Normy

It seems that these days, I have a good raport with my car.

-I guess it decided that it couldn't kill me. And then it realized that I wasn't going to kill myself in it, as per its first owner.

[He bought the car in Vienna, Austria in 1985, imported it, federalized it, and then drove it 8 years before pulling into his garage one evening, putting a tape in the original stereo, and then going to sleep. With the engine running...]

We've come to some sort of agreement, or equilibrium, if you care. It doesn't give me much trouble, and I don't have to subject it to my average mechanic's skills. All of this is what is called personification of course...but then again I just spent the last 8 years living 10 miles/16 km from Walt Disney World, so I think that some "flights of fancy" ought to be acceptable!

Anyway, Magic Kingdom fireworks displays aside, I discovered today that my car talks to me. Coming home from Bally's tonight ["All The Pervs In The Showers And Twice The Price" is apparently their motto...], I came to a stop at a light and smelled....well, something odd. Kind of an oily, burning smell that I couldn't quite place. Up ahead I noted an old Ford pickup truck. But it didn't make any sense, since he was way up there and it seemed that the wind was dead. My gauges all read about normal, so I figured I'd check it out at home. At the next intersection, turning, above the sound of the stereo...I heard ominous groan of a power steering pump without fluid....

"BAH! well sh*t....here we go!" I thought. Since I was only a few blocks away from the garage, I just went ahead and drove home. I popped the hood and guess what? RED fluid all over the place. All over the drivers side cam cover, and even down into the valley! I'm pissed about this last, since in 2002 I pulled the whole thing apart and had this place clean as can be. Now I need to go and de-grease it all again. But down in the valley? What sort of power steering leak gets going down there-? I asked myself. Returning to the cockpit, I decided to make it more obvious. Engine running, with the window open, I turned the wheel-it was almost comical the way that the red fluid spurted across the fuel rail!

I looked at the car and I'm like "Well...I guess you had something to say huh?"

Heh! Tell me all you want about how "unreliable" 928's are. I've driven to Orlando four times this spring, each time 450 miles round trip, and haven't had a problem with my 20 year old car. And in the past year, all I've had to repair was the drivers-side door handle hinge. A $200 hose this year? That's about 10 days worth of LEASED late model Boxster! I guess I can't complain.

Anyway, here's the pix- enjoy. 928 Int. has the part on the way, and I'm going to have a shop here in town fix it in two weeks, since I need to leave for a week in Michigan on Sunday.

Pic 1- ATF actually spraying when I turned the wheel- sorry about the focus!

Pic 2- Wet area between injectors 5 and 6. Fire extinguisher handy....

Pic 3- Leaks on the garage floor. Oops!

N!

BC

You may be able to "napa" it. No word on long term use of the hoses from there though.

bigs

Jeez!! Get a clamp on that arterial bleeder STAT!! Then type and crossmatch a couple units.

A little 3-0 silk oughta close it up just fine.

Normy

Brigs- with 1000 psi behind that line...3-0 isn't going to work! Get me a tourniquet...

N-

SeanR

I am having the exact same issue with mine. In the same place.

What was the solution?

This hose is only "6 months old" and just started to spray everywhere.

neilh

Not a big deal, remove the complete line from pump to rack, take it to a hydraulics rebuild guy, and get it rebuilt - I did this a few years ago, and have sent several r'listers to a guy in Atlanta who did mine - about $100 for both lines.....
There's also a thread somewhere here about removing that 'lump ' in the middle to increase presuure and lighten steering, IIRC

Scott M.

HAHA.

We (I mean Jay Kempf) had a loss of power steering at Deals Gap this past SITM. His hosed sprung about three of those guysers. Not the best place to be w/o power assist.
We scabbed a piece of heater hose over the bleeders and multiple clamps later we were bangin' the twisties again.
Since the oem hoses are a small fortune, take yours to a local hydraulic shop and have 'em do a fitting-ectomy.

Randy V

What Neil said.

Also, you can specify that restrictor orifice be removed (the source of your leak), and use a larger inside diameter hose. This results in markedly easier steering at slow speeds.

mark kibort

I had this blow in a race one time. quick fix is to cut the hose right there and put a barbed insert in between with two little hose clamps. works like a charm. not perminant, as if that hose is leaking, its weak all over. but it certainly can buy you some time and reduce the mess. I had to take out a section and use two barbed pieces with some generic power steering hose in the middle to equal the distance of the hose i had to cut out!

MK

Bill51sdr

Normy, you are damn lucky you didn't have a nice car-b-cue, atf is extremely flammable. You dodged one there!

Normy

I think I bought a line from 928 Intl. and installed it myself. I remember laughing about the way the fluid sprayed when you turned the wheel....

N!

davek9

Normy a well told story, thanks!

Randy V

Don't encourage him...

SeanR

Went out after posting my question, popped the hood and had the wife do a lock to lock while it was running.

I sprayed the ceiling, the under hood area and my glasses.

It leaks on both sides of the hose protector in 3 spots. But only when it was at full lock. No leak that I could see when it was in any other position.

Now for some really bad news. My trucks water pump started pouring out H2O all over the place and it is my daily driver. So I have a choice to make. Drive 928 to work the next 2 days and chance that. Drive the truck to work and blow up the motor, or call in sick.

Randy V

Sean -

Remove the belt from the power steering pump.

You can drive the car without leaking fluid all over the engine until you can replace that hose.

You'll get a bit of a workout, but not an engine fire.