Power steering line leak

[SnowDrift]

I'm guessing it's the high pressure line. I've done a search and found several posts on this, but will still post this, anyhow.

 

1) Are the hoses hard to get to with the motor tilted forward ('93 GP w/3.1)?

 

2) The dealer told me there is a cooler of sorts on one of the lines causing the price to be around $184 or so. I bought a pressure line today from NAPA and it was under $30. What part is the dealer talking about? I understand it goes along the front cross member and loops back around. I've seen this when I've been underneath, but never knew what it was.

 

3) Is the pressure line more likely to leak than the return, or are they both prone to fail? Is there much pressure on the return line? and is it worth putting a filter on? I added a filter to the return on my wife's Suburban in the event the pump came apart.

[carkhz316]

1.) IMO, don't worry about tilting the motor forward, at least I haven't had to with my PS repairs to my Euro. Most work will/ can be done from underneath, but if you need to disconnect a line from the rack, I found the easiest way was to remove the air box assembly and go in through the top. Very easy from there.

 

2.) You got the same part from NAPA that would have cost you 184 from the stealership. The "cooler" portion is just more line doing a loop running on the front of the cradle.

 

3.) Both are prone to failure, though there is considerably more pressure on the pressure line (up into the hundreds of psi, not sure exactly of the specs). Return line has some pressure. Filter? meh, optional.

[kwk39018]

Let me guess its leaking for the rubber section of the line.Its kind of a pain in the ass to get to.I have to replace the same line on my cutty.Good luck to ya.

[SnowDrift]

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure where it's coming from just yet, but I know it's pushing through a LOT of fluid. I used to be able to go three weeks or so as long as my wife and/or daughter didn't drive it (their driving habits are different than mine). Now it is about every couple days and it's smoking like crazy on occasion when I'm idling, not moving for any length of time.

[SnowDrift]

I'll see what I can get to from underneath

[rockfangd]

I would hate to say it but itprobably wnt be much from the bottom. The driver side upper is the best

[Schurkey]

My 3.4 had a massive PS leak, The return hose deforms under the clamps; the clamps no longer secure the hose, and the hose pops off the tubing.

 

I replaced the hose, and installed quality clamps. Simple and easy. Yes, the "cooler" is just a loop of steel tubing that winds around the cradle. Nothing to it.

 

Nothing says the same thing happened to your car, but it's worth a look.

[paulo57509]

I'm guessing it's the high pressure line. I've done a search and found several posts on this, but will still post this, anyhow.

 

1) Are the hoses hard to get to with the motor tilted forward ('93 GP w/3.1)?

 

2) The dealer told me there is a cooler of sorts on one of the lines causing the price to be around $184 or so. I bought a pressure line today from NAPA and it was under $30. What part is the dealer talking about? I understand it goes along the front cross member and loops back around. I've seen this when I've been underneath, but never knew what it was.

 

3) Is the pressure line more likely to leak than the return, or are they both prone to fail? Is there much pressure on the return line? and is it worth putting a filter on? I added a filter to the return on my wife's Suburban in the event the pump came apart.

 

In my experience, the hoses aren't too difficult to get to. Tilt the engine forward and remove the alternator (as required). IIRC, I also removed the alternator mounting bracket. It'll help to get a set of metric flare nut crow foot (feet??) and a long extension to use with your ratchet. This will allow you to loosen and tighten the fittings at the rack with the ratchet swinging above the engne. You may also need a short 19mm wrench for spinning the nuts (do not use this for tightening or loosening). I got a cheapo wrench and cut off the excess with a Dremel. The fittings do not have to be reefed on to get them tight.

 

It may be helpful to loosen or remove the PS pump mounting bolts to get the pressure line fitting lined up and started into the pump. This can prevent damaging the o-ring seal.

 

Don't even attempt to replace the entire return line (PITA). Just replace the rubber portions and you'll be good to go. make sure you use hose specifically made for transmission coolers or PS returns.

