Wheres the leak? That grease stain down the side? Thats not a power steering leak, thats the assembly grease in the input shaft on assembly that when gets hot melts out. Some little some more. If thats the case i missed a lot of rack repairs. Most racks almost 100% of the time on jaguars leak out of the side rack seals not the input shaft seal. Rear tie rod replaced $600? Only pays 3hours in alldata, what is their hourly rate $200+/hr?
Even a rack leak i would try lucas power steering stop leak first. Works wonders as do all their products. Ill recommend a mechanic in a bottle for $10 before expensive repairs depending on the customer. I want you back for real repairs not to run you off or force you to sell the car, or kidney.

 

While this works short-term, it is bad advice long-term. Once you use additives like this, it becomes much harder to rebuild anything that touches the additive. So any related failure, like power steering pump, turns into replacement instead of rebuild.

Never use any stop leak additives, especially in coolant or hydraulics.

 

Thank you.... You are 100% accurate.........

You have no idea how many times I have returned to that comment, and written a similar response, only to clear it and go on to other things...
But I keep coming back.... Mostly because I was actually shocked by it.
Brutal has always been a great help on this forum, but this is the first time I have ever heard any "mechanic" make a recommendation like that!

 

yeah I would never recommend coolant stop leak. That's asking for issues. The Lucas stop leak is a seal conditioner and thick ATF. Ive used many times before without issues long term other than no more leaks. I also just used to transmission anti shudder/squawk in my 480hp supercharged Nissan with a shudder in over drive, totally gone now. Remember when Jaguars had a shudder or squawk in the trans? Jaguars fix was a additive, they no longer sell. But the Lucas product is the replacement and probably was just relabeled. And who rebuilds power steering pumps? Its not some unavail part on a old Studebaker or something.

 

because how much money does a mechanic make with a $10 bottle of additive vs a new steering rack? Hell he was already being hit for replacement of something not needed, not even leaking. But hey its your money

 

Brutal, I simply note that no trained and/or certified mechanic I have ever known in 48 years recommends stop leak additives. Not with the knowledge we posses.
Leave that crap on the store shelf along with Slick50.
I wouldn't do it for my Mom, I wouldn't do it for my friends, and I certainly wouldn't do it as part of any business I worked for.

Any mechanic can find a fix that leak. ANY mechanic.

Vince

 

Thank you guys - this goes right along with my observation that this "leak" was so dissimilar to power steering fluid as to confuse me. Brutal's knowledge of the assembly grease makes complete sense... only two more days till I take the conclusive pic after a week's driving and my money is on zero "leaking"! You've no idea how reassuring it is to have your eyes on these things with me!

 

Yes, it works short term while causing internal component damage. Seal conditioner is a euphemism for seal dissolver. Take any seal or gasket and submerge it into paint thinner for a month. It is like that. Seals first swell, this stops immediate leaks, then they keep swelling and eventually degrade into something that looks like wet paper towel. I suppose it would be fine if it was used for a week then drained, but that is not the case.

I have personally dealt with two situations with hydraulic systems - one was with a hard top convertible. PO, instead of replacing leaking distribution block put in a stop leak. The resulted in seals in all 12 actuators and 2 distribution blocks were destroyed. The job went from 2 hours to properly fix, to nearly 12 to swap all of them and reputable rebuilder (tophydraulics) would not accept core swap. I decided to also not trust the pump and sent it for rebuild as well.

Second situation was a power steering box. Stop leak was used, it caused inadequate lubrication that ate gears and resulted in a dead center and a box that is not rebuildable. On that particular car, being too old/rare, used steering box was not available. I had to pay over $5K for a new box from manufacturer AND also ended up having to rebuild power steering pump.

So personally, I lost thousands of dollars to this snake oil.

 

They wont rebuild the simplest things nowadays.
I cant get rotors turned, starter rebuild, alt rewound, calipers rebuilt.
Heck I have yet to see a single Jag 5.0 engine rebuilt other than Dave Tibbs.
They are not going to rebuilt power steering- actually they do but its sent to Mexico.

I got 2+ years adding lucas power steering to heavy-duty truck, and I had the same reaction when my automotive engineer friend suggested it.
And even then I replaced the pump only out of precaution and not necessity.
Its one thing that works very well.

