Power steering 'leak' can't be found

[scheelware]

I have power steering fluid in the bilge of my 2006 Sea Ray Select 200. I have had the boat at the dealer three times and they can't find a 'leak'. They claim that if you turn the steering wheel from one extreme to another extreme while the engine is not running, fluid will come out of the top of the reservoir. I have made sure not to turn the steering wheel when the engine is off, but I still find fluid in the bilge after I use the boat.

Here is what I have found:
-The hoses do not have fluid on them.
-The bottom outside of the reservoir is not clean. I sometimes find a single drop of fluid on the outside bottom of the reservoir after using the boat.
-It seems to happen only after the boat is used. It does not seem to leak while on the trailer.
-The reservoir does not go empty, I just have to add fluid every time I use the boat.

It seems to me that if it is coming out of the top of the reservoir at all (whether the engine is running or not), it would be a design flaw.

Has anyone seem something similar or can suggest something to try to troubleshoot this problem?

 

[aaronlc2963]

my steering oil cooler had a leak in it. seawater washed out all the power steering fluid and was coming out through the power steering pump and filling up my bilge.

 

[Henry Boyd]

'power steering' fluid is also used in the trim tabs. Check the black plastic 1/4" lines and brass compression fittings as well. As for the power steering itself, sometimes the line that attaches to the cooler gets loose. The hose runs from the PS piston to the cooler that is mounted on the back of the engine (on the 496) above the flywheel. The hose just goes over a barb fitting and is held on with a SS hose clamp. It is the only connection in the power steering system that is NOT a threaded hydraulic connection.

Henry

 

[fc3]

If the reservoir is wet with fluid then the pump is leaking. Clean the housing well and see if it gets wet again with the boat sitting unused for a few days. If so, the housing seal is bad. Run the boat, if the housing is now wet, then the shaft seal needs to be replaced. You can either rebuild the pump, get a new one, or a rebuilt one. They are not expensive.

Best regards,
Frank