Started the car up today and noticed a hollow whine today that rises and falls with the engine and a groaning/shudder from the steering.
I looked into the fluid reservoir and it looks like this:



Steering Pump Fluid Reservoir

Am I right in assuming it should be full to the top ?

 

yes, full of power steering fluid, with a lid to keep it all in there
And if its that empty, I'd run it for a while, drive around for a bit, recheck and keep topping up until it stays full - assuming there's no puddle under the car

 

OH MY.

Fill it with ATF (Auto Trans Fluid) , NOW.

NOT to the top, but to the "FULL" mark on the dipstick attached to the lid. If that "Dipstick" is missing for some reason, leave about 1" from the top as an expansion gap. Start the engine, and SLOWLY work the steering, with a mate keeping an eye on the fluid level. Top if off (NO higher than I said) as the level drops, as the air is purged out of the system.

TAKE YOUR TIME, THIS THING WILL GROAN/SHUDDER QUITE A BIT DEPENDING ON HOW EMPTY THE TOTAL SYSTEM REALLY IS.

Once done have a serious DRINK, and then really SLAP the person taking care of that car. That is a really bad situation.

To be fair, and I am fair, if that has happened suddenly, as in a hose burst, be forgiving to that carer, but you should have notice a huge oily mess with such a failure.

This is one fluid level that really needs to be checked regularly, and any leakage repaired instantly.

The X300 is not known for any real issues here, even at the age.

 

Looked at hose junctions from the top and all seemed well.
Then I looked underneath on the RHS:


The fluid is leaking with about a 10 second gap between drops.
I think the 700 mile journey I was about to do over the next couple of days is not going to happen.
Is this a full rack replacement or can individual seals be replaced ?

 

The lid incorporates a dipstick with the required level marked on it. If the resevoir is empty then you have a leak which needs addressing; to prevent damage and to prevent an oily mess.

 

GOOD, fault found.

I would refresh the fluid, as I said. Wash down that mess. Run the beast, and observed.

I have had very good results with simple FRESH fluid taking up the seals, and stopping most leaks, especially in power steer items.

Sadly the power steer fluid is like brake fluid. NO ONE refreshes it until something goes wrong, then all hell breaks loose.

My X300 was similar, but not as frequent, and fresh fluid, refreshed 3 times in a week, fixed it 100%, and its still not leaking today. Car has travelled 60000kms since that little task was done.

 

Out buying fluid. Handbook doesn't mention capacity so does anyone have a rough idea?
Bottles are 1litre so assuming 1 will fill it but do I need 2 to do the top-ups until it becomes obvious whether it is going to need surgery.

 

2 litres should do for now.

Maybe cheaper to buy a 4 ltr container, as it is the same as the trans uses.

 

Well so far it seems to be a very cheap fix.
Put half a litre in and ran the engine for 10 minutes, turned the wheels lock to lock 3 or 4 times - noticed the dripping seemed slower.
Initial foam of small bubbles on top subsided and fluid didn't fall further. I expected to have to top it up after a few minutes but no need.
No noise and steering smooth.

Went for a 20 minute trip and when I got back there was a small drop of fluid about to fall. Wiped it off and waited for 2 minutes - no new drops.
Will carry the fluid in the car but I think my road trip is back on.

For those in the UK, I used Halford's Power Steering Fluid rather than standard ATF as it contains a "conditioner" that "helps to preserve seals and prevent leaks".
Don't know if that made any difference but it made me feel better.

The old fluid I had collected in a jar didn't look dirty but seemed to have the viscosity of water when I shook it.

 

Can't comment on "Halford's" as we don't see that brand in these parts.... but to be clear, the Jaguar PS uses automatic transmission fluid (Dextron III equiv) not "Power Steering Fluid".

.

 

I do have a question.

While I was fearing the worst and scouring ebay for steering racks I came across this:
Jaguar XJ40/X300 Power Steering Rack *WITH SERVOTRONIC STEERING* | eBay

I know by looking at :
Steering Rack and Pinion - Parts For XJ Series from (V)720125 to (V)812255 (X300) | Jaguar Heritage Parts UK
that there is a transducer (whatever it does) - so is this related to "Servotronic" or is it something else entirely.

