There is power steering fluid dripping from the passenger side boot covering the rod that connects to the wheel. Could a simple replacement of the boot be the fix, or is there a problem with the main unit that drives the rod?

if you cant determine whats leaking to repair bring to a shop that will and do it soon if steering fails or breaks accident can happen

steering rack or gear . 2X2 - 4X4 engine . Depends on steering system .
When you turn the steering wheel, the steering gear rotates the pitman arm which forces the relay rod to one side. The tie rods connect to the relay rod with the ball studs. The tie rods transfer the steering force to the wheels. Use the tie rods in toe adjustments. The tie rods are adjustable. The pitman arm support the relay rod. The idler arm pivots on a support attached to the frame rail and the ball stud attaches to the relay rod.
The 2 tie rod are threaded into the tube and secured with jam nuts. Right and left hand threads are used in order to permit the adjustment of toe.

Binding linkage , steering gear worn etc....

Power Steering System Description and Operation (w/o Electro-Hydraulic Steering)
The hydraulic power steering pump is a constant displacement vane-type pump that provides hydraulic pressure and flow for the power steering gear. The hydraulic power steering pumps are either belt-driven or direct-drive, cam-driven.
The power steering fluid reservoir holds the power steering fluid and may be integral with the power steering pump or remotely located. The following locations are typical locations for the remote reservoir:
• Mounted to the front of the dash panel
• Mounted to the inner fender
• Mounted to a bracket on the engine
The 2 basic types of power steering gears are listed below:
• A recirculating ball system
• A rack and pinion system
In the recirculating ball system, a worm gear converts steering wheel movement to movement of a sector shaft. A pitman arm attached to the bottom of the sector shaft actually moves one tie rod and an intermediate rod move the other tie rod.
In the rack and pinion system, the rack and the pinion are the 2 components that convert steering wheel rotation to lateral movement. The steering shaft is attached to the pinion in the steering gear. The pinion rotates with the steering wheel. Gear teeth on the pinion mesh with the gear teeth on the rack. The rotating pinion moves the rack from side to side. The lateral action of the rack pushes and pulls the tie rods in order to change the direction of the vehicle's front wheels.
The power steering pressure hose connects the power steering pump union fitting to the power steering gear and allows pressurized power steering fluid to flow from the pump to the gear.
The power steering return hose returns fluid from the power steering gear back to the power steering fluid reservoir. The power steering return line may contain an integral fin-type or line-type power steering fluid cooler.
In a typical power steering system, a pump generates hydraulic pressure, causing fluid to flow, via the pressure hose, to the steering gear valve assembly. The steering gear valve assembly regulates the incoming fluid to the right and left chambers in order to assist in right and left turns.
Turning the steering wheel activates the valve assembly, which applies greater fluid pressure and flow to 1 side of the steering gear piston, and lower pressure and flow to the other side of the piston. The pressure assists the movement of the gear piston. Tie rods transfer this force to the front wheels, which turn the vehicle right or left.


Your best bet , take it to a qualified repair shop.

no, if you have power steering fluid leaking into the boot it means your power steering piston/rod/cylinder has leaking seals.
replace the cylinder (what you attached the boots to) or rebuild the packing.

Phil: you probably got air into the power steering fluid assist piston. Try driving your car. The air should bubble up, keep adding the correct power steering fluid.

I am 99.9% sure you have a steering rack leaking, this is a very common problem with this vehicle. The easy way to check is to take a small pick and poke one of the ribs of the boot / dust cover of the rack. Being that this is a dust cover there should be no fluid drip out, if fluid is present replace the steering rack.

This is the steering rack. If it's not leaking fluid out of the bellows more than likely the fluid needs to be changed.
This can be done by removing the 2 lines from the pump that attach to the rack draining the fluid, then reconnect the lines and refill with fresh power steering fluid.
When draining make sure to take the cap/dipstick off of the pump.

