Yesterday I noticed a mild sheet of rainbow water on my driveway, never a good sign. I checked the oil level, which was perfect and a nice clear honey shade after a recent service. Coolant water also fine. Then today my car decided to give me a further clue. On driving home, it started to make a very loud whining sound which rose and fell with engine revs. On checking under the bonnet, I saw the power steering bottle was well below max. I topped it up (needing about 200ml), thought it would need more, burped the system, and noise disappeared.

Bad timing though as my guy is chocca coming up to & past Easter. But at least I know what it is, with a bottle of steering fluid now in boot, with funnel and gloves for pouring!

She's now 20 years old, and still has never left me stranded at the roadside...

Might be worth putting a bottle of this in ??

Lucas Oil 10008 Power Steering Stop Leak, 355 ml, Beige089 : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

12 hours ago, Phil3747 said:

Might be worth putting a bottle of this in ??

Lucas Oil 10008 Power Steering Stop Leak, 355 ml, Beige089 : Amazon.co.uk: Automotive

When I called my guy to book her in, that's the one thing he told me not to do, 'don't get any of that 'stop leak' stuff, it'll ruin it' 😂

1 hour ago, StephenFord said:

When I called my guy to book her in, that's the one thing he told me not to do, 'don't get any of that 'stop leak' stuff, it'll ruin it' 😂

Anyone else you can go to to get it fixed? Or just don't drive for a while? Hefty fines for leaks and even heftier fines if a leak makes the road unsafe. Or if fines dont bother you, Not worth potentially ruining the car by driving with a steering leak. I have same car as you and would hate to see one of these get issues from a simple leak gone wrong.

10 hours ago, Eli_P said:

Anyone else you can go to to get it fixed? 

Don't do big miles these days. A morning daily check should keep me on top of it. As for fines, considering the cr*p I avoid everyday on the roads including potholes, I'll take the risk 🤣

13 hours ago, Eli_P said:

Hefty fines for leaks.

Wow didn't know that all the while my car was pizzlin out litres of coolant for months 

21 minutes ago, mburdett555 said:

Wow didn't know that all the while my car was pizzlin out litres of coolant for months 

Most people in UK don't know. It's a matter of whether police drive past you and can be bothered to deal with it.

52 minutes ago, Eli_P said:

Most people in UK don't know. It's a matter of whether police drive past you and can be bothered to deal with it.

So, we're all OK then 🤣

17 hours ago, StephenFord said:

When I called my guy to book her in, that's the one thing he told me not to do, 'don't get any of that 'stop leak' stuff, it'll ruin it' 😂

I've used Stop Leak in my son's Astra, it stopped the leak from the rack (took a few weeks), then we ran the car for a couple of years with no problems.

Of course, if it's a rusty pipe, it won't cure that!

Don't forget, your man wants to sell you a new rack!

54 minutes ago, Alan G H said:

Don't forget, your man wants to sell you a new rack!

My man absolutely won't, he's not a Ford dealer 🤣 He's already suggested it's likely just the switch, and on looking, it does seem a bit weepy...

I guess that either your power steering switch or your union nut leaking on ford focus, likely the union nut.  My union nut went and made a awful noise noise turning it and lost fluid. 

 

 

4 hours ago, Eli_P said:

Most people in UK don't know. It's a matter of whether police drive past you and can be bothered to deal with it.

Not sure which draconian society you think you're living in but I was a traffic cop for 23 years and trust me, the police do not go round looking for minor leaks on vehicles, broken coil springs or any other such issues. There's plenty of idiots driving around drawing attention to themselves without the rozzers having to revert to being over-zealous vehicle inspector's to justify their wage 😉

6 hours ago, Phil3747 said:

I was a traffic cop for 23 years and trust

So what was you're highest break ? Did you ever get a 147 🤣

I've never used stop leak type stuff, sure it might block up whatever leaks but it's also going to leave a load of gungy crap in the rest of the system which will be almost impossible to clear out!

the steel high pressure pipe fractures - right at the stupid quick release coupling on to the pump

sort it soon - ford dealers used to carry the pair of pipes with a modification bracket on the high pressure pipe - to stop it being stressed at the coupling - and sell cheap - you MUST buy the new quick fit coupling too - and the correct GREEN fluid

On 4/2/2025 at 6:50 PM, dontpannic said:

I've never used stop leak type stuff, sure it might block up whatever leaks but it's also going to leave a load of gungy crap in the rest of the system which will be almost impossible to clear out!

Oil system stop leak is totally different to what goes in the cooling system. The oil system type causes the seals to soften, and swell slightly, stopping leaks. It will not cause any blockages.

On 4/4/2025 at 5:54 PM, Alan G H said:

Oil system stop leak is totally different to what goes in the cooling system. The oil system type causes the seals to soften, and swell slightly, stopping leaks. It will not cause any blockages.

You definitely don't want to use that in an Ecoboost engine then! 

Switch that screws into the pump needs replaced, genuine Ford one is £39 + VAT (£47). Could be worse...

18 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Switch that screws into the pump needs replaced, genuine Ford one is £39 + VAT (£47). Could be worse...

You can get an aftermarket one for about £10 on ebay if fitting yourself.

Part number 1076647.

5 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

You can get an aftermarket one for about £10 on ebay if fitting yourself.

Part number 1076647.

Unusually, he actually offered me the option of getting a 'copy' part but said the last cheap switch he fitted only lasted some months before failing again. Relatively, it's such a cheap part anyway, I thought I'd treat the old girl to the real thing 😁