Hello, i have a 2005 Audi a4 quattro wagon 3.0L automatic (157k Miles) and im trying to pass inspection on it. I've been told my power steering rack is leaking and was recommended Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak, however another mechanic told me its not a great idea, since it expands the seal etc, eventually it would ruin the engine in the end. I'm stuck now as i dont know if putting it in just to pass inspection is worth it if my car will just die in the coming days or months..? The mechanic said its beyond repairing the power steering rack. The same mechanic also said my oil is burning high and i could smell some burning of engine oil when i parked. i love this car and put so much money into it... idk what to do
The hydraulic pressure in a power steering rack is too high for a "stop leak" product to do much of anything. (Those kind of products are generally snake oil to begin with.) However the idea that it will somehow ruin your engine is nonsensical, you put the stuff in the power steering fluid, not the engine oil. That power steering rack needs to be replaced.
Bear in mind that a 19-year-old Audi is pretty much guaranteed to be an endless money pit. It would undoubtedly be better to put the money towards a different, more reliable car.
All fluids get dirty, and power steering fluid eventually becomes a crude cutting fluid, power steering fluid runs with at least 1500 psi worth of pressure, and not doing fluid changes eventually leads to the rack saying Sanara. If you're fortunate, maybe the rack itself is still ok, only the hoses may have been eaten up. If it's indeed the rack itself, those things cost thousands to replace and it's not going to be worth it on a 19-year-old Audi. Gravity pulls leaks downwards, toward the actual rack, and it could actually be leaking from higher up.
