[Chrysler300] Major Power steering problem 1957 300C

["Ray Melton rfmelton@xxxxxxx [Chrysler300]" <Chrysler300-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Help!

The power steering  on my 1957 300C has gone crazy!   After driving only 
a short distance, PS fluid (ATF in this case) has suddenly been erupting 
out of the reservoir filler cap, making an insane mess and rapidly 
depleting the reservoir!   I drove less than seven miles from my garage 
to a local car show without noticing anything amiss on the highway, but 
when I made a 90-degree turn onto city surface streets, the steering 
wheel became very heavy and started emitting  loud groans with every 
turn of the wheel.  I proceeded barely a half-mile to the car show, 
where I was horrified to see an ugly trail of pink fluid over a hundred 
yards long!  I parked the car and looked under the hood to find ATF 
dripping  from the reservoir cap and dripping heavily (not sprayed!) all 
over the reservoir and underside of the engine, clearly emanating from 
the area of the reservoir.  I started the engine and turned the steering 
wheel to the left and right, and more ATF was observed under the 
reservoir fill tube. There was NO fluid visible in the reservoir.  The 
cap on the reservoir fill tube was slightly torn, and likely the point 
of leakage.  I was able to borrow two quarts of ATF (Dexron VI) and 
poured it into the reservoir and closed the cap.  I had a friend start 
the engine and he turned the steering wheel left and right while I 
watched under the hood - ATF was gushing from under the filler cap, but 
NOTHING was spraying from any PS hose!  I drove the seven highway miles 
back to the garage, and saw a continuous trail of "blood" to my parking 
spot (there was no noise or heavy steering, but there was no fluid 
visible in the opaque steel reservoir - probably because it was all over 
the bottom of the engine, dripping off the frame member, and trailing 
all down the street!)

Without any indication of a leaky hose, can anyone suggest what might be 
going on to agitate and pressurize the reservoir so as to cause it to 
heavily erupt from the filler cap?  I don't know how the seal on the cap 
might have become torn, but at any rate, I don't think it should have 
been subjected to a significant leak pressure at all.  I couldn't find a 
suitable replacement cap gasket, so I glued it back together with black 
petroleum-resistant RTV; however, some forces within the reservoir 
quickly breached that attempted repair, and the major leakage resumed.

I've now missed two car shows and several top-down weekend drives 
because I certainly can't can't drive it like this and can't even figure 
what to repair - any help would sure be appreciated!

Ray Melton  Las Cruces, NM

1957 Chrysler 300C cvt "Big Red"  white/Gauguin  S/N 3N572517



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Posted by: Ray Melton <rfmelton@xxxxxxx>
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