 

Halfords is a UK chain of auto parts/accessories stores. More high street than specialist but it WAS Saturday afternoon so choice was limited
and I was attracted to the leak stopping properties.

Trawling through their questions and answers, it would appear to be "Dexron II based".
Do people think in the medium time frame I need to replace it with Dexron III ?
Or is it more urgent or not necessary ?

 

I wouldn't risk it. Some of these products do not have the correct viscosity and can cause damage.

 

Good to hear the fix was as expected.

Simple cars for us simple folk.

Down here in the Colonies, we hve Nulon Power Steer Fluid, and I have used it in most of teh Jags without any issues, full stop.

The X300 was a tad "noisy" with it in there, bugga, so it uses Synthetic Trans Fluid (Nulon Brand), and there are no issues.

Dex3 is a spec of Mineral Trans Fluid, that is becoming less available down here, being replaced with "Multi Vehicle Automatic Trans Fluid" of either Semi-Synthetic, or Full Synthetic.

I would not spend too much time stressing over this, as it erodes the drinking time. Just keep an eye on the level and enjoy that "small" drive you are doing.

The X300 has the "Servo-tronic" system. This gives max assist at idle/slow moving (parking the beast), and less pressure as speed increases. Clever little device that thing is.

 

rack and pinion can be fixed with the following parts, repair kit as shown in my attachment picture, after disassembling check the piston rod for any deep scratches replace if necessary No 2 picture, clean the inner side of the metal housing, using gasoline or paint thinner, making sure all the rubber parts and servo control are dismantled before cleaning, rubber boot if the original is not in condition or too soft and spongy or with tear marks. when assembling make sure it is done on a clean table and clean environment.

 

if you need the diagram of rack and pinion, e mail me for the official ZF diagram

 

OK, well it's still losing fluid so I took it over to my local specialist who put it on the lift.
Hadn't noticed before but it is also leaking (more slowly) out of the other end.
Conclusion is that it must be a pinion seal and the whole rack is filling up.

I have ordered a recon rack and now I am musing on whether to do the fitting myself as it just seems to be 2 hoses and 4 bolts.
Has anyone removed the rack as I am worried about:
1 Rounding the hose connections into the rack as they haven't moved in 18 years
2 Assuming they come off OK, they don't seal when I put them back on.

Would have to put the car on small ramps and unsure whether there would be enough room



Any thoughts ?

 

Not sure I would try this on small ramps like those. Ideally you need to remove the wheels as you need to disconnect the track rod ends from the wheel end. You may have enough room but you would be making it more difficult than it needs to be. I suggest investing in a decent trolley jack and some axle stands.

The track rod ends may be very tight and you may need a ball joint splitter to get them off.

Yes the pipes are likely to be tight also. You really need to use flare nut spanners to remove them - not cheapo ebay ones either. There are some Halfords Professional ones for a decent price.

But the job is very straight forward and you will will probably find the cost of a few extra tools is still less than the labour charge.

Remember when removing the track rod ends to count the turns and put them back the same number. You should still get the tracking checked when the job is completed.

 

Mr. Cool if you are listening... left outer seal leaks alot. Lucas stopped it for two years. now leaking more severely. Was a mechanic, looking for the ole free online manual and asking you for instructions about replacing the outer seal or other thoughts you might have, thanks.

 

Yes to all of the above. I recently swapped out my rack and used axel stands, with the front wheels removed for easier access. Be aware that the oil feed pipes going into the power steering pump, have small rubber O rings fitted, which could do with being replaced while you're at it.

Set your steering wheel at "straight ahead" before you start and do count or measure the threads on the track rod ends for re-assembly, although you will need to have your tracking properly done after the job is finished.

And do clean up the electrical connector plug on the pump while you're at it. It gets quite dirty and gunked up.

I also posted a small "heads up" some time back, to be aware of the hose clamp down under the engine, that in my case, was causing wear on the hose. It has pics included and you will find it via a search on the forum.