If I wanted to cause the steering gear to leak, I cannot think of a way to do it. The seals that can leak are buried deep inside, and it takes special tools that none of us have to get to them. GM has had a real lot of problems with their rack and pinion assemblies on their front-wheel-drive cars, but if yours was replaced with an aftermarket rebuilt unit, the common design problem was solved. That problem involved loss of power assist due to fluid leakage, but that was internal leakage past sealing rings. It did not involve loss of power steering fluid.
My first question is their reply of "tightened the axle shaft". You did not say what kind of transmission repair was done, but if it was removed, the axle shafts had to be removed first. Each shaft goes through a seal, and fluid will run out when the shafts are pulled out. That fluid could have puddled somewhere and be what you were originally seeing. The typical service includes washing the area of that residual fluid when the work is done for exactly this reason; so you do not see what looks like a leak. It is also a sign of professional service, but some mechanics ignore that step to save you a little time and money. Trying to save customers some money always comes back to bite us.
The only thing to "tighten" on the axle shafts are the very large nuts by the wheel bearings. Leaving one of those loose has absolutely nothing to do with leaking fluid, but it will cause that wheel bearing to become noisy and make a buzzing noise like an airplane engine. I have a suspicion all they did was wash the area like should have been done originally, but thinking you would not consider that a reasonable explanation, they fabricated the little white lie about tightening something that sounds more believable.
Also, consider that if you talked with a service writer at a larger shop or dealership, they usually never were mechanics and do not have the knowledge or experience a mechanic has. Their job is take what they think they heard from the mechanic, and translate that into something they think you will understand. You know things are going to get lost in translation. That is not an attempt to defraud or deceive, but it is one of the reasons the industry has such a bad reputation. Mechanics speak their own language, just as do doctors, accountants, carpenters, and bakers, but it is only the mechanics we assume are dishonest.
My next question concerns the thumping sound. That has to be caused by something that is rotating. Steering gears do not rotate, and they cannot make a thumping sound. Given the nature of the escalating problems, I would expect to find loose lug nuts on the right front wheel. That can happen when a mechanic is being rushed or when his mind is somewhere else. We have been preaching for decades the critical importance of using a click-type torque wrench to set the tightness of the lug nuts, and that is even more important on light-weight cars. If the nuts are tightened right away, there is a good chance the nuts and wheel can be saved. If that looseness goes on for too long, the friction surfaces on the wheel and nuts that hold the nuts tight will be chewed up, then the only acceptable repair is to replace those parts.
My next comment of value is power steering fluid is clear, transmission fluid is essentially the same fluid, but it is dyed red so it can be identified as to what is leaking. If the transmission is leaking, you will see a red puddle. If the power steering system is leaking you could see red if someone put in transmission fluid instead of power steering fluid, but most of the time you will see a clear or light brown puddle. To add to the confusion, some cars come now with red power steering fluid, so it becomes an issue of washing the area, then crawling underneath to locate the source of the leak.
Another issue to not go unmentioned is if you are using an air conditioning system, it is main purpose is to condense out the high humidity in the air. That water collects in a drain pan then runs out onto the ground just to the left of the right front tire. That is often mistaken for a leak. The puddle will form right in the same area where it is common for power steering fluid leaks to develop. If you feel the fluid in the puddle, power steering fluid feels oily. Water feels like, water.
You were right to go back to the same shop to give them the chance to correct any mistakes. At this point, a second opinion from a different shop is in order. I would tell them all of the exact symptoms, all the work that was done, and everything you were told, but I would not tell them the shop that did the work. If the people at the two shops are good friends, the second one may try to gloss over any improper repairs or mistakes, and make it sound like it's no big deal. If they are fierce competitors, the people at the second shop will exaggerate the significance of those mistakes. Ours is one of many industries where too many people think making a competitor look bad makes them look better. I find the truly trustworthy people are those who can explain why their competitor gave the car owner a good value or had their best interest at heart.
Aug 14, 2017 at 5:10 PM
