I took off the air box to get a better look. I'm pretty sure that it's not leaking at the reservoir. It is a little wet there though. I think it's leaking down below. It that easier to get at from below or up top? It doesn't look all that easy from up top. I'm sure I could if I had to though. It didn't look like the hoses themselves were leaking. it could be the fitting. I wasn't able to see if the banjo fitting was on tight. Where do they usually leak?

The suction hose is the one that seems to leak the most, this is the hose that runs from the res., down behind the alternator, to the p/s pump. The 2nd most likely is the one from the P/s cooler to the res. that is completely visible with the air box removed.

If you get your car on a lift and remove the belly pan it should give you a better view of the bottom of the suction hose and the pressure hoses.

The two hoses under the reservoir are slightly damp. Can't tell if they are leaking or if fluid dripped on them when we filled it up last.

I'm surprised that those two leak the most. They are both low pressure aren't they?

Robert, do those two reservior hoses usually leak at the top, near the reservior. Or, down at the other end?

A leak at eirher end of the low pressure hoses is equally likely. Replacing the existing band clamps with screw type clamps will usually fix those leaks, but on occasion the hose will have to be replaced to eliminate the leak.

Alot of the time the entire hose gets saturated with oil, as if it's pouris and the ATF just seaps threw the hose. Manytimes instead of just removing the clamps, you can tighten them up with a par of "blunt nose dikes" if you don't have the correct clamping tool to do it.

OK, I just confirmed...The leak is coming from somewhere down lower, where the hoses lead to. What ios the most likely leaky spot down there?

Suction hose- see my first post.

I too, came across a power steering leak on a co-worker's 1999 323i, when I did a tune up last weekend. I couldn't tell if it was leaking from the reservoir or the connectors from the power steering cooler. The hose from the reservoir to the cooler was saturated with ATF. So, I advised her to replace all hoses and the reservoir, since it has a filter inside of it. Hopefully, I tear into it when I hook her up with an oil change later.

Dan

The pres. Hoses rarely need replacement, along with the 1st return hose that comes from the rack to the cooler. I normally replace the return hose (Cooler to res.), Resivior, and suction hose about 10 to 1 at the dealership, and maybe even more often than that.

Not only this, but there has been a recient P/s pump upgrade that requires a new pres. hose. I would personally recomend just waiting to replace the Pres. hose when a new pump is required.

Does anyone have a schematic of these hoses? Or, at least a list of the different hoses and locations?

I'm not sure where the 'cooler' and 'rack' are.

So, Robert, the hose that runs from the res., down behind the alternator, to the p/s pump leaks at the bottom of the hose?

No one has a schematic of the different power steering hoses in the 1999 328i?

As best as I can see, there are 4 hoses

#1 Fluid container to cooler
#2 Cooler to pump
#3 Pump to fluid container
#4 Pump to rack

Robert, you're saying that #3 above is the most likely culprit? And, #1 is the second most likely culprit?