 

Since you started this thread i have looked at all the racks on the car's i put in the air. They all pretty much look like this.

 

2 issues i found flawed with your presumptions.
1 po put in product, you dont know what kind or if even followed label directions
2 you assume if 1 products sucks, they all do. You know like if 1 gun owner is bad they all are
ive have great results with lucas products for years on my and others vehicles. Including 2 of my 4 kids cars with power steering rack and pump leaks. They could not afford to replace a steering rack on the 98 toyota so we put in lucas ps stop leak. 105k miles soon after she bought it. Stopped the pump leak and still dry and doing great when she sold to her younger brother with 150k. He sold it to a coworkers mom in mexico for $500 with 190k on it and still a fully functioning dry power steering system. So they drove for 8 years and put 90k on it without any of the scary issues you talk about.
Same issue on their older sister ford ps steering rack seak on the passenger side seal. No scary issues and a dry rack
i referenced using lucas anti sqwuak/shudder trans additive for zf's with this issue. Zf used to supply a additive years ago for this issue that fixed the issue almost every single time. Yeah snake oil from one of the worlds larger transmisison manufacturers.
I dont know if you remember the illustrius nicasil liner issues of the late 90's early 2000 where engines we being replaced for oil blowby loss of compression past the rings. Jaguar replaced many under warranty, and a few replaced good will. I replaced many ext warranty and customer pay. But what do you do if you dont have $1000's to spend on new engine. In comes my recommendation for the snake oil known as engine restore which i had used very successfully to restore ring seal and compression on cars i had in the past. Just has to be used every oil change. So those customers would buy the correct amount of engine restore and bring to me to add in place of 1.5qts in the 8qt engines. And yes no more oil filled intakes and smooth running cars all for an additional $15 each oil change(does not work well with new vvt equipted lighter oil engines so keep that
in mind)
i also use jack oil in my brand new amazon made in china tranny jack never used yet since i bought it and started leaking all the oil out. So either throw away or try snake oil since no rebuild kits for a $400 jack. Yes hasnt leaked anymore in 6 months and works again. Shall i go on? I have many more stories
you have 2 situations that havent worked well for you and i have 10x's that that have worked well. Yes some stuff out there is snake oil and not worth a dime. Many other products do what they say and do work. Notice i recommended lucas almost solely.
I can also tell you that moc products like injector cleaner sucks, bg products fantastic. Here again you have no idea what was used because correct if im wrong, you didnt put it in.
In closing ill just say this, if you dont like it dont use it, BUT
dont bash me or others that have used and had great results.
Is that fair?

 

No deal. You are giving bad advice categorically (miracle cure additives) and specifically (Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak). Sure, if you can't afford to fix your only car that you need to drive to work the next day, you might as well try hail-marry in a bottle. I don't think many XK (or Jaguar) owners are in this way. Instead, it will be someone who could afford to fix it properly justifying cheapening out and dumping a problem on the next owner. Only now next owner has to fix entire system - the pump, lines, rack instead of replacing one seal/gasket. Being a classic car collector, that next owner one day could be me, or someone like me. So I will keep speaking up against this.

Any stop leak additive should only be used on a car that otherwise would be heading to a junk yard. This is because stop leak products cause internal damage to any system they circulate through.

 

Maybe dealer won't, I still do it regularly. Sure, shops that do a good job rebuilding are all run by boomers, so maybe in another 20 years there won't be any left, but as of right now I have good places for hydraulic actuators, AC compressors, power steering. Saves me a lot of money, so my budget goes further, means I can keep more cars on the road.

The story I shared about power steering box. There is more to it. It was for my classic Mercedes SL. I purchased the very last steering box from Mercedes for that model. There aren't any more left. From now own, rebuilding something like that would likely require custom manufacturing.

