okegs4ever

I have an 05 a8. I purchased car some months ago and dont know much about these cars. the power steering level was very low so i topped off with regular power steering fluid and had no idea i had to use different. I have maybe driven the car no more than 10 miles as it had other issues that needed fixing. Two days ago, i parked the car with the wheels turned all the way to the left and went the next morning to start up the car and the steering is locked and wont even move and next thing I see is power steering fluid gushing down from the driver side.

I thought it was something minor, so i bought some more power steering fluid and a stop leak and added them to the system. Once i crank the car up, less than a minute later, the power steering fluid leaks all out again. Any ideas what i could have messed up and what I should be looking at changing? any DIY will also be helpful

Mister Bally

You have the dreaded Audi Steering Rack leak problem. I imagine Audi sells rebuild kits for it for about $200.00 for a bag of seals & gaskets. Or hopefully they offer a rebuilt rack for $600.00 They are no fun to access. On my previous Audi I swore that when the car started down the assembly line, the first thing that was placed on the chain driven claws that came out of the floor in Neckarsulm was the car's steering rack. Yes, it has to be removed to install the rebuild kit.

If you are going to DIY, you need to buy the Bentley service manual (on CDRom) as the price of admission. I assume you also have the Ross-Tech diagnostic interface, software as well as a PC to run it on. WHile not needed for a steering rack issue, just about everything else on these cars requires these things.

okegs4ever

I dont have the ross-tech diagnostic interface, where can i get that from? Do you think its just better to buy a used rack off ebay and install that cause i can see some for around $200. Seems like this car will be a PITA to deal with. HAve barely driven the car, just fixed strut and found out my compressor is also bad and now this.

MP4.2+6.0

Like Mister Bally, BTDT with the rack on my dad's 1984 Audi 5000T. Not fun. Your only remaining hope is you find a blown hose; once upon a time it was common but Audi dialed the pressure on these racks down a long time ago.

Where it gets worse is the fluid you put in. If it was your basic red stuff, that was probably the old Dextron ATF based fluid. The system needs hydraulic fluid, not ATF. Some other Euro vehicles use the hydraulic too; can would likely have said Pentosin as the common aftermarket brand. But if it was ATF, not good. That may have taken out pump too. My brother in law recently did that to my old 96 A6Q he still has on the road.

Net, you need it looked at to be sure it is the rack and not just a hose. Either way, you need it repaired, and you need the whole system thoroughly flushed. Then say a prayer the pump is still okay.

okegs4ever

how can i tell if its the rack? just a hose? or the pump? any particular test or where exactly will the leak be coming from? it only leaked out after i started the car.

MP4.2+6.0

You need to get under the car and give it a very careful look for the hose related stuff, and probably take the wheels off and open up the inner tie rod boot area and see if it is filled with fluid, or even if it is just leaking out where you can see a fluid mess. If you see that fluid leakage at those inner rubber accordion-like boots that cover the inner tie rods on either side, it is basically definitively the rack, and then the difficult repair two of us have described. And no, there is no work around or band aid or magic juice or anything, just in case you were considering some patch idea.

If you have the wrong fluid in there, that also needs to be opened up and ALL the fluid all flushed out. Removing the rack (a big job) would be a way to have the basic pump and return side open. Probably should also be opened at the pump side and then blow out the lines, plus drain the reservoir completely. The consequence of not thoroughly cleaning immediately is the pump will likely be shot quickly, which is hundreds of $ just for the pump, plus yet more close quarters labor, and the risk in short order the already painful to install rack that should be quasi life of car will get ruined again too. You need the right fluid too, either Audi OE or Pentosin CHF 11S or 202--can be found at better parts stores like NAPA, foreign specific indies, on line and at least at O'Reilly among the chain stores. Do not get Pentosin 7/7.1--that's the old stuff from the 80's through mid 90's.

To get anywhere, you probably also need to take the belly pan off for a good inspection, which means getting under the car/motor area and giving it all a very close look. That's what I would do as soon as I have a leak on any of the key fluids. To be clear, while not rocket science, the power steering components aren't just the simplest of stuff either. The working space for all of the pump, the rack and the hose connections is invariably tight on Audi's (and many other vehicles). If you have the experience, great. Otherwise if this sounds somewhat unfamiliar or cryptic, find/use a good Audi mechanic.

MP4.2+6.0

I put the "how to" in the other reply, but to be clear that fluid mis fill is a definitive problem by itself and isn't going away. It will lead to probable failure of whatever is left that is still good in the system, assuming you put in the standard red type power steering fluid (basically repackaged Dextron ATF). You haven't really said exactly what you put in, but I expect its the most common type and a not uncommon mistake.

Thus, if you did so, it is already at the stage of needing the system opened up and completely flushed. If you can do that, great. If not, get it to a good Audi mechanic pronto for that alone, likely by flatbedding. From your posts, we already basically know that needs fixing w/out any more diagnostics. Then they can also look over the hoses, rack, etc. And again repeating from the other post about leak diagnostics, there is no work around, patch, just pretend the wrong fluid will be okay, etc. It needs serious attention right away.