I have a 2002 Firehawk...the other day as I was driving I noticed a whining from the engine. I've heard that sound before on other cars and it's usually the power steering pump. So I get home and open the reservoir and there is hardly any fluid in there. Just to confirm that was the problem, I topped it off with fluid and drove it around...the whining stops. So that was definitely the problem. Now here it is about 5 days later and the whine is back and the fluid is almost gone again.

So here's the issue...I can't find the leak. And it appears to be a significant leak if it's draining in only a few days. But just visually everything looks dry and normal like it always has. I've put some cardboard down under the car to see if that catches anything. But is there anything else I can do to try and find this leak? Is there a common component that fails in these systems that I should be checking out?

 

UPDATE: I just had the same problem on my lt1 after getting stuck in the snow. I put the front of the car on jack stands I removed all the mesh and corragated plastic from the supply return lines, cleaned everything with brake cleaner, Then I idled it for 3 minutes going from lock to lock - never hold the wheel at the stop points. No leaks. Did the same thing except through a range of rpms up to 4000. Turns out the driveshaft seal on the pump is leaking at higher rpms. I will be replacing the pump, supply and return line this week. I borrowed a special pulley removal tool, says it works for pulleys with a hub diameter of 1 1/8in. 1 1/4in. 1 5/16in. and 1 3/8in. (OTC 7185) Any one have an idea of the lt1 or ls1 f-body power steering hub pulley diameter is?