This is a very common issue with this car.The problem of the Ford Taurus spewing powersteering fluid out of the cap is caused by a loose nut on the passenger side of the steering rack. This not only allows fluid to leak past and fill the rubber boots up on the tie rods/steering rack, (the right hand side fills too, because of an air vent equalizer tube that connects both sides), but it also allows the system to **** air which causes the foaming and spewing from the pumps cap/dip stick.

The cure is to jack up and secure the car, remove the passenger front wheel.
There is a rubber accordian style boot on the tie rod end. Use a super long flat screwdriver to pry under the far side clamp that secures it to the inner part of the rack and break it off. Now use a pliers to squeeze the smaller clamp on the side closest to you and slide it off and all the way to the end towards you.

Slide the whole rubber boot as far as you can towards you so you can see the large round nut that is inside the end of the rack. You'll know this is the problem when fluid pours out of the boot.
The tie rod goes through the center of this nut. The nut has four holes around it on the face of it. I assume they used a spanner tool to install this at the factory, but there's no room for a tool while the rack is on the car, so you'll have to manufacture a long instrument yourself.
I purchased about a 3 foot long narrow metal rod from a hardware store, then I used an angle grinder to shape one end of it into a blunt cone shape that would fit into one of the holes. It's awkward to do, but using it on all angles avoiding the brake line and wheel rotor you can tighten this nut by hitting the rod with a hammer. The nut will turn about 1/8th of a turn, then re-angle your rod into the next hole above the one you just did tightening the nut to the right (clockwise).

The nut on my car was loose by three full turns. The driver's side of the rack has a different setup, you don't need to try that side, the passenger side is the only side that is affected. Once you have this nut good and tight, I used a zip tie to clamp the big end of the rubber boot back on the rack, then pushed the rest of the accordian boot back into it's original place and put the smaller compression clamp back on the end closest to you.

Put your wheel back on, fill your ps pump back up with fluid and start the car, turning the wheel back and forth to purge the air from the system. It'll still be foamy for a while, but keep shutting the car off, let the bubbles disperse, add more fluid if needed, etc.
I learned this from another forum where many, many posters had tried this and it worked for them also.
Good luck!

if fluid is flowing out the bellows, you need to replace the steering rack assembly. There is no fluid in the area of the inner tie rod. The seal is just before the tie rod.

Steering Gear
The power rack and pinion steering gear is serviced as a power steering short rack (3L547). The front wheel spindle tie rods (3280) and tie rod ends (3A130) are serviced individually. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• The power rack and pinion steering gear incorporates quick connect fittings for the power steering pressure hose (3A719) and power steering return hose (3A713) that allow the lines to swivel. This is normal and does not indicate loose fittings.
• If the fittings leak, check to make sure they are tightened to 14-20 Nm (10-14 lb-ft). Do not overtighten.
• If the leak is not corrected, replace the fitting seals.

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Section 11-02: Steering System, Power 1997 Windstar Workshop Manual
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION Tie Rod End Steering Gear Installed
Removal

1. Remove and discard cotter pin and nut from worn tie rod end (3A130).
   

1. Disconnect tie rod end from front wheel knuckle (3K185), using Tie Rod End Remover TOOL-3290-D or equivalent.
   

1. Hold tie rod end with a wrench and loosen tie rod end jam nut.
   

1. Note depth to which tie rod end was located by using the jam nut as a marker. Grip tie rod end with a pair of suitable pliers and remove tie rod end from front wheel spindle tie rod (3280).
   

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11-02: Steering System, Power 1997 Windstar Workshop Manual
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION Steering Gear Removal

1. Raise vehicle on a twin post hoist and remove wheel and tire assemblies. Refer to Section 00-02 .
   
   
   
   
   

1. Support vehicle with jackstands under front jack pads.
   

1. Remove tie-rod end cotter pins and nuts and remove tie rod ends (3A130) from front wheel knuckle (3K185). Refer to Section 04-01 .
   

