Power steering leak/pump problem? Burning smell.

[phathom]

So I stupidly never checked the power steering fluid, but I checked everything else. On the 4th of july I leave my driveway and hear power steering whine. I figure it needs fluid, but I'll do that when I get back home. We're only going about 5 miles to the river for the day and 5 miles back. The whine went away after a few minutes driving.

When we leave the river, the whine is back for a minute and there is a faint smell of something burning. I stop at the store and my wife leaves the car on with the ac on for the kids while I run in. I come back out and she has it off. She says that the noise came back at idle. Shortly after some light colored smoke came through the vents.

I run back in the store, grab power steering fluid and fill it to the second line. I run the wheel back and forth a few times, lock to lock, and check again. I top it off slightly so it's to the top line and off we go. No noise. Smell is still kinda present. But I figure it's fluid that had leaked on the exhaust in the first place.

She says today after going across town that the smell was back when she stopped. She drove about 30 miles. I tell her to check the fluid. She does and says it's still at the top line.

Is this most likely a slow leak? I have seen no signs of leaks under the car on the driveway or on the skid plate either. I detailef the skid plate so I could easily detect any leaks. But none are visible from below.
If it is a slow leak, what's the most likely culprit for our X5s? It's a 3.0i if it matters.

My fesr is that it's a bad pump/rack and the burning smell is from it going bad, even with new fluid.

Btw: it was below the dipstick when I checked it. But it was still in there and looked clear.

[mtthmpsn]

Did you refill it with regular power steering fluid and not ATF or the fancy Pentosin stuff? I'm not sure that's the cause of your issue, but it might be worth double checking on the cap, and if you have the wrong stuff in there, try draining (or sucking out the old fluid) and adding the right stuff. Again, probably not the cause, but worth trying for a few bucks of ATF.

[srmmmm]

I would lean towards a leaking high pressure hose.

2002 X5 3.0 305,300 miles
2014 428i 19,600 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird Under restoration

[phathom]

I just filled it with regular power steering fluid. It was the only thing available at the convenience store there. The cap said atf only on it. In my experience atf=power steering fluid and vice versa in power steering. Normally I'll just use atf because I have some on hand. Any harm in using power steering fluid in the power steering pump? *Shrug*

Would the high pressure hose leak onto the exhaust to make it smoke/smell though? I need to check it before our camping trip this weekend. I'll suck out and refill with atf if it's a problem to keep power steering fluid in it.
I'm going to keep an eye on the level and smell and keep an eye out for leaks. Unfortunately I won't get a chance to work on it until next weekend.

[mtthmpsn]

Originally Posted by phathom

In my experience atf=power steering fluid and vice versa in power steering. Normally I'll just use atf because I have some on hand. Any harm in using power steering fluid in the power steering pump? *Shrug*

I really don't know. I'm sure you'll find guys/posts screaming that power steering fluid will harm your seals/bearings, others saying they're both hydraulic fluids so why does it matter. I'd err on the side of what's recommended since it's a cheap fix (go back to the ATF), but doubt the power steering fluid caused any short term damage.