Power Steering overflowing

[nutmeg_runner]

Any suggestions as to what could be causing the power steering fluid to back up in the reservoir and overflowing when the car is off and I am turning the steering wheel from lock to lock? Granted I had it filled to the upper line but this is clearly coming out the top. I had just checked the level. Then I did not like the way my spouse had parked the car so I pushed the car around turning the steering wheel as needed to straighten out the car. Guess I will start the car next time for as soon as I did the level dropped back down in the reservoir to the top mark.

[88accordhb]

hmmm wierd. perhaps the one of the hoses is cloged. you can remove the whole assembly. drain the resevior and remove the inlet/outlet hoses to see if they're not cloged. good luck.

[mykwikcoupe]

I struggled with mine thinking it was a leak sucking in air from somewhere. turned out to be the PS pump itself. I tried working out air for months, countless bottles of fluid. Try a junkyard pump first though since there 500 new, 350 aftermarket (schucks, napa.

[mouchyn]

the PS pump can also be rebuilt for much less than replacing it with a new one.

if the fluid is bubbling/foaming out of the reservoir, it probably a leak in the system drawing in air like mykwikcoupe mentioned. A lot of time, it's the shaft/pulley seal on the pump itself.

is there any power steering fluid on the underside of the hood? sometimes you can tell the pulley seal is shot because there will be a straight line of PS fluid sprayed up on the hood. The fluid seeps out along the shaft and is thrown off the pulley in all directions.

[nutmeg_runner]

I am confused. If the car is turned off, how is the pump going to do anything to make the fluid level in the power steering reservoir change? Granted the fluid in one side of the rack needs to go somewhere when the wheel is turned but I thought the fluid would move to the other side of the rack. Maybe the fluid is supposed to pass through the pump and the impeller (if there is one) is not turning to allow it to move into the side of the rack that is expanding.

[mouchyn]

yep