QX4 PS is SCREWED. Mighta made it worse need help

[W O T]

Alright, Im no mechanic so lets not laugh here lol

About a month ago I noticed some PS fluid on my driveway, got under the car, and fluid was leaking out of the end of the tie rod boot on the drivers side. Shlt.......



So since I was told the only repair was a complete rack n pinion ($2800 I dont have) I decided I was simply gonna keep filling up the fluid (about 100ml/day) and tr and stop the leak from coming out of the boot by using some stop leak and possibly sealing were it was coming from out of the boot.

SO Ive been filig it with ths valvoline formula with stop leak and conditioner in it, its cheap.

I also put a nice bead of JBweld around the end of the boot and the tierod to seal the fluid in there, worked good, fluid drip went down quite a bit butsome was stil seeping out.

NOW, I notice that even when the fluid is completely full, my steering is still VERY difficult at times, and it catchies you off guard in parkinglots and making turns, but sometimes its completely fine...... unpredictable.

My questions are:

Am i using the right fluid or is there a specific type for our systems?

Since it got cold here in canada, the jbweld doesnt hold, what other bond can I use to secure the boot to the tierod to stop the leak out of that boot?

Heres a pic of the leak pre-jbweld lol

Dont yell at me please for my tactics, Im broke...

[W O T]

Well yeah i assumed 2800 was high, but i priced out a remanned rack today for $800 and they said a full day of labour, if it was summer id try it myself as im pretty handy, but ive only got a driveway and the current blizzard wont allow for a job this size to go down in the parking lot lol

What i am curious about though is the fluid \ive been using, im thinking it may just be thcker or the wrong stuff in general, the nissan/euopean specific labelled stuff looks to me much more runny/thin than the bottles that arent really specific they just say for make makes and models.....

Im just curious if its worth it for me to flush the system (hopefully theres an easy way to do this) and fill it up with the proper fluid and a little stop leak....

Cause when the leak first started, as long as the tank was full, the power steering was easy and smooth as it always was, now i think that ive fill it with a good 1.5 liters of replacement ****, and it always feel tough until the cars been driven for a while, that it may just be the fluid.....

need some opinions\

thanks guys

[S13xCrazy]

do you 'bleed' the steering system after adding new fluid? If you run it low and get air pockets, and then add new fluid without bleeding it, the problems you have could occur.

When you fill it up, go in your vehicle and crank the steering wheel all the way to the right, and then hold it for a few seconds (3-5 seconds), and then turn it all the way to the left and hold it again.

Do this a few times each direction.Then go and check fluid level and make sure its good to go.

Your minor steering problems may be worked out then. Report back and let me know how it goes.