It's been awhile since I posted so bear with me. I've been having a slow fluid leak under the hood for about 6 months. Even though it was discovered only a month after my warranty expired, the manufacturer refused to look into it. They thought it was an engine oil leak since it was high up on the engine. Dealer wanted $200 deposit just to look into it and said it would be as high as $2500 if they have to take the engine apart. I didn't trust them and was moving soon and found it inconvenient.

Anyways, I moved to the Bay Area, found a decent place who looked into it for $100 and they tell me it's a steering pump fluid leak coming from the steering pump assembly. I got a quote from them for $950 and almost $700 of it is the part which is the complete pump assembly. It seemed high but then again I have Hicas active steering. Anyways, my questions are:

1. Has anyone else had this issue and how bad was it? (My leak is not bad and I've maybe added a 1/8th of quart of steering fluid in the past year.)
2. Should I even bother getting this fixed or just deal with the annoyance?
3. Get a second opinion?
4. Where the hell can I get this part cheap and who knows a good mechanic in the Bay Area - Peninsula?

Any input is appreciated.

 

1) I have not had any leaking around the pump or hoses, but there is a slight seep down on the steering rack (others have successfully had the rack replaced under warranty for this). The fact that you've only had to add 1/8 of a quart in a year means that it is fairly minimal.

2) If it were my car, and I was out of warranty, and I didn't car to throw money at it, I would do this: skip the repair, but spend a few hours or so cleaning all the surrounding area up very thoroughly so I could find out exactly where it is coming from, and then periodically clean and monitor its progress (or lack thereof). You may find it is just a hose that is seeping or a bad clamp or something, which are far less costly to repair/replace than a whole pump.

3) Sure, why not give yourself the second opinion though, (if you can) by cleaning it up and finding the source. It really isn't that hard to do, and you will then know.

4) First you need to be sure exactly what part needs to be addressed. The less knowledgeable you are about it, the less likely you will be able to discern if the mechanics are "over-fixing" the problem by just replacing everything that looks wet with oil. Remember, hydraulic fluid spreads very easily and makes a huge mess from even the smallest leaks, so it's easy for it to look like a complete disaster to an untrained eye. Once you know the part that's leaking, you can re-evaluate whether to fix it or not. There are various online parts suppliers who sell factory parts for substantially less than retail at a dealership parts counter. If it's a hose, you can look into aftermarket replacement or possibly even a repair of the factory original hose by having it rebuilt at a hydraulic shop. If you do need a major part such as a pump, you call always try the used/salvage market. I'm not familiar with a shop in your area, but perhaps you could look into the regional threads in this forum for specifics on that.

good luck.

 

Thanks, vqsmile. I think I'll take your advice about looking into it myself. I'm finding it difficult to find a pump for my particular model. I have active steering and everything I am seeing on eBay and on dealer sites are all without this.

Appreciate the help.

 

see if you can get at least a part number out of this site: http://infiniti.sewellparts.com/oem-...edan-2007.html

 

I'm waiting on the shop that looked into the leak to provide the part number since they got a quote from the dealer.

 

Thought id use this thread for a similar problem, I have a wet area on the driver side (opposite side of the reservoir) of the oil catch/skid plate and it's power steering fluid. I can see it through the driver side rim and when I feel beneath any of the hoses above that area everything seems to be dry. Also my PS fluid level has not really gone down but there must be a tiny leak somewhere above the wet area. Anybody have a leak like this or know where it could be coming from? Here's a bad pic through the rim-

 

Bump for help on my last post

 

No idea! Don't have a rack to lift it and not interested in getting it checked out if it's so thing I can DIY

 

No no sounds at all luckily. I have a feeling it's a clamp or a seal but Now I'm worried to find out

 

Thx for ur help treacherous, stay tuned for my post later today with the diagnosis, as I'm taking it in to the shop later

 

Turns out I over oiled my CAI and it dripped! Phew!

 

My G35 had the same problem and the pulley snapped off, I installed the new pump myself. It was not easy to fix but non the less I got it done. My advice is to get it fixed ASAP otherwise you may get stranded if your pump cease's up.