4200 power steering fail??

[karatemaserati]

had got about 1/2 a mile from my house and i could hear a noise like my tyres rubbing on the arches when i turned the wheel, followed shortly after some smoke started appearing from the right side of the bonnet, as i was in town and had no where really to pull over i quicky doubled back and went home with the steering getting notchyer, just as id got back the steering gone totally heavy. when i had parked up i noticed the drip from underneath the car... and upon bonnet opening the PAS reservoir was empty.

my first thought was pump... but then i thought could just be a hose... wishfull thinking??

should i fill up the reservoir and start her up again to see where the leak is comming from??

ha and i was just thinking shes been ever so good and only broken down on me once in nearly 5 years thanks to anyone that can help

02 CC

 

[Wack61]

Mine started making noises so I topped it up and it was fine , somebody with better knowledge will be along in a bit but I'd fill it up and give it a go, mine didn't get to smoking though

 

[safrane]

I am no mechanic but check first to see if the fluid has drained out of the pump. If so you may have metal particles in the system and it should be flushed first otherwise you could risk the whole system and any replacement parts you fit.

 

[philw696]

If it's in that state guys you're looking at a pump and a rack.
You may get away with flushing the pipe and hose work.
Last one I did at Maserati we changed the lot.

 

[karatemaserati]

new pump and rack. how much are we talkin here? can it be done DIY?

i didnt have time to look too much but it looked as if it had sprayed tho which i thought could indicate a hose... if it had sprayed on the exhaust manifold that would explain the smoke.

ill have to fill the reservoir up tomoz and give it a try to see where the leak is comming from. what kinda fluid does it take??

 

[spkennyuk]

Right hand side as your sat in the car ? Drivers side on a UK car. Its probably the power steering rad that has failed. Look through the front grill on the left hand side from the front.

A small rad about 2.5 inch tall that is essentially a 6ft tube bent in a U shape with cooling fins. The U shape is on the left as you look through the front grill. They fail on the U shape and leak power steering fluid causing the issues you are seeing.

I have just had the exact same issue.
Speak to Marios at Autoshield.

New power steering rad if im correct is circa £1200 plus fitting. Marios can put a better power steering rad in for less than half the cost of the part alone.

PM me if you want. Top up the with red ATF fluid which is about £8 a litre and shine a torch through the front grill. Your looking for fluid appearing at the left side usually of the PS cooling radiator that sits at the bottom but in front of the main radiator as you look at the car.

I can take a picture and send to you if it helps.

If you look at the under tray on the drivers side you should see evidence of the leak seeping out there.

 

[MAF260]

As said above, sounds like the cooler. Lots seem to be failing at 10 years+. The RHD cooler is hard to find and c.£1,200. The LHD version of the same thing is a tenth of that and can apparently be made to fit. Modified replacements exist - Autoshield replaced mine for c.50% of the cost of a OEM RHD cooler.

 

[conaero]

Just had the same issue and was the rad.

The LHD and RHD are the same part. One was £90 and the other £1200.

Maserati worked out we were fitting the LHD unit so put them all up to £1200, thanks!

Speak to Ross at Meridien, he found the last two in a dealer in Hong Kong for about £400 each delivered.

You can rig up a bypass very easy but I wouldn't stress the system and only do this as a temp measure whilst your sourcing the part.

PS it's a pig to fit, if your thinking about a front bumper respray remove the bumper and do it all at the same time.

 

[mjheathcote]

Can someone tell me why the power steering needs a cooling radiator?
It really doesn't do any work, unless you are a rally driver or are into drifting constantly going from lock to lock!
My other cars certainly don't have a PAS cooling radiator.

 

[conaero]

Can someone tell me why the power steering needs a cooling radiator?
It really doesn't do any work, unless you are a rally driver or are into drifting constantly going from lock to lock!
My other cars certainly don't have a PAS cooling radiator.

Marios made the same comment when I asked him.

 

[mchristyuk]

I fitted power steering to an old import MX5 and saw much the same discussions on Mazda forums at the time. General consensus was that the PS radiator was a waste of time unless you were tracking the car. If you really wanted just extend the flexible piping a bit so that the fluid had more time to cool down before entering the system again.. but.. I didn't bother and drove that car in a very spirited manner and never had an issue. I expect it's much the same situation with our cars.. you're probably fine just bypassing it...

Mark

 

[conaero]

To give you an idea of what it does I rigged up a bypass return and did a few laps of Llandow.

I opened up the ps bottle and it was smoking hot. I did not do any further laps.

Personally in 3 seasons of the year in the uK for road driving you don't need it but summer or spirited driving I wouldn't risk it!

 

[nfm]

Shame on Maserati, 5 or 6 years ago when mine went the part was £125.

 

[mchristyuk]

To give you an idea of what it does I rigged up a bypass return and did a few laps of Llandow.

I opened up the ps bottle and it was smoking hot. I did not do any further laps.

Personally in 3 seasons of the year in the uK for road driving you don't need it but summer or spirited driving I wouldn't risk it!

Indeed.. a few laps of a track would soon do it in.

But let's think about this.. it's just a fluid cooler, and most cars just extend the pipework to pass in front of the grill area, nothing elaborate. I would have thought any half competent mechanic could fashion something from basic materials to fit for very little money.

In fact there's plenty of after market options to add a fluid cooler.. here's just one example:
https://h-tune.co.uk/mishimoto-universal-transmission-power-steering-cooler/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw0v_IBRCEzKHK0KiCrKMBEiQA3--1NnpvhsCUcjOe1BJbQkJwnXrLB_jZoXBL7HfUsANhc8waAprY8P8HAQ

So whilst Maserati shows once again it's the master of ******** on it's owners and legacy, there's always more than one way to skin a cat...

Mark

 

[allandwf]

Why would tracking it make it worse, surely country lanes are worse? Or is it assumed that are used mainly on straight motorways? Or is it the pump that generates the heat?

 

[jasst]

Mines leaking too, on my 'to do' list, will probably see if rad specialist can repair it, have also considered making something as if you compare it to the 3200 one, that is just some bent tube without the fins,

 

[karatemaserati]

Thanks for the replys people.

Had a quick look today... i can see the cooler and it looks dry, as does the main rad. Surely any leak on it would present its self at the front? this looks like its comming from behind the rad on the drivers side.

I put some more fluid in and started her up.. it horsed out. Like litterally. I didnt even get a chance to look from where cause it sounded rough so i turned it off.

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[FIFTY]

I thought my PS rads was leaking but it was dry and no puddle at the front, likewise I had a puddle further down on the drivers side... it was the threaded unions into the steering box

 

[Gp79]

Check here, the supply / return pipes run through a bracket on the front of the engine.

The pressure one on my GS had failed here, under the secondary air and oil pipe in the pic

 

[karatemaserati]

Bang on the money jp! Thanks

Mine is the return pipe by the looks of things, runs from the rack to the top of the cooler. its rubbed on that little pipe that runs along on the underside of the secondry air pipe and goes in the the air v/v

Is it patchable or weldable in anyway or is the presure to great? *edit @ 20 quid for the pipe and maybe an hr max ill just replace it... just goes in to a jubilee a few clips and a banjo

Does anyone know wht that lil air system pipe does and what symptoms would occur if it too hd been damged?

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