rack. By this time I was back into the cold weather again and there was little or no loss of fluid. However, at low temperatures the steering really groans on startup due to the high viscosity of this stuff. Now it's summer again and the steering is quiet and I haven't lost any more fluid. Maybe the pinholes "healed" or something, but I'm just happy I don't have to tear out the rack and try to find new steel lines for an 18-year-old car.
 
Leave it in there. I've fixed 100's of power steering leaks, frequently in the rack & pinion seals. An additive like that has been in my 88 BMW for years. About time to change.

It is probably similar to what I have, which is a Group V ester. by the time you buy it the strength has been cut. I cut it 19:1 with Dexron and use it for automatic transmissions and power steering. It is just softening up the seals that have dried up and shrunk.
 
And you're lucky that it is working for you, as if it didn't, you don't get your money back anyways.
 
My first car was a 1983 Ford LTD.
I drove it through college. It died my Senior year in 2003.
However if you parked it on a hill ot would leak p/s fluid.
I used a few bottles of cheap stop leak on 1999 and that stopped it.
Not the greatest fix but p/s fluid by nature is one of the most neglected fluids out there. If you change it at all you are doing better than most people.
 
Well, it's already in there...if the steering feels fine and isn't making noise there's probably no harm in leaving it there. If you remove it, the leak will almost certainly be back.

That said, I'm not a fan of Lucas products. Their philosophy seems to be "put some really thick stuff in there, that'll fix it right up."

My aunt put some of this in her Aztek's PS because it was leaking. As in your case, the leak stopped, but the steering feels weird. I don't know if it felt weird before the Lucas because I don't drive it except for when it breaks. I was taking it to a friend's shop because it was hemorrhaging coolant from the timing cover, and my immediate thought within driving it a few yards was "wow, the PS feels weird." It's hard to describe how it felt, I guess "notchy" would be the word. It felt like the resistance would come and go while turning the wheel. It was not smooth and consistent.

I would put Lucas products in something that I knew was on death's door anyway, but that's the only situation.
 
I used Lucas in my 1996 Jeep Cherokee and it stopped the leak until I could finally get around to changing the hoses and power steering pump. I hadn't really noticed the steering was sluggish until I put in RedLine power steering fluid, much smoother than Lucas, but the Lucas did the job of stopping the leaks until I got around to fixing it.

But as 01rangerxl mentioned the steering isn't as nice but it fixes leaks better than anything else I've ever tried.
 
The Lucas may work to slow, or even stop the leak, BUT, IF you live where it gets REALLY cold (like down to 10*F or lower, on a regular basis, your power steering pump will HATE ON you!!
 
Dualie said:
Originally Posted By: cronk
I don't usually try any stop leak stuff, most of it is a money grab and doesnt work. I will give Lucas credit on the power steering additive. I had a 1987 Ford F350, it was leaking out of the steering box seals pretty heavily. I had to top off the reservoir very 2 weeks, as a hail Mary, I gave the Lucas a try. Well, I owned the truck about a year after that and never had to add fluid again. Good product! In your situation, I would leave it in if it is working well.


same story with my 94 F-350 its running pure Lucas stop leak now but the leak is gone. been that way for 30K
Click to expand...

When you say "pure" do you mean 100% Lucas!?!. About how long many miles/km have you had with just Lucas. I'm thinking of doing the exact same thing. Do you find the steering a little stiffer?
 
01rangerxl said:
Well, it's already in there...if the steering feels fine and isn't making noise there's probably no harm in leaving it there. If you remove it, the leak will almost certainly be back.

That said, I'm not a fan of Lucas products. Their philosophy seems to be "put some really thick stuff in there, that'll fix it right up."

My aunt put some of this in her Aztek's PS because it was leaking. As in your case, the leak stopped, but the steering feels weird. I don't know if it felt weird before the Lucas because I don't drive it except for when it breaks. I was taking it to a friend's shop because it was hemorrhaging coolant from the timing cover, and my immediate thought within driving it a few yards was "wow, the PS feels weird." It's hard to describe how it felt, I guess "notchy" would be the word. It felt like the resistance would come and go while turning the wheel. It was not smooth and consistent.

I would put Lucas products in something that I knew was on death's door anyway, but that's the only situation.
Click to expand...
I've had notchy steering when the belt running the pump slips.
 
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