Bill Ball

Good thing you didn't try to loosen the oil lines at the block. You have to be very careful to FIRMLY counter hold the adapter that is screwed into the block. Even counterheld, it can be difficult to prevent it from breaking free first unless you have a good bit more leverage on the counterhold than the line fitting. And 5 times out of 10 if it breaks free, a piece of the sealing face ground into the block will come with it. A slather of JB Weld has been used successfully to fix this, but you don't want to have to deal with this. Anyway, I did the power steering lines as most others, by pulling the cassette way forward, and I think I removed the pump from the cassette, although others didn't. I don't remember how I dealt with reinstallation, but I got it somewhere near its final location before snugging the banjo bolts down.

bureau13

Yeah, I really am wary of messing with things that are in the way if I don't absolutely have to. You're right...I do NOT want to deal with JB Welding bits of the block lol...

Regarding the steering rack, I did drop that down. I have good access to that bolt, I just can't get it threaded straight, when through the fitting. I'm sure it's just not perfectly lined up. Maybe I should fit that bracket that holds it and the return line in place? I had intended to do that last, to allow me to maneuver the line around, but it's not allowing me to get the surface perfectly aligned (apparently).

Seriously...I'm stuck because I can't screw in a damn bolt. Ridiculous!

polliviere

Do not refit that bracket untill everything is complete. Once thst is back in place you limit the flexablity on the lines to the rack.

bureau13

Yeah, that was what I was thinking originally. I just can't seem to get the "head" of that fitting aligned properly with the hole. I suspect that is forcing the bolt to go in at a slight angle, and therefore not thread properly.

bureau13

OK, an update: Finally got the banjo bolt at the rack to thread. I think I had messed up the threads on a previous attempt where it wasn't aligned properly, because I found a tiny sliver of silver metal. I (after many attempts) got the bolt to thread without the line attached and screwed it in all the way, and back out. The very next time, with hose in place, it screwed right in.

Of course, this was all a setup for the real fun, which is doing the same thing on the pump end. No luck there so far. I can only get one hand (two fingers, really) on the head of the bolt, and that's not really enough. Taking a break, reconsidering life choices, etc

Question...can I drive with no fluid in the rack, as long as the pump is not connected? Thinking I may need to get this thing on a rack somewhere in order to get this bolt in. This is only pertinent if I give up on it right now...

mike77

Pretty sure with the pump unbolted I was able to pull it forward enough to get at the bolt from above. There should be a bit of room to maneuver it.

I've driven with the pump disabled on mine. I wouldn't really recommend it. The car is very heavy to steer without it especially at slow speeds. I'm not sure if it could possibly damage the rack which I'm sure would be the last thing you would want.

bureau13

Well, fortunately there's a happy almost-ending to the story. I have attached both lines successfully. I also redid one of my earlier (and more embarrassing hack jobs) while down there (when I replaced the PS reservoir and hoses leading to it about a year ago, I MAY have just cut off the one all-rubber line to avoid having to drop the alternator to access the pump end and spliced it. Pretty ugly, don't yell, it's fixed now ). I am now in "put everything back together" mode, which still has some irritating parts (like putting the alternator back on the console) but it's all doable.

For future reference, some things to think about when doing this:

For my car, I was only able to get a wrench on the banjo bolt head on the pump by unbolting the pump completely (probably could have done so by unbolting the console instead). To get it back on, I couldn't seem to get the bolt started with my fingers one-handed (other hand to push the pump into the proper orientation). What I did finally, was put the closed end of a stubby ratcheting gear wrench on the bolt and maneuvered that into place in the hose fitting, complete with new copper sealing washers, and then pushed the pump to line up with one hand while using my other to rotate the wrench while pushing on the bolt head with a finger so I could use the ratcheting action, until it threaded.

For the rack end, just make sure you don't try to tighten it when it's in there crooked. If it gets hard to turn, back out slightly and see if it's actually engaging the threads properly. I you slightly bugger those threads it will be much more difficult. Also, if you can't get the fitting to lay flat against the rack where it attaches, get out from under there and reposition it by manipulating the hose from above. If it's not flat, again, you'll never get that bolt in the threads straight.

One more thing, and I screwed this up I think. Before you take anything off, check out how the hose relates to the other line as it goes down toward the rack. There's a bracket there holding both of these lines to the fender, and if you get the new hose on the wrong side of the other one, you won't be able to get both of them in the bracket. I'm going to have to leave the other hose out of the bracket...I'm just not going to take that bolt off the rack again right now to pull that line back out. If/when I undertake motor mounts or have to drop the rack for some other reason, I'll deal with it then. Don't hate me.

FredR

PS hoses are on my hit list for this years pre-emptive maintenance together with the rest of the engine harness when I drop and disconnect the alternator so your thread is well timed.

If I was more adventurous I would do the sump gasket that now gets wetted some with engine oil albeit not peeing out and leaving puddles. Strange to think it is now over 10 years since I lost my S4 and put the motor into my TBF'd GTS chassis after purchasing it with the stricken engine for a knock down price. That wa sin the days when I could afford to use the main agents.

Seems as though we just bumble from one issue to another until the cycle completes and then we statr over again. I get the impression the time cycle is about 15 years.

Rgds

Fred

bureau13

Just one more try, in case anyone knows, although I suspect it's just an unrelated piece that someone dropped down there once upon a time...that little elbow, appears to be coolant-type hose material...anyone know where that might go? See post #39...

Brian'sIris

Looks like the elbow that connects the ISV to the air guide (big U-tube). Clean it off and check for a part #. It was probably dropped accidentally in there.

Glad to hear you got that PS line back on the pump!

RET

I almost feel guilty... replacing the high pressure line was fairly easy compared to other 928 tasks. It took longer to replace all of the v-belts (which I neglected to do when the timing belt/water pump exercise was done...) than it did to replace the hose assembly.

I followed Dr. Bob's advice and removed the alternator and power steering pump cassette. It was fairly simple to guide the new hose up from the rack end, over the top, and back down to the pump (I was unable to drop both ends down from the top...). I used a small bungee cord to support the hose from the top until the banjo bolts were installed.

FWIW, it was a new hose assembly from Roger with tight fitting plastic plugs in the banjo fittings. They were tough to remove on the bench and it would not have added to the fun to try to remove them after the hose was threaded into place, so I removed them before installation and covered to ends with tape to protect them from debris during install.

More tasks await....

Bob

bureau13

I finally got everything* all buttoned up, refilled the reservoir and went for a drive. Nothing exploded, steering worked well, so I guess it was all worth it! For me, this was still the most frustrating job, mainly because of the trouble I had doing what amounts to screwing in two bolts. But it's done!*

*I still don't have that bracket reinstalled that holds the line to the fender. I can get my hand down there but haven't been able to get the bracket positioned where it needs to be so I can put the screw and metal cover on it.

PS: Thanks for the info on the elbow thing...I'll look for a part number. If that's what it is, I can be sure I didn't knock it off, which is good to know...