Fixing fluid leaks

[cerebus]

I have 2 fluid leaks to fix before I can turn my 71 into a daily driver and im not too sure where they are or how to fix them.

So my question is, should I just top up my fluids and start the truck up and let it idle and see if I can spot the leaks?


some info on the leaks:
last summer I did a fishtail and coolant was leaking out really fast so I turned it off for winter, now im just trying to find out where it came from

and

I moved the truck last week while it was not running and my friend was turning the steering wheel which caused power steering fluid to leak out the cap

[raoul.duke]

best thing to do is to get some degreaser and clean the bottom of your motor off REAL good. Let it dry then go for a short drive. Should give you a lot better indication of where the leaks are originating from.

If you don't clean before pinpointing the leak it'll drive you crazy. Remember fluids can travel around in ways you wouldn't normally think, so where the drips are isn't necessarily close to the leak sources.

[jimmydean]

Mine leaked for a long time out of the oil pressure spot on the back of the engine. Turns out when I installed the motor, I had only hand tightened it (like maybe a /14 turn) and for the longest time I couldn't figure out where the leak was.

After a very good cleaning, I was able to notice with the truck running in the driveway. Piss me off, I tell ya.