power steering line woes / question

[KEEBZ489]

add another issue to the list with my truck..... last week I started seeing wet spots when parked and seen the power steering cooler was rusted and leaking... amazon and prime got me the dorman brand next day , install was simple enough , the bumper comes off stupidly easy thank god. that was last Saturday , now its Thursday sand I see a wet spot again... now its the line / lines over the strut tower.

im guessing that the pressure is higher without the cooler leak and it blew out the next weakest place.

I already had the rusting and was planning on replacing them , just not so soon after spending $140 last week.

I read all the threads but am missing to parts of info that would be helpful...

1. I am looking at the ad-delco hoses #36-365451 & 36-36781 365451 states to remove the cup seal , vs Gates 365883 is oem design , which is easier ( im think oem design but cant find ac delco brand )

2. every posy I found talks about where the lines connect to the rack and the hold down clamps... any tips on how to remove from the pump side ?



on a side not in a post a while back I was talking about a vibration type noise /feel I couldn't pin down. I changed the black fluid when I got the truck , but it was still there.... after the cooler install and a new quart of fluid the vibration is almost non existent... could there have been cavitation in the pump with the cooler leaking so slight I didn't see the leak ?

 

[tblazerdude]

I just used fuel pressure hose, (300psi) with fuel pressure clamps, to repair the line over the driver side strut. I cut out the bad parts, about 14 inches. Double clamped both ends. No leaks, 60k miles on that repair. The rest of the lines however are starting to look worse, at this point. Still no leaks and this is my plow truck.

 

[BrianF]

I replaced a segment of my pressure line, the flex portion from the pump that runs under the harmonic balancer. Just cut the hard line straight and clean the burrs. 30 bucks and 10 minutes in a small town hydraulics shop. New quality hose with compression fittings. One of the flex line segments from the pump to the strut tower is looking damp (nowhere near as bad as the previous fixed segment) so I will cut off near the rack and make the same modification. Just something to think about. I did my repair last summer and it is still working top notch.

 

[Mooseman]

I used this method successfully using compression fittings and brake line as per this post:
https://gmtnation.com/forums/threads/power-steering-lines-rotting-away.1929/#post-39502

Note thought that method would only work on the low pressure return line.

As for your question regarding the seals, there was a design change where the pressure line was changed to an o-ring type but the return stayed as a cup seal. The reason for the two different pressure line types is if you're staying with the cup seal or switching to the o-ring. Those cup seals sometimes come out easy with a pick, sometimes not.

 

[KEEBZ489]

my lines are pretty bad , my luck I would splice in a new patch and would start leaking at the compression fitting or another weak spot.

I ordered the ac delco professional lines , ty mooseman on the point that they only redesigned the one line. ive been going nuts trying to figure out why I kept seeing only the high pressure with the cup removal note.

I hope my rack isn't going , I checked the fluid after driving home yesterday and the reservoir was 2/3 low , but the fluid was brown black again , I just put in a new quart a week ago with the cooler. can there be that much old fluid left ? getting dirty from the corroded lines?

ill me starting tearing down tonight after work and wait for the ups guy tomorrow... I don't know what id do with out amazon

next on the list is a tranny filter and solenoids 113k , by the time im done ill have a new truck !

 

[Sparky]

There is more than 1 quart in there. It will take a some flushing to get it all changed out.

 

[KEEBZ489]

just posted on envoy10's thread , now my pump in whining , this was one hell of a job to do in the driveway. luckily it was a really nice day. took about 6-7 hours total , but I had a hard time getting the old brackets off , mainly the large half circle one where the leak occur on the strut tower... the rear ac line on the ext makes it extremely hard. all the youtube vids seem to be short body trucks. the one on the lower radiator support was even harder. without a 10mm ratchet box wrench I don't see how anyone can get it out. I was going to cut it and zip tie the new lines , but being so close to the fan and harmonic balancer I didn't want to take a chance of losing the new lines , I moved the bracket over about 6" and used a self tap hex screw with a 24" extension on my screwgun ( you will need a 3/8" socket drive adapter if you choose to do this )

the rest of the time was all cleaning with a lot of brake cleaner and spraying rustoleum rust convertor everywhere. I only bolted down one of the bracket on the frame , the other was completely shot , and the half circle I only slide over the line to help with vibration. I will zip tie it on later tonight to hold it in place. the lines are solid and not moving.

the return line is leaking where the metal line over the strut tower meets the rubber hose coming off the rack. its a crimped hose clamp band , so I should be okay with a regular clamp when I get this one off

everything was good with a few drives around the block and to the store. now today I am getting a steering pump whine after a 1 hour commute. pump is full , so im guessing the added pressure is killing it now ???

 

[cornchip]

Hopefully your pump whine is just a little air still circulating it's way around. Takes a little while to get it all out.

 

[Mooseman]

Agreed. One method I use to bleed is jack the front and turn the wheels side to side without having the engine running. Avoids foaming and gets most of the air out.

 

[KEEBZ489]

I did the back n forth while on stands after I was done and checking for leaks , all was good. I did it again and after two days of driving it is better , but still straining when hot... I see a new pump in my future. any suggestions on brands ? I want to stick with ac delco , but after this hose headache I pissed unless I got a fluke bad part.

actually im doubly pissed. I got the crimped clamp off easy enough , getting a regular clamp on after opening the band to get it over the line was a pain considering the tight space. more degreaser and letting it soak , a car wash with underbody cleaning , and today still a leak, only not as bad. now the low pressure is leaking where it comes out of the rack and switches from metal to hose ( same factory crimp clamp ) its behind the frame , and will need to pull the lines from the rack or pull the axle to get in there.


the first two pics are the top leak which is now fixed , the last was taken with me sticking my phone under the frame pointing up

the 1st two are coming out sideways for some reason , they should be rotated clockwise

 

[Mooseman]

ACDelco is my go to for pumps. Cardone are garbage.

At least it wasn't the high pressure line that was leaking but still sucks you had to fix it.