power steering help/questions
11-10-2002, 02:53 AM
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power steering help/questions
hi all,
i've got a few questions regarding my car's power steering system.
as i was pulling the car out today i noticed what appeared to be a spot of power steering fluid on the garage floor. i decided to put the car up on ramps to make sure that the power steering pump itself was not leaking fluid onto the suspension joints. everything looked good and i went ahead and made sure that my clamps were tight while i was under there. so where is the fluid dripping from? well, there is a small bracket in front of the front right wheel well. i noticed that it was wet with, you guessed it, steering fluid. after wiping it off, i checked the area in the engine bay were it would be looking at it from above. both of my hoses running from the reservoir were soaked. they were both loose at the reservoir, and as i was trying to get as much fluid as i could off of them, i could feel a bad spot on the hose running from the reservoir to the pump. it appears as though the hose running from the reservoir to the "hard line" (i don't know the tech name) is fine. has anyone replaced either of these hoses before? is it difficult? are everyone's lines merely clamped onto the bottom of the reservoir? is there a specific way to bleed/flush the system to keep dirt out of it if i do the repairs myself, or does it even need to be bled/flushed? it seems a little strange that high pressure lines are merely clamped on to the reservoir.
any advice and/or help is as always, greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance!
i've got a few questions regarding my car's power steering system.
as i was pulling the car out today i noticed what appeared to be a spot of power steering fluid on the garage floor. i decided to put the car up on ramps to make sure that the power steering pump itself was not leaking fluid onto the suspension joints. everything looked good and i went ahead and made sure that my clamps were tight while i was under there. so where is the fluid dripping from? well, there is a small bracket in front of the front right wheel well. i noticed that it was wet with, you guessed it, steering fluid. after wiping it off, i checked the area in the engine bay were it would be looking at it from above. both of my hoses running from the reservoir were soaked. they were both loose at the reservoir, and as i was trying to get as much fluid as i could off of them, i could feel a bad spot on the hose running from the reservoir to the pump. it appears as though the hose running from the reservoir to the "hard line" (i don't know the tech name) is fine. has anyone replaced either of these hoses before? is it difficult? are everyone's lines merely clamped onto the bottom of the reservoir? is there a specific way to bleed/flush the system to keep dirt out of it if i do the repairs myself, or does it even need to be bled/flushed? it seems a little strange that high pressure lines are merely clamped on to the reservoir.
any advice and/or help is as always, greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance!
11-10-2002, 03:51 PM
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This is a common problem on our cars. The powersteering pumps always seem to leak when they get old. If you cant find exactly where it's comming from and it's spraying all over the right control arm, ball joint and swaybar bushing then it's defenitely the pump. If it's just dripping in a particular spot, it has to be a hose. As far as the hoses are concerned, it's an easy swap. I just replaced the pump and all the rubber lines about two weeks ago. It only took me a couple of hours from start to finish to remove, clean, install, and bleed the system.
To bleed the system, bring the front wheels off the ground, fill the resv. and turn the wheel left,right,left about 10 times. This should get all the air out of the system. If you find that the air bubbles don't stop and you find it looks like foam, then you have a leak in a hose. Be careful with the resv. to pump hose as the fitting can often come in contact with a hardline and the frame rail due to the hard angle after setting the tension on the belt.
I wouldn't pay anyone to do this job as it is relatively easy and straight forward. If you buy a rebuilt pump, make sure it's a ZF unit. They are the only ones worth the money. Figure about $180 for the unit (from Vertex). I had a stroke of luck with 20th St. Auto and bought a rebuit unit just 2 months old before the car was wrecked. The owner of the car gave 20th Street all the records for the parts he had and Larry included it with the bill of sale (serial numbers matched). Hope this helps. If you run into any problems, just post the board and I'll help as much as I can.
James....
To bleed the system, bring the front wheels off the ground, fill the resv. and turn the wheel left,right,left about 10 times. This should get all the air out of the system. If you find that the air bubbles don't stop and you find it looks like foam, then you have a leak in a hose. Be careful with the resv. to pump hose as the fitting can often come in contact with a hardline and the frame rail due to the hard angle after setting the tension on the belt.