 

Still with SinF on this Brutal, Sorry...
My respect for Jaguar shops was already low, as most the kids working the shop floor.... to quote an old saying.... Couldn't pour **** from a boot even with instructions on the heal...
If you are going to represent the upper crust of fine mechanics out there, then we have to assume you have some form of formal training. With that training, you learn about additives, chemical reactions to seals, dangers to oil galleys etc.... Find me ONE manufacture of ANY motor vehicle that says these additives are acceptable. I may no longer be an aviation mechanic, but that additive alone would cost me my license.
You will always have the right to have your opinions heard, but if you are going to use a poor recommendation while touting a "TechCertified" label is just wrong.
Then your "recommendations" can be taken with a grain of salt rather than that of a trained Jaguar professional.

 

BRUTAL...........
SinF has pointed out that I am clearly (and I do mean CLEARLY) out of line...................
I am indeed.... For that, good Sir, I am terribly sorry....

I can not/will not retract all my comments (I did change wording slightly) , as I have the right to my opinion. But right or wrong, I must acknowledge that you have been far too beneficial to this forum for my rudeness to jeopardize what we have gained by your contributions.
We would be a lesser community without your input, and I am sorry for endangering it.

In my defense......... Aircraft maintenance, although extremely precise, does not translate to the automotive sector clearly...... My training required me to see absolutes, rather than exceptions..... Everything is black or white… right or wrong….. In aviation, cutting corners endangers lives. So I try my best to avoid cutting corners, knowing doing so will have ramifications down the road.

It is maybe an odd, or perhaps a poor excuse for being rude, but I hope you can see why my brain instantly leaps to the "Don't cut corners!" side of any repair.

Thanks for being there for everyone, including ******** like me.
Vince

 

As promised, a week later with a lot of low speed lock-to-lock turns in my neighborhood, and a couple hundred miles of driving. No leak! Thanks everyone... now to tackle the brakes and suspension...!

 

That's what happens when someone creates a false choice and narrative.
SinF created three.

1.That Brutal was asking us to put non-tested fluid in a good part.
No- just the opposite, when something is going in the trash for certain, you can get few more years.

2. That parts can be rebuilt.
In all practicality they cant, its not economically sensible anymore, that's why there are more people collecting aluminum cans.

3. Lucas power steering was non-tested.
Well the onus is on you to provide the proof then.

But look at the power of ideology and the stupidity that that comes from it. Here we are challenging the most qualified professional on the planet, he has hands-on seen the failures that the pencil pushing engineers wont see in a lifetime.
When it comes to failure analysis, without question Brutal has seen more than anyone at Jaguar- if they had, many simple problems would be fixed.

 

For sake of brevity here are logical fallacies in your argument: appeal to authority, appeal to consensus, moving goalposts, and shifting burden of proof.

 

No guy, we are being held captive by previous emotions, solvents sold as miracle cures and an existing rebuilding industry.

Neither exists today. Well they still make the engine flush where you have to pierce the can with a tin opener, so there is your clue.

 

i worked on f-16 fighters in the late 70's early 80's. You and i both know aviation is a totally different set of standards and requirments, and unlimited budgets.
Jaguar owners a different breed? No most want to act like they can afford a jaguar when they needed to buy a toyota instead.. There a re a small minority that can afford to maintain and repair one. Lotta wannabes in all the luxury brands. Mortgaged to the hilt and 1 mistep from bankrupcy. I expressed my opinion and gave a review about what has worked for me and you want to group me in with those that cant pour **** out of a boot? And you read and see what you want. Both of you. Go back and read slowly what i wrote with your glasses on this time. Zf, you know the "manufacturer" of the transmission in bmw, jag, benz, rovers etc...yeah i stated they sent out through jaguar and had use a what/ a d d i t i v e, again a d d i t i v e! To be used in their transmission for the squawk noise. They dont have the "tech certified label, theirs is engineer label. And then another 36 years as a jaguar tech here reminded me of jaguar aka "manufacturer" sent out a d d i t i v e to use in the stype power steering systems back in the mid 2000's for the squeeling noise when turning. Hmmm and this coming from people with more mechanical training that someone that cant pour **** from a boot with instructions on the heel or a pompous know it all cant carry on a discussion wthout bashing or critical of others with a differance of opinion former aircraft mechanic. Know i know theres 3 things to not talk about at thanksgiving dinner.
1 politics
2 religion
3 automotive additives
im out, and too think i thought there were mature intelligent people on this forum that dont resort to slamming others they disagree with. Like a bunch of playground bullies. Bye bye