I think probably the OP is gone. However, he did mention that he has to refill the power steering. You can decide if that is a trubo drain leak or not.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Wit is lost on the witless.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

I am guilty of taking okyourabeast seriously because I don't know him well enough to know if he is joking or not.

Members including myself have occasionally not read OPs posts closely and given wrong solutions and that could easily have been the case with okyourabeast.

My Ego is certainly substantial enough to get over this tiny issue.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

The less common Laughing emoticon, represented by the "X" with the "D", is not on the Smilies List.
Not catching that clue, on okyoureabeast's post, as to the humorous intent is understandable.

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78 W116 300SD 'Desert Rose' new as of 01/26/2014
79 W116 300SD 'Stormcloud' RIP 04/11/2022

Don't worry, i'm guilty of that too
And come on Diesel911, i've been a member here for a while. You should at least know that I like razzing you guys up.

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

? Are they ever going to fix that ? .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I did not know.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

It is nice to know that if I try to become a comedian if the audience does not laugh at my jokes it is because they are witless.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

You could also be in Germany.

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1981 240D 4sp manual. Ivory White.

sorry for the slow response, chums; holidays and all. (which was my reason for posting here -- just super low on time, and was hoping someone would say "its 9 out of 10 times part X that's the issue".)

puddle was first on the inside of the driver's front wheel, and if memory serves that indicates a return hose leak. i took out of hose for inspection; while there were no tears/rips or obvious trauma, it did look to be sweating oil. without a replacement hose on hand, i re-installed it in reverse to see if that changed anything. the puddle has since moved to under the cross member.

with the car on, i can see dripping from underneath the metal connector that the return hose connects to (not the power steering box, but the one closer to the firewall).

ill replace the return hose and 2 clamps then report back here.

PS this car (83 300D) definitely takes a 12mm ID hose. all the automotive stores around me wanted to sell me 3/4" hoses (~19mm). closest they had was a 1/2" hose (12.7mm) which I tried because it was cheap, but the fit just seemed way too loose.

Serious reply, most likely it's the box itself . Specifically the rear seal for the pitman arm.

The recommendation is to r&r the box and of course replace the hoses. You can reseal the box yourself or source a reman'd.

Yes, before someone else chimes in with a smart ass answer........good work! I would also say it sounds like the box is leaking, but it COULD be as simple as the hoses. If it was me, I would replace the hoses first (cheapest and easiest) and see if you get lucky. If it still leaks, then it is most likely the steering box itself.

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2012 Mercedes ML350 Bluetec 91K (hers)
2005 Corvette 55K (fun car)
2002 VW Jetta TDI 231K (mine)
1998 Volvo S70 T5 Turbo 196K (kids)
1994 Ford F150 4WD 249K (firewood hauler)
1983 Mercedes 300D 376K (diesel commuter)

Cinnamonandgravy, I am glad that you chose to continue to participate in this forum.

My suggestion is to identify the leak for certain; especially, before removing the box. The pressure created by the pump may used to pinpoint the leak, hopefully it is a hose as are most but not all leaks.

If the location of the pooling/leak changed after reversing the hose, there is a fair chance that it may be only the hose.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

With the volume of the leak, it may be possible to pinpoint just with a strong flashlight and the engine running. Since we now know where the leak area is, it should be possible to tell if it's a hose, loose fitting, or a seal in the box causing the leak.

FWIW, I had a serious leak on my 300SDL after flushing the system and filling with the "correct" Febi PS fluid. Seriously, it was like it was raining from the steering box, most of the leak coming from the flange where the box is bolted together. Took it about 2 months after the flush to start doing it. The car had ATF in it when I got it, and I flushed and refilled with ATF. Leak stopped about a week later and never dripped another drop. Plenty here say that's not possible, but that's how it worked out on that car.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

i received my replacement parts (hose & clamps) and over the weekend i had time to take a good look at everything under the hood. after inspection, i replaced one part. it's been a few days now and no more power steering fluid leak.

the faulty part? one bad hose clamp.

when taking a close look at everything, i noticed i could move the return hose by hand where it connects to the steering box. the clamp was already tightened 100% so it had to be replaced (perhaps the original clamp? the clamp has a mercedes logo on it).

with the new clamp installed, the hose doesnt budge, and no fluid is missing from the power steering pump reservoir after driving the car a number of times.

d'oh.