Power steering leak

[81_Chevy]

81 chevy k20, goodwrench 350.
ive noticed some puddles of power steering fluid on the ground after school so i crawled under a saw some leaks coming from my hoses, its coming from the part where the hose goes into the crimped piece of metal, i believe its the high pressure hose that is leaking. my dad just told me dont worry about and put in some transmission fluid, its the same thing. well i know that its probably not the same as power steering fluid, also am i going to have to replace my hoses or is there some kind of "stop leak" for power steering stuff? also whats the worst that cuold happen if i dont get it fixed soon? its not leaking a huge amount maybe like the size of an Ihop pancake lol

thanks in advance -Nic

[86c10]

As far as I know the stop leak products don't work most of the time, I've had very little luck with them, and the worst that I could see happening is that you forget to keep an eye on the powersteering fluid level and you ruin you pump and maybe damage your steering gear box. The truck could still be driven if the pump fails, but it won't be a lot of fun. I had one go out in a monte carlo in highschool while doing doughnuts, it was a long week until I got time to fix it.

I'm sure others will put in their .02 cents.

[Blazin]

I run ATF in all my rigs power steering. Thats what we always ran in the big rigs too.
Stop leak products don't work 99% of the time. The return hose is just that a piece of hydraulic ruturn hose with a quality hose clamp to keep it in place. The presure hose isn't to bad for $. I would just get a new one. Not a big deal to swap it out. Cut the metal tube at the nut, and use a socket to remove the nut. Alot easier than fiddling with a line wrench. Install the new one with a wrench, then a line wrench to snug it.

[mehunter1]

I had a power steering pump go out on an 83 3/4 ton with 33" tires... let me tell you it is an awesome forearm workout...only took me a couple of days before I broke down and bought a new one...

[pholliday1]

Generally most all oil/power steering hoses  leak "WHERE THE METAL CRIMPS TO THE RUBBER" actually mines leaking now. You can replace it, however don't be mad when the new one leaks in less than a year, just hard to get decent manufactured stuff these days. If the pump gets dry on fluid then it can burn up, Usually the steering box getting low on fluid doesn't "ruin" the steering box, Just hard to steer that's all.

[bake74]

     All "crimped" hoses, (hydrolic, pressure, steel braided, etc, etc), the weak point is at the crimp.  The "crimp" part is compressed on the rubber against the steel belts to form a seal and hold it in place against the pressure the hose is rated for.
     A couple of things to keep in mind. 
     1:  if for any reason your power steering system gets clogged or backed up it could put too much pressure on the crimps, but unlikely without you noticing hard steering. 
     2:  the material it is made out of are not all the same.  A real cheap one might not always be the best purchase.
     3:  yours might have just worn out and needs replacing and that will be it.

[sbx22]

If it's the high pressure hose, replace it with a new one. I went cheap, clamped a hose together for the high pressure one and while I was backing out of a parking spot, the line disconnected and PS fluid was everywhere. It was a mess. You can get away with just clamping a new hose for the return line.