I'm having a hard time visualizing this, but there is one thing to check before wasting a lot of time searching for the leak. You'll need to crawl underneath with the engine running and the front tires on the ground, and you'll need a helper to rotate the steering wheel.
Look at the large nut on the bottom of the steering gearbox. That's holding the "pitman arm" onto the rotating "pitman shaft". It's that shaft you must inspect, just above the arm, right where that shaft comes out of the bottom of the gear box. There's a rubber lip seal around the shaft, buried and hidden up inside where you might not be able to see it now.
Have your helper rotate the steering wheel back and forth roughly 4 to 6 inches, (1/8th of a revolution), about once per second, then watch that shaft for any sideways movement. What is supposed to happen is that shaft rotates the instant the steering wheel is rotated. Instead, when the bushing supporting the shaft is worn, the shaft will move sideways first, come to the end of its travel, and THEN start to rotate. That sideways movement you're looking for can be as little as 1/64", so you have to look really close to see it. If you see that tiny amount of movement, the shaft moves off-center relative to the seal, and opens up a small gap where the power steering fluid sneaks out.
Many people replace that seal, which is possible by a competent do-it-yourselfer, but that is not the proper fix. Often it solves the leak for a few weeks, but the gear box must be replaced with a professionally-rebuilt assembly. Replacing the worn bushing is definitely not a repair procedure we want to get involved with.
A second symptom of the worn bushing is excessive steering wander. When turning the steering wheel, the pitman shaft walks sideways first and has to bottom out, then it will start to rotate. That creates a lot of slop that has to be taken up before the steering linkage responds.
If you don't see that sideways movement in the pitman shaft, wash the area with Brake Parts Cleaner or Carburetor Cleaner in a spray can, then, when the area is clean and dry, run the engine again and watch if fluid leaks from that seal. If it does, and you want to replace the seal, I can describe how from memory, but it would be best if I post the procedure right from Chrysler. At a minimum, you'll need a pitman arm puller that you can usually borrow from an auto parts store that rents or borrows tools. Removing the pitman arm from the tapered shaft can be extremely difficult and frustrating. When you do get it off, there are splines with four master splines, or "keys". It's nearly impossible to reinstall the arm 90 degrees off, so you don't have to worry about lining it up correctly.
If you find wetness on top of the gear box after washing the area, another place to look is on the two metal tubes that are part of the hoses. On the last one I ran into, less than a month ago, the front one was badly corroded. It broke off after pulling up lightly on it. This was an inexpensive salvage yard item, and since this isn't real common, most used pipes will be in good condition.
Let me know what you find.
Monday, August 18th, 2025 AT 4:29 PM
