Well, all has been quiet for too long with and I find myself dragging my tail into the forum with a tech question for my 04 X350. Purchased her with 85k on the clock 18 months ago and now we're at 112k with no issues...until now.

Pretty serious power steering leak is a definite. Used a reservoir worth of fluid in approximately 50 miles driving. Haven't put her on the rack yet to get a true diagnosis but I assume it will be either the pump or a broken line. I have had a small leak for quite sometime and did not address it as there were no issues in driving/operation (my stupidity, I know) but today she was bone dry and as previously stated, drank a lot of fluid.

My questions are where is the power steering pump located on the 04? Common issue other owners have dealt with, especially with 112k on the car? How major a repair/replacement are pump and/or lines? Does the car require special fluid? Is this something a moderately trained mechanic can perform or is it simply nightmarish to accomplish? Best place to purcase parts needed for replacement? (especially the lines. I would surmise these would be difficult to locate outside the dealer.)

Any and all advice and/or troubleshooting the issue is appreciated (might there be something else I am overlooking?)

Thanks in advance for the help, guys. I am at your mercy and am admitting my ignorance.

"Goobe"

 

Hey guys, where's all the techs / top DIYers?

Hopefully all in here to help out soon Goobe and get your baby back up n running.

I'll leave this thread where it is at the present and we can get it moved to the relevant section a little later

Best of luck with the fix bro.......

 

Thanks Jim. All apologies for the misplaced post. Look fwd to the help!

 

It is now a little later. LOL

Hope the guys can help.

 

The pump is on the left next to the AC compressor. The engine must be lifted up on the left to remove/replace it. These pumps must be pretty tough as I have never heard of a problem yet. As to be expected, Jag has a part or two not in many cars, including a pressure control valve. As there are lots of connections and lines, you will just need to get under there and start tracing the lines and connections to see if you can see a leak. I use Mobil 1 synthetic ATF in my power stering and it works very well, solving a common problem in these cars of pulsing in the steering at low speed manuvering.