 

The pressure line is more prone to fail, IMO. However, the rubber portions of the return line will get brittle and can start to leak after a while.

 

A filter in the return line can't hurt if you can find a place to put it.

 

I don't believe there's much if any pressure in the return line. The fluid is just going back to the PS pump and there's no obstructions in the return path that would cause the fluid to see pressure.

[Robby1870]

Both of the lines are extremely difficult to get to. The way to do it is to drop the rear portion of the subframe about 2 or 3 inches and that will give you access. I've tried removing the lines from under and from above and had no luck. The cooler line is on the return line and routes all the way along the front of the subframe. I tried patching my high pressure line and it worked for a little bit, but started leaking again. I had no time to fix it correctly so I took it to a dealer. They charged me around $200-$250 to replace both of the power steering lines.

[1990lumina]

My Lumina's return line blew apart last winter when it was -40 outside. NO signs of leakage before - just up and exploded in my school's parking lot.

 

I highly recommend when putting new fluid in after repairs to use the AC Delco Cold Climate P/S fluid. It's green and it's the consistancy of water even in low temps.

[Schurkey]

My Lumina's return line blew apart last winter when it was -40 outside. NO signs of leakage before - just up and exploded in my school's parking lot.

 

I highly recommend when putting new fluid in after repairs to use the AC Delco Cold Climate P/S fluid. It's green and it's the consistancy of water even in low temps.

Yep. That's more-or-less my story. The hose is crushed under the clamps--permanently deformed--and so the clamps no longer hold it securely. Any pressure in the return system blows the hose off the tubing as if there were no clamps on it. Fresh hose and QUALITY clamps (I use fuel-injection style clamps, so the hose doesn't extrude through the worm-drive slots) and the problem is done.

 

I did NOT need to drop the cradle; everything was fairly easy to get to, I thought.

 

I had to use the GM Cold Climate PS fluid in my Trailblazer; but I did not put it in my Lumina. The CC fluid is ~$15 a quart; that's crazy expensive. First Guess: You can buy the equivalent PS fluid in the aftermarket for ~$4 a quart.

[carkhz316]

I was told once upon a time that ATF was equivalent to CC PS fluid. And when it was -30* last winter when my euro was dumping PS fluid, I used it in a pinch, and it worked just fine, didn't hurt anything, and is still working great today, 8 months later. Anyone heard anything like this?

[spiderw31]

I was told once upon a time that ATF was equivalent to CC PS fluid. And when it was -30* last winter when my euro was dumping PS fluid, I used it in a pinch, and it worked just fine, didn't hurt anything, and is still working great today, 8 months later. Anyone heard anything like this?

 

It is certainly possible... I had to top off the steering fluid in my '04 GTO once, and noticed that it required ATF. Thought it was odd at the time, but in light of what you just mentioned, maybe now I know why!

[SnowDrift]

Thanks to those that offered advice. I got the pressure line from NAPA and rocked the motor forward to get to it. The hardest part was reinstalling the plastic clip that looks like the outline of a tiny hand. Those of you that have done this know what I mean. We ended up taking a stubby wrench on the line end on the rack and took a 2' long 2x4 and bumped it loose because we could not get any leverage otherwise. Once that was done, it was pretty straight forward. We were able to accomplish this by removing the air box completely.

 

I didn't have to do anything with the alternator or PS pump, except remove the belt and remove the line going into the pump.

 

I haven't looked at the return line all that closely, but I'll do so next time I change oil to see if the line feels brittle. I don't want to be stranded on a cold day as you mentioned. If I have to drive my truck in the winter salt on the roads, I'll be ticked off. This car is my sacrificial anode and it's been a really good car over the years.

[1990lumina]

My Lumina's return line blew apart last winter when it was -40 outside. NO signs of leakage before - just up and exploded in my school's parking lot.

 

I highly recommend when putting new fluid in after repairs to use the AC Delco Cold Climate P/S fluid. It's green and it's the consistancy of water even in low temps.

