I recently replaced the leaky rack and pinion on my 1998 Isuzu Amigo with 3.2 V6, manual transmission and 4x4, and a little north of 240k. miles (although I believe the engine is from a newer model, since the dipstick corresponds to the newer ones and the engine runs amazing). For this I had to remove the bolts of the engine mounts to the frame, and lift the engine as much as possible (without putting undue pressure between engine and firewall) with a jack underneath to have enough clearance to remove the old unit.
The steering is fixed, but now the truck has a small slow coolant drip (one drop every 2-5 minutes, if that) that I figure probably happened with the slight move of the heater pipes, and one of the O rings slightly moving out of place. Once the alignment issue is fixed I will run it for a while. O rings being the way they are, with a small pressure and lubrication reposition themselves sometimes. I am not looking forward to removing the intake manifold if I can avoid it.
If this doesn’t work, would one of the coolant leak fix products would do the trick without damaging anything in the coolant system: pump, clogs in radiator or heater core, stuck thermostat, etc?
I would not recommend any of those leak additives as the potential to damage other parts of the system is always possible. Fixing the problem at its source is the solution. Pin pointing the source of the leak with a dye additive would really help in this regard.
Thank you!
I had my reservations about those “magic” products with microfibers in them. I feel that these fibers in the fluid may act as abrasives, especially to the pump and its seal.