I wouldn't pay anyone to do this job as it is relatively easy and straight forward. If you buy a rebuilt pump, make sure it's a ZF unit. They are the only ones worth the money. Figure about $180 for the unit (from Vertex). I had a stroke of luck with 20th St. Auto and bought a rebuit unit just 2 months old before the car was wrecked. The owner of the car gave 20th Street all the records for the parts he had and Larry included it with the bill of sale (serial numbers matched). Hope this helps. If you run into any problems, just post the board and I'll help as much as I can.
James....
11-11-2002, 12:53 AM
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hi james, thanks a bunch for the info.
the pump itself looks to be in fine working order. it's clean as a whistle and there doesn't appear to be any signs of leaks.
i think the number one problem is the hose from the res. to the pump. it's bulged at the connection to the res., and there is a soft spot in the hose right at the bend where it passes over the water hose and down towards the pump. the other hose from the res. is a litle wet at the connection as well, but i am not sure if it's just overspray from the other hose. as you know, it's a pretty short hose to the line fitting under the headlight.
i plan on ordering the res. to pump hose tomorrow, and will get a price on the other. if i do one, i might as well grab the other at the same time. however, most catalogs are showing this short hose at an extreme price...what gives? should i buy a new res. at the same time? also, are the hoses leading to your reservoir simply held in place by run-of-the-mill screw clamps? this seems like a weak fitting for something that is obviously under pressure - i expected to see line fittings at both of the res. outlets.
thanks again!! <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />
the pump itself looks to be in fine working order. it's clean as a whistle and there doesn't appear to be any signs of leaks.
i think the number one problem is the hose from the res. to the pump. it's bulged at the connection to the res., and there is a soft spot in the hose right at the bend where it passes over the water hose and down towards the pump. the other hose from the res. is a litle wet at the connection as well, but i am not sure if it's just overspray from the other hose. as you know, it's a pretty short hose to the line fitting under the headlight.
i plan on ordering the res. to pump hose tomorrow, and will get a price on the other. if i do one, i might as well grab the other at the same time. however, most catalogs are showing this short hose at an extreme price...what gives? should i buy a new res. at the same time? also, are the hoses leading to your reservoir simply held in place by run-of-the-mill screw clamps? this seems like a weak fitting for something that is obviously under pressure - i expected to see line fittings at both of the res. outlets.
thanks again!! <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />
11-11-2002, 10:03 AM
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I personally wouldn't buy the hoses new unless I had no other choice. I have bought a lot of used parts and never had a problem. There are a ton of suppliers like 20th st and a host of others like Partsheaven, Silverstar recyc. ect. Many peoople might disagree with the purchase of a used hose but I've done it and recieved damn near a brand new line in the process. Most of those places won't stock a hose unless it's in good condition (20th St) so consider that as an option. Option 2 is fabricating a hose from NAPA or the like. Certain items from Porsche are just to high for the purpose they serve and in those areas I use common sense. I save the big money for engine and tranny work. It's not cutting corners, it's being practical. If your car is a daily driver and not a restor. car, save a bunch and call some of the used part places. I've never been disappointed.
James...
James...
11-11-2002, 12:32 PM
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Hooligan, search this forum for "power steering resevoir". Thread discusses the resevoir, hoses and clamps. I replaced the resevoir and both hoses last spring because mine were leaking, and the ends of the hoses had been pretty thrashed by the original clamps.
You should think about ordering a new resevoir with your hoses as there is an internal filter element in the resvoir that cannot be replaced. See my posting in the thread about the costs for all three from Vertex (best prices I could find).
You should think about ordering a new resevoir with your hoses as there is an internal filter element in the resvoir that cannot be replaced. See my posting in the thread about the costs for all three from Vertex (best prices I could find).
11-11-2002, 04:16 PM
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thanks for the extra info guys.
just for the hell of it, i decided to get a quote from the mechanic that does most of my work. astronomical. it is just too much money to pay for something that doesn't seem to be beyond my capabilites.
i did search the archives and found some very useful information, especially the step by step process. i will now begin planning out my attempt to do the job myself, and was hoping that you guys wouldn't mind an email or 10 from me if i need any clarification.
thanks alot for all your help, i hope to hear from you soon!
just for the hell of it, i decided to get a quote from the mechanic that does most of my work. astronomical. it is just too much money to pay for something that doesn't seem to be beyond my capabilites.
i did search the archives and found some very useful information, especially the step by step process. i will now begin planning out my attempt to do the job myself, and was hoping that you guys wouldn't mind an email or 10 from me if i need any clarification.
thanks alot for all your help, i hope to hear from you soon!