1. Remove front stabilizer bar (5482). Refer to Section 04-01 .
   

1. Disconnect heated oxygen and catalyst monitor sensors.
   

1. Support flex pipe.
   

1. Remove bolts and disconnect flex pipe from the converter.
   

1. Raise dash opening steering column opening weather seal (3513) (secondary) above the steering gear housing (3548).
   

1. Remove pinch bolt retaining steering column intermediate shaft coupling (3A525) to power steering gear input shaft and control (3D517) and disconnect the shaft.
   

1. Remove nuts from steering gear-to-front subframe retaining bolts. Remove bolts.
   

1. Remove rear subframe-to-body retaining bolts.
   

1. Lower twin post hoist carefully until rear of subframe (5R003) separates from body, approximately four inches.
   

1. Remove heat shield band and fold shield down.
   

1. Rotate power rack and pinion steering gear to clear bolts from front subframe (5C145) and pull left to facilitate line fitting removal.
   

1. Place a drain pan under vehicle and remove line fittings.
   

1. Remove power rack and pinion steering gear through LH wheel well.
   

1. Remove and discard the O-rings.
   

Installation

1. Install new Teflon® O-rings on line fittings as outlined.
   

1. Place steering gear retaining bolts in steering gear housing.
   

1. Install power rack and pinion steering gear through LH wheel well.
   

1. Install power steering line fittings to power rack and pinion steering gear.
   

1. Position power rack and pinion steering gear into front subframe.
   

1. Install ******** heat shield.
   

1. Install tie-rod ends to front wheel knuckle. Install nuts and new cotter pins. Refer to Section 04-01 .
   

1. Install LH front stabilizer bar. Refer to Section 04-01 .
   

1. Install steering gear to subframe mounting nuts. Tighten to 115-135 Nm (85-99 lb-ft).
   

1. Raise hoist until rear subframe contacts body.
   

1. Install rear subframe to body retaining bolts. Tighten to 113-153 Nm (83-112 lb-ft).
   

1. Install exhaust system flex tube to dual converter Y pipe (5F250) and remove flex tube support.
   

1. Connect heated oxygen and catalyst monitor sensors.
   

1. Install tire and wheel assemblies. Tighten lug nuts (1012) to 115-142 Nm (85-104 lb-ft).
   

1. Using a new pinch bolt, install the steering column intermediate shaft coupling on the power steering gear input shaft and control and the lower steering column shaft. Tighten the pinch bolt to 34-46 Nm (25-33 lb-ft).
   

1. Position steering column opening weather seal (secondary) over the steering gear housing. Tighten nuts to 4.5-6.3 Nm (40-55 lb-in).
   

1. Remove jackstands and lower vehicle.
   

1. Fill power steering oil reservoir (3A697) with Premium Power Steering Fluid E6AZ-19582-AA or equivalent meeting Ford specification ESW-M2C33-F. Refer to Section 11-00 .
   

1. Check system for leaks and proper operation.
   
   

Three areas of concern. A leaking steering rack: By looking under the car, look for the rods which tie the left and right wheels together in the center. By turning the steering wheel fully to the left or right, you can look behind the front wheels 1/2 way down and you will see the rod I am referring to. Following the rod to it source of attachment, it will have a rubber bellows type cover surrounding is as it gets near the center of the car. If the rubber is torn and has oily residue, that is where you are loosing your power steering fluid. It is a leaking power steering rack. A fairly expensive repair, best left to a professional. Buying a used one is a real crapshoot because they are very prone to failure as they get older.
2. The high pressure hoses will leak on these cars. It is difficult to see these without putting the car on a lift because the pump is on the firewall side of the engine. If you notice the fluid dripping near the pump, it is a higher probability than not that it is the high pressure hose than the pump. Also look at the return hose coming from the reservoir, Sometimes the clamps aren't that tight and it will cause a leak, but your description sounds like a leak under pressure.

No, there should not be fluid in the boot covering the inner tie rod end. Fluid there indicates a seal leak in the rack. If the boot was nice and tight, there is no way to know how severe the leak is . Try running it with the boot off and see how much dripping is going on. If its not not a lot, you could try a p/s anti leak additive. At worst, it won't fix it and you will have to either live with it or change the rack.
Good luck