Yep. That's more-or-less my story. The hose is crushed under the clamps--permanently deformed--and so the clamps no longer hold it securely. Any pressure in the return system blows the hose off the tubing as if there were no clamps on it. Fresh hose and QUALITY clamps (I use fuel-injection style clamps, so the hose doesn't extrude through the worm-drive slots) and the problem is done.

 

I did NOT need to drop the cradle; everything was fairly easy to get to, I thought.

 

I had to use the GM Cold Climate PS fluid in my Trailblazer; but I did not put it in my Lumina. The CC fluid is ~$15 a quart; that's crazy expensive. First Guess: You can buy the equivalent PS fluid in the aftermarket for ~$4 a quart.

 

I ended up flaring the ends of the metal line and then using like you did, fuel system hose clamps, to clamp it all back down.

I was using ATF the last few times but the guy at our local part store recommend the AC Delco stuff - didn't cost anymore than regular ATF though.

 

Lol, best part about this whole ordeal I had last year was my P/S pump had no fluid in it for over two weeks (I was running around with no assist) and I figured the pump would have been fucked by then - but all was fine!

[Robby1870]

My Lumina's return line blew apart last winter when it was -40 outside. NO signs of leakage before - just up and exploded in my school's parking lot.

 

I highly recommend when putting new fluid in after repairs to use the AC Delco Cold Climate P/S fluid. It's green and it's the consistancy of water even in low temps.

Yep. That's more-or-less my story. The hose is crushed under the clamps--permanently deformed--and so the clamps no longer hold it securely. Any pressure in the return system blows the hose off the tubing as if there were no clamps on it. Fresh hose and QUALITY clamps (I use fuel-injection style clamps, so the hose doesn't extrude through the worm-drive slots) and the problem is done.

 

I did NOT need to drop the cradle; everything was fairly easy to get to, I thought.

 

I had to use the GM Cold Climate PS fluid in my Trailblazer; but I did not put it in my Lumina. The CC fluid is ~$15 a quart; that's crazy expensive. First Guess: You can buy the equivalent PS fluid in the aftermarket for ~$4 a quart.

 

I ended up flaring the ends of the metal line and then using like you did, fuel system hose clamps, to clamp it all back down.

I was using ATF the last few times but the guy at our local part store recommend the AC Delco stuff - didn't cost anymore than regular ATF though.

 

Lol, best part about this whole ordeal I had last year was my P/S pump had no fluid in it for over two weeks (I was running around with no assist) and I figured the pump would have been fucked by then - but all was fine!

 

I bet that was really loud. That's really impressive though.

[spiderw31]

I bet that was really loud. That's really impressive though.

 

If it was like my old 6000, it probably wasn't all that loud. I had a leak that would dump all my PS fluid in about 200-300 miles, and it was only loud when it got low. Once it was totally empty, everything sounded normal again!

[1990lumina]

I bet that was really loud. That's really impressive though.

 

If it was like my old 6000, it probably wasn't all that loud. I had a leak that would dump all my PS fluid in about 200-300 miles, and it was only loud when it got low. Once it was totally empty, everything sounded normal again!

 

Exactly - it would pump out the whole system in 10 seconds. It made a screaming sound for about 3-4seconds and then that was it. Silence and a tight wheel.

[spiderw31]

Exactly - it would pump out the whole system in 10 seconds. It made a screaming sound for about 3-4seconds and then that was it. Silence and a tight wheel.

 

And it would seem that the old square columns may not suffer from a common issue that plagued the older round columns from the '80s, namely the tilt mechanism coming loose. After driving that car without PS fluid for a couple weeks, I filled the reservior and let my sis drive it for the day, as her car totally blew a PS line and it emptied exacly as you describe, and she couldn't even turn the wheel. Anyways, when she brought my car back, she complained the steering wheel was "loose". I went to look at it, and was shocked to find it had about 3